Random Most Haunting Final Performances Before Artist’s Death (12 items)

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  (#1) Tom Petty (2017)

  Tom Petty expected his final show to become part of his last major tour, not serve as the conclusion to his career. Petty and his Heartbreakers left the fateful 2017 show after playing "American Girl" - it was the last time they all made music together.

  Before his death, Petty doubted his participation in many more huge tours, noting:

  We [the band] are all on the backside of our sixties... I have a granddaughter now; I'd like to see [her] as much as I can. I don't want to spend my life on the road. This tour will take me away for four months. With a little kid, that's a lot of time.

  The final performance, which took place at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, CA, was just one week prior to his passing on October 2, 2017.
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  (#2) Chris Cornell (2017)

  Chris Cornell's final performance took place in Detroit, MI,  just a short while before he took his own life on May 18, 2017. The show ended with a performance of "Slaves and Bulldozers," which seemingly included a bit of Led Zeppelin's "In My Time of Dying."

  Soon after, Cornell's body was found. In response, his publicist mentioned:

  His wife, Vicky, and family were shocked to learn of his sudden and unexpected passing, and they will be working closely with the medical examiner to determine the cause.
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  (#3) Whitney Houston (2012)

  Whitney Houston's final performance occurred only two days before her death on February 11, 2012. Kelly Price invited the late singer to join her onstage during the Kelly Price & Friends pre-Grammys party, and said, "You are a class act; you are an icon."

  After the show, Houston reportedly got into a verbal altercation with singer Stacy Francis, but it quickly diffused.

  Two days later, Houston was found dead in her hotel room. 
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  (#4) Amy Winehouse (2011)

  Amy Winehouse's final performance - which was unexpectedly her last - happened a few weeks before the 27-year-old's passing. In fact, she was planning to finish a European tour, but a disastrous show in Serbia weeks earlier forced her to cancel the remaining dates. During the concert, Winehouse slurred her words.

  After the singer was found dead on July 23, 2011, fellow performer Moby noted:

  Since Amy had just gotten out of rehab, I had naively and presumptuously hoped to talk to her before or after her show to find out how she was feeling, and to see if she needed any help... There's a fairly extensive network of musicians on tour who are all trying to stay sober, and we generally reach out to each other and offer support when and where we can.

  The talk between the two musicians never took place.
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  (#5) GG Allin (1993)

  GG Allin was known for his disturbing performances involving throwing feces and assaulting audience members. He even claimed he would kill himself on stage.

  The final show was chaotic; Allin destroyed a microphone and fought a sound technician. Afterwards, the musician went to a New York City hotel and partied throughout the night.

  The next morning, on June 28, 1993, Allin was found dead on the floor from a drug overdose. Johnny Puke was at the hotel, writing:

  One thing that I hadn't thought about that looked really weird and suspicious was that after GG fell asleep, Liz, my girlfriend, and I all took Polaroids of us laying next to GG that we were gonna show him in [the] morning. We were cuddling with him and smiling in the photos...

  Well, the police found the Polaroids and confiscated them. And then we all had to go down to the 9th Precinct to tell our version of the story. At first, they were very suspicious of us.

  Authorities cleared Puke and his friends of any wrongdoing, but Allin's death and his final show went down in history.
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  (#6) Dimebag Darrell (2004)

  Guitarist Dimebag Darrell spent his last earthly moments performing in 2004 at a Columbus, OH, nightclub with his post-Pantera band, Damage Plan. A disgruntled fan ran onto the stage, opening fire on the guitarist.

  "The [shooter] was way determined," Billy Payne, the opening band's singer, recalled. "He was on a mission. He looked angry. He was walking like he was going into battle."

  Three other people died during this show on December 8, 2004. Police killed the shooter, Nathan Gale, after his attack.
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  (#7) Jimi Hendrix (1970)

  Just two days before his death on September 18, 1970, Jimi Hendrix joined his friend Eric Burdon as a guest performer during a show in London. It was 10 days after his last solo performance. Hendrix jammed on "Tobacco Road."

  Later on, Burdon recalled:

  Hendrix made his entrance during the second set. There was a crack in the air. I introduced Jimi to the audience... the typical London jazz crowd tried to show indifference as he took the stage, but a ripple of applause greeted the greatest guitar player in the world.

  After the show, Hendrix vaguely described the new music he was working on, but the music never came to fruition. He died in his sleep. 
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  (#8) Daryle Singletary (2018)

  Country musician Daryle Singletary's last song at his final show in Louisiana was a version of Johnny Paycheck's "Old Violin." It concludes with these eerie lines: 

  We'd give our all to music

  And soon, we'd give our life

  Many in the music community mourned the 46-year-old's death on February 12, 2018. The Grand Ole Opry said:

  Our hearts are breaking at the loss of Daryle Singletary this morning. He was a great friend to us all, and our thoughts and prayers are with his family.
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  (#9) Sib Hashian (2017)

  Former Boston drummer Sib Hashian was mid-performance during the Legends of Rock cruise in 2017 when he suddenly collapsed. The iconic drummer received CPR, but it was too late. He died of a massive heart attack. 

  Tributes quickly poured in, mourning the drummer, including one from Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, the father of Hashian's granddaughter. 

  "Don't know why things have to happen the way they do sometimes," Johnson wrote in a social media post, expressing sadness because the musician left their family "suddenly without having a chance to say goodbye." 
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  (#10) Mike Scaccia (2012)

  Mike Scaccia, a guitarist for groups like Ministry and Rigor Mortis, died while onstage in Fort Worth, TX, performing at a birthday celebration for a bandmate on December 23, 2012. Rushed to the hospital, Scaccia met his end; no one could revive him. 

  Former Ministry bandmate, Al Jourgensen, shared:

  I just lost my lil' brother and my best friend - the 13th Planet compound is devastated, completely in shock and shattered.

  Mikey was not only the best guitar player in the history of music, but he was a close, close, close part of our family - and I just lost a huge chunk of my heart today. Our lives are forever changed. Life without Mikey is like orange juice without pulp - kind of bland. I have no words to express what this guy meant to me, my family, my career... Everything!
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  (#11) Ty Longley (2003)

  Ty Longley, the Great White guitarist, was one of a hundred people who perished in a February 20, 2003 fire at the Station Nightclub in West Warwick, RI. The blaze occurred when pyrotechnics went off at the small venue, lighting nearly everything on fire, leaving little room for anyone to escape.

  Several lawsuits followed, and the band's manager shouldered a portion of the blame. Longley's son started a charity in the musician's honor.
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  (#12) Avicii (2016)

  Nearly two years before his April 20, 2018 death, popular DJ and musician Avicii - whose real name was Tim Bergling - announced his retirement. He performed his final show at the open-air dance club, Ushuaïa Ibiza, in Spain. During the event, Avicii alluded to his retirement, thanking fans for their support:

  I know I am blessed to be able to travel all around the world and perform, but I have too little left for the life of a real person behind the artist...

  I could not ask for a better last show. Thank you so much for coming; you’re awesome.

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