Random Most Suspicious Musician Deaths (12 items)

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  (#12) Paul Williams

  • Dec. at 34 (1939-1973)

  Paul Williams, the co-founder of The Temptations, died in 1973 just after beginning work on a solo album. He was found in a Detroit alley with a gun near his body. While authorities ruled his death a suicide, theories have floated for years that he was murdered. 

  Williams, who suffered from sickle cell anemia, also abused alcohol later in life. His death remains a mystery to this day, although some look to his health struggles and alcoholism as possible factors in his suicide - if it was suicide.
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  (#11) Kurt Cobain

  • Dec. at 27 (1967-1994)

  In the two decades since the incident, Kurt Cobain's alleged suicide has become one of the most talked-about musician deaths of all time. Recently, a longtime Cobain conspiracy theorist attempted to acquire photos of the rock star's death scene, but was rejected by the Washington Court of Appeals.

  "I have never seen these graphic and disturbing images, nor do I ever want to," Cobain's wife, Courtney Love, said in a statement. "Certainly, public disclosure would reopen all my old wounds, and cause me and my family permanent - indeed, endless and needless - pain and suffering, and would be a gross violation of our privacy interests."

  The conspiracy theorist in question, Richard Lee, has tried to prove for years that the Nirvana frontman was killed. 
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  (#2) Bobby Fuller

  • Dec. at 23 (1942-1966)

  Bobby Fuller, who wrote and recorded the hit, "I Fought The Law," died under suspicious circumstances on July 18, 1966. The singer's mother found him unresponsive in the front seat of her car. Authorities ruled the death accidental asphyxiation, though fans continue to debate whether it was a tragic mishap or something more sinister.  

  Fuller's body had been doused in gasoline and there was a gas can nearby. The medical examiner marked both accident and suicide on the death report, though several questions about Fuller's suspicious state remained unanswered. 

  Years later, Fuller's brother and bass player, Randy, claimed Roulette Records owner Morris Levy, who had mafia ties, was responsible for Bobby's death. Randy Fuller believes his brother was trying to get out of a deal with the label and lost his life because of it. 
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  (#5) Donny Hathaway

  • Dec. at 33 (1945-1979)

  Soul singer Donny Hathaway had a long life ahead of him when he died at age 33. The singer earned notoriety for his collaborations with Aretha Franklin and Curtis Mayfield before releasing his first solo single in 1969. The coroner's office ruled his January 1979 death a suicide, though rumors quickly swirled that he may not have killed himself.

  Hathaway, a diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic, allegedly jumped from the 15th floor of the Essex House hotel in New York, dying upon impact. Friends said he was in good spirits that day after working with his frequent collaborator Roberta Flack.

  "We had just left her Central Park West apartment and were back in our rooms for the evening. He hadn't been drinking heavily or taking drugs of any sort," Hathaway's business associate Edward Howard said at the time. 
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  (#9) Darrell Banks

  • Dec. at 32 (1937-1970)

  Stax Records artist Darrell Banks was just gaining fame when an off-duty police officer killed him in 1970. The soul singer was shot by officer Aaron Bullock, who was reportedly sleeping with Banks' girlfriend.

  Bullock and Banks crossed paths when the officer dropped Marjorie Bozeman off at work - and Banks was there waiting for her. A struggle ensued and ended with Bullock fatally shooting the singer in the neck. Banks, who had two full-length albums out at the time and was moving up the Billboard charts, died in the hospital. 

  The singer's grave was unmarked until 2004, when the founder of a soul music website raised money to provide a headstone. 
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  (#10) Gary Driscoll

  • Dec. at 41 (1946-1987)

  In 1987, Rainbow drummer Gary Driscoll was found dead at a friend's house in Upstate New York. Various reports claim that Driscoll's body had been dismembered and possibly flayed.

  Other rumors point to a satanic ritual or drug deal gone wrong. Investigators' lead suspect fled the country after questioning, and the murder remains unsolved. 

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