March 5

Comedy lost its wildest warrior today in 1982 when John Belushi died at 33 from a speedball injection of cocaine and heroin at the Chateau Marmont, ending the life of the Saturday Night Live star who had brought the Blues Brothers to life before addiction destroyed his manic brilliance…

 

Lynyrd Skynyrd lost its last original member on this day in 2023 when guitarist Gary Rossington died at 71, ending the career of the band's only constant member who had survived the 1977 plane crash and kept Southern rock's flame burning for five decades…

 

Country music suffered its most tragic loss today in 1963 when Patsy Cline died at 30 in a plane crash near Camden, Tennessee, ending the career of the vocalist whose "Crazy" and crossover success had proven women could dominate Nashville before her untimely death…

 

Red Hot Chili Peppers' guitar architect John Frusciante celebrates his 55th birthday today, the virtuoso whose melodic sensibilities on 'Blood Sugar Sex Magik' and 'Californication' made him essential to the band's success despite his struggles with heroin and multiple departures…

 

Reggae met new wave when Eddy Grant was born today in 1948, the Guyanese-British singer whose "Electric Avenue" brought politically conscious Caribbean rhythms to MTV while proving that pop hooks and social commentary could coexist on dance floors…

 

Theater rock's most unlikely star Murray Head was born today in 1946, the British singer-actor whose "One Night in Bangkok" from the musical 'Chess' became a worldwide hit despite its unlikely subject matter of Cold War chess tournaments…

 

Pop's most tragic teen idol Andy Gibb was born on this date in 1958, the youngest Gibb brother whose solo success rivaled his siblings' Bee Gees fame before cocaine addiction destroyed his heart and killed him at 30 in 1988…

 

Cold War intelligence met country music today in 1953 when Air Force Staff Sergeant Johnny Cash intercepted the coded Soviet message announcing Josef Stalin's death, the future Man in Black's military service in Germany occurring years before "I Walk the Line" made him famous.