Better Off Dead: Artists whose premature, untimely or otherwise tragic deaths ultimately resulted in good things

Downloading from Tyler's Doom and Gloom today the hypothetical Crazy Horse follow-up to "Everybody Knows This is Nowhere," I wondered whether had Danny Whitten lived if Neil Young would have necessarily gone on to as many rich twists and turns. Similar, I love Joy Division second to no band, but I also love New Order, and I'm not sure the band, had Curtis lived, would have necessarily produced a run as good as New Order's.

Obviously there are a bunch of folks that died but would have gone on to more great things. There are others that died at just the right time, and still others who died just a little too late, after doing their legacy a disservice. But this is a thread to talk about musicians that died too early but whose deaths arguably lead to good things.

Maybe Andrew Wood to Pearl Jam would fall under this.

Sure, that's a great answer!

From an artistic perspective, who died at exactly the right time?

That's a different idea, though. No one would say Ian Curtis died at the right time, per se. But his death lead to good things that may not had happened had he lived.

I guess Bon Scott's death led to AC/DC having one of the biggest albums in history.

And a great album, at that!

"Buffalo Soldier" is IMO one of the best songs Bob Marley ever did and had he been alive today, then I am not sure whether the world would have been aware of it.

we still would have had the banana splits though! wait, they probably didn't have the banana splits in norway...

Wish I could say something positive about Robert Palmer post-death but I can't. So far the fans have been shortchanged. :(

McCartney did some great work just after Linda died.

I'm guessing Prince is the only thing standing between his work being remastered, and all of the thousands of unreleased songs and live recordings being released. So give him a couple more years of live performances and then take him straight to the knackery.

I know not everyone loves the album as much as I do, but I do think John Lennon's death sort of influenced Paul McCartney to put himself together and release a really great solo album (IMO his best) in the guise of "Tug Of War".

based on everything i've read about neil, i think he would have done just as much weird shit even if whitten had lived. crazy horse just would have been a better band

I actually think Joy Division became better after they had to change their vocalist (and chose to change their name as well).

Also, is it possible that Elliott Smith's and Jeff Buckley's way premature deaths both caused a lot of people to discover the music of two otherwise very underground acts?

Townshend likely wouldn't have made Empty Glass if Moon had lived...but that's probably the only positive result.

Jeff Buckley would have been far huger had he lived, and as for Elliott Smith, when you're getting nominated for Oscars and selling out theaters I think you've moved well beyond the underground. Both those acts in particular would have been better off not dead.

Wurzels only started having hits after Adge Cutler died (thought I'd get that in before NickB)

based on everything i've read about neil, i think he would have done just as much weird shit even if whitten had lived. crazy horse just would have been a better band
yeah, neil might not have been bummed out enough to make the ditch trilogy following whitten's death, but he probably would've found something else to be bummed out about! and it is sad that whitten didn't get a chance to make more music -- he really could've been one of the greats I think.

"look at all the things" by crazy horse is such a gorgeous song

Townshend likely wouldn't have made Empty Glass if Moon had lived...but that's probably the only positive result.

Hotel directors all over the world may disagree.......

John Lennon's death proved a much better source of inspiration for Elton John than Princess Diana's did years later:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZzXEFDznoA

(One of Elton's best post-"Captain Fantastic" songs, no less)