9 Musicians Who Died While Performing

"Well, at least they died doing what they loved." That's an oft-used line that's supposed to bring comfort to the idea of someone's untimely death. For musicians, it's really the second best finish they can hope for. (The first is gently slipping away during a mid-afternoon nap in a sunbeam, as is the case with literally everyone on the planet.) To die during a performance is not just a way to cement their legacy--or create one, if they weren't that famous beforehand--it's the most appropriate way to say goodbye.

In that regard, a rare handful of musicians can count themselves lucky--however inappropriate that may sound--for having gasped their last breath in the spotlight, in front of an adoring audience. Some of them died at a tragically young age, as happens all too often with musicians. And although Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison have secured much larger legacies than the performers on this list, Jimi died in a hotel and Jim died in his bathtub. Neither had particular "showy" fatalities, the type that would have fit their boisterous personalities. 

And although it is much more important to remember how someone lived, there is certain deranged curiosity in exploring how they died. Especially if how they died involved being electrocuted by a microphone. 

With that in mind, let's examine some of the most fascinating on-stage deaths to occur in the world of music.

Tiny Tim was a bit of an oddity, but in the very best way. He was a gangly-yet-round-faced ukelele player who performed children's songs to adult audiences, singing in a nearly impossible falsetto. His rendition of "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" quickly became the most famous version of the song, earning the album it was released on, For All My Little Friends, a Grammy nomination. 

For someone who was generously called a novelty act, Tiny Tim was incredibly talented and even more dedicated to his "schtick." And he proved it in September of 1996, when he suffered a heart attack while playing at a ukelele festival at Montague Grange Hall in Massachusetts. 

Rather than take his doctor's advice to stop performing at once due to his heart condition and additional diabetes complications, Tiny Tim pressed on. He got back up on stage two months later for a gala benefit, where he suffered another massive heart attack, reportedly during his biggest song, "Tiptoe Through the Tulips." The ukelele rockstar died shortly thereafter.