Dead Rock Singers: Which One Would You Bring Back to Life?

Dead rock singers are the subject of this week’s 12-Inch Poll. And you get to play creator and bring one back to life.

 

Recently, I was reflecting on the 5th of April. That’s the dubious day in rock history where we lost Kurt Cobain in 1994 and Layne Staley in 2002. I have vivid memories of both rock star deaths. I remember hearing the Cobain news over a friend’s car radio after school in ’94. I was hosting my own morning radio show when the Staley news broke in ’02, so I was the one informing the radio listeners and taking their calls. I wrote about both and shared live clips of both singers.

 

Of course, if you came of age in the ’90s, it seems like we were getting bad news like that annually. Shannon Hoon of Blind Melon in 1995. Bradley Nowell of Sublime in 1996. Of course, Freddie Mercury of Queen checked out before the big alternative rock and grunge explosion in 1991. And while Chris Cornell–another big ’90s and ’00s name–hung on for longer than some of his peers, we said goodbye to him in 2017. Tragic losses, all-around. And that’s not even the entire list.

 

Dead Rock Singers: Which One Would You Bring Back to Life?

I’ve taken all of the aforementioned rock singers and added a handful more that are no longer with us. Now? It’s up to you to chose one and give them the kiss of life. Or, if you’re not comfortable kissing a corpse, a gentle, life-giving tap on the forehead, maybe? Anyway, check out your choices below. I did my best to span multiple decades of rock, but you know me: I always miss a name or two. If you have a fave I left off the list, let me know on the ROCK 92.9 Facebook or Twitter.

• Bon Scott

  Died February 19, 1980.

  

• Bradley Nowell

  Died May 25, 1996.

  

• Chris Cornell

  Died May 18, 2017.

  

• Christine McVie

  Died November 30, 2022.

  

• Freddie Mercury

  Died November 24, 1991.

  

• George Harrison

  Died November 29, 2001.

  

• Janis Joplin

  Died October 4, 1970.

  

• John Lennon

  Died December 8, 1980.

  

• Kurt Cobain

  Died April 5, 1994.

  

• Layne Staley

  Died April 5, 2002.

  

• Prince

  Died April 21, 2016.

  

• Shannon Hoon

  Died October 21, 1995.