The grunge rocker committed suicide at the age of 27 with a gunshot to the head. His suicide note read: "Thank you all from the pit of my burning, nauseous stomach for your letters and concern during the past years. I'm too much of an erratic, moody baby! I don't have the passion anymore, and so remember, it's better to burn out than to fade away."

The 27-year-old blues singer was found dead in her Los Angeles hotel room, a day before she was scheduled to record the tune "Buried Alive in the Blues." Her cause of death was determined to be a heroin overdose.

Hailed as the greatest guitarist in rock music, Hendrix was at the height of his fame when he died at age 27. The cause of death was determined to be asphyxiation in his own vomit after he took sleeping pills.

The youngest brother of Bee Gees Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb spent the late 1970s both collaborating with his famous siblings and competing with them on the charts. After struggling with drugs, he died of a heart ailment in 1988, five days after his 30th birthday.

The poetic Doors front man was found dead at age 27 in his Paris apartment. An autopsy was never performed as the medical examiner claimed there was no evidence of foul play, leaving many to speculate Morrison died of a heroin overdose, or even think the rocker is alive today.

Pre-deceasing his East Coast rap rival, Biggie Smalls, by six months, Tupac was shot at 13 times in a drive-by in Las Vegas on Sept. 7, 1996. Four of the shots hit him, and the rapper died six days later at the age of 25. His death remains a mystery.

Repping the East Coast in the East/West rap feud, Biggie rose to fame with his 1994 debut disc Ready to Die. He was 24 when he was killed in a drive-by shooting and his death remains unsolved.

The reggae icon died in 1981 at age 36 after a long struggle with melanoma. His reported last words, to his son Ziggy: "Money can't buy life."

After a recording session, the ex-Beatle and peace activist returned with Yoko Ono to their New York City home to be greeted by a gathering of fans — and obsessed gunman Mark David Chapman. Lennon died on Dec. 8, 1980, at 40.

The INXS lead singer was found dead in a Sydney hotel in 1997 at age 37. Though his death was deemed a suicide because he had a belt around his neck, his brother and others later argued that it had been autoerotic asphyxiation.

The King of Rock 'n' Roll was found death on his bathroom floor at age 42. Though he had a history of drug abuse and other health problems, Presley's cause of death was listed as a heart attack, not a drug overdose.

A day before his 45th birthday, the soul singer was shot to death by his father, Marvin Gaye Sr. after a violent argument.

The flashy and electrifying rocker died at age 45 from bronchial pneumonia resulting from AIDS. The day before his death, Mercury released a statement confirming speculation that he had AIDS.

The iconic entertainer died at the age of 50 after apparently suffering cardiac arrest. An autopsy has been completed, but a cause of death has yet to be determined.