General General 5 min read

He was only 27. What happened to Jimi Hendrix?

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We’ll always wonder what might have been if talented stars like Whitney Houston had stayed with us longer. What new music could Freddie Mercury have created? Where might Jimi Hendrix be today if he hadn’t died at just 27? Here’s a brief tribute to 10 artists who died before their time, but whose legacies live forever .

1
Whitney Houston (1963–2012)

Image: Kathy Hutchins

Six Grammys, 25 Grammy nominations, a No. 1 debut album, three No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 singles, and over 220 million records sold worldwide—and she did it all before she turned 49. Born in 1963, Whitney Houston had a unique power to captivate fans and critics alike with her once-in-a-generation voice, with songs like "How Will I Know," "I Will Always Love You," and much more, becoming one of the most-awarded female artists of all time .

But in February 2012, after years of substance abuse and personal struggles, she was found unconscious in a bathtub at the Beverly Hilton and died shortly after. Houston was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2020, eight years after her death.

2
Freddie Mercury (1946–1991)

Image: Olena Zn

Freddie Mercury’s career lasted barely two decades, but his voice and iconic stage presence still live on today. He was born in 1946 in Zanzibar, then a British protectorate. He became the lead singer of Queen in 1970 and immediately stood out for his incredible vocal range and songs like "Bohemian Rhapsody," "We Will Rock You," and "Somebody to Love," among many others.

Mercury died in November 1991 at age 45 from bronchial pneumonia caused by AIDS. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inducted Queen in 2001.

3
Jimi Hendrix (1942–1970)

Image: Stefano Chiacchiarini '74

It’s impossible not to wonder how much more we could have seen from Jimi Hendrix. Born in Seattle in 1942, Hendrix became one of the most influential electric guitarists ever in less than five years. His 1967 debut album Are You Experienced reached No. 5 on the U.S. Billboard 200, and his 1969 performance at Woodstock is still burned into the memory of rock fans. Some of his most memorable songs include "All Along the Watchtower," "Purple Haze," "Hey Joe," and "Little Wing."

In September 1970, Hendrix died at just 27 after being found unconscious following the consumption of sleeping pills and alcohol. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.

4
Jim Morrison (1943–1971)

Image: Pascal Huot

How could we ever forget Jim Morrison’s unpredictable performances and rebellious behavior on stage? He was born in Florida in 1943 and rose to stardom as the frontman and primary lyricist of the rock band The Doors.

In just a few short years, he became a defining figure of 1960s rock thanks to songs like "Light My Fire," "Break On Through," and "People Are Strange." Morrison suffered heart failure in 1971 and died at age 27. No autopsy was performed, so the exact causes of what happened are still subject to speculation among fans.

5
Carrie Fisher (1956–2016)

Image: catwalker

Carrie Fisher won everyone’s hearts playing Princess Leia in the first three Star Wars films and became part of pop culture history at just 19. In addition to her acting career, Fisher was a successful writer and screenwriter who worked on the scripts for The Blues Brothers , Sister Act (1992), and The Last Jedi (2017). She was also an accomplished author, best known for her novel Postcards from the Edge (1987), which was adapted for a 1990 film starring Meryl Streep, and was frank about her struggles with substance abuse and mental health.

Fisher came back to the Star Wars franchise as Leia in The Force Awakens (2015) and The Last Jedi . She was also set to appear in The Rise of Skywalker (2019), but suffered a cardiac arrest during a flight to Los Angeles and passed away at age 60. Her mother, legendary actress Debbie Reynolds, died just one day later from a hemorrhagic stroke.

6
Selena (1971–1995)

Image: Lisa T Snow

Selena’s story is perhaps one of the most tragic and disturbing on this list. Hailing from Texas, she was born in 1971 and was already a superstar by age 15. Selena Quintanilla-Pérez was nicknamed the "Queen of Tejano" and helped bring Mexico’s Tejano genre to a much wider audience. Her 1994 album Amor Prohibido became one of the most successful in the genre.

Selena’s 1994 album Live! earned her a Grammy for Best Mexican-American Album. In March 1995, when Selena was only 23, she was shot and killed by Yolanda Saldívar, the former president of her fan club. Her album Dreaming of You was released after she died in 1995 and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Saldívar received a life sentence and remains in prison.

7
Kurt Cobain (1967–1994)

Image: Snap Spot

Kurt Cobain’s story began in Aberdeen, Washington, in 1967. He shot to stardom as the lead singer, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the hit 1990s rock band Nirvana . The band became a massive mainstream success following the release of its 1991 album Nevermind , which sold more than 30 million copies.

At the peak of his career, Cobain died by suicide at his Seattle home in 1994, at age 27. Nirvana was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2014.

8
Amy Winehouse (1983–2011)

Image: Ibrahim Alkan

Amy Winehouse took the music world by storm as a young star blending soul, jazz, R&B, and pop. Born in England in 1983, Winehouse launched her music career at the age of 20 with the release of her debut album, Frank, in 2003.

By 2008, she had released two albums, becoming a global sensation with songs like "Rehab" and "Back to Black," and won five Grammys , including Record of the Year and Song of the Year. Sadly, Winehouse died in July 2011, at the young age of 27, due to alcohol poisoning.

9
Paul Walker (1973–2013)

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Paul Walker was born in 1973 and became a major Hollywood star playing Brian O'Conner in the Fast & Furious franchise . He first appeared in the series’ 2001 debut, The Fast and the Furious, and went on to appear in five more installments.

Walker also starred in other popular movies like Varsity Blues (1999) and Into the Blue (2005). In 2013, he died in a car accident at the age of 40 alongside his business partner Roger Rodas. His final scenes in Furious 7 (2015) were completed after his death with the help of his brothers and visual effects.

10
Brittany Murphy (1977–2009)

Image: Vinicius Tupinamba

Brittany Murphy had a thriving career as an actress and voice actress before her sudden death at 32. She broke through playing Tai Frasier in the rom-com Clueless (1995) and later appeared in other films like Girl , Interrupted (1999), 8 Mile (2002), Just Married (2003) , and Sin City (2005). Murphy was also famous for voicing Luanne Platter on the animated sitcom King of the Hill .

In December 2009, she collapsed at her home in Los Angeles and was pronounced dead shortly after. Her death was attributed to pneumonia , anemia, and multiple drug intoxication.

Culture Culture 6 min read

From real life to music

Bob Dylan wrote it to save his marriage: the real people behind 10 hits

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You’ve sung along to these songs, danced to them, and probably heard them hundreds of times. But do you know the real stories behind them? Some of the biggest hits ever were inspired by real people, real relationships, and real moments. There were secret romances, jealousy, heartbreak, and a few surprises that sound too strange to be true. Here are the real stories behind 10 famous songs.

1
"Jolene" by Dolly Parton

Image: Bart Sherkow

One of Dolly Parton’s most famous songs, 1973’s "Jolene," has resonated across generations because its story of jealousy feels so relatable. And it was inspired by a real experience in Dolly’s life.

As she recounted in interviews, the song was inspired by an attractive female bank teller who paid a little too much attention to her husband, Carl Dean. But while the jealousy was real, the woman wasn’t named Jolene. Dolly got that name from a young fan with beautiful red hair and green eyes who introduced herself to the singer after a concert.

2
"Sweet Caroline" by Neil Diamond

Image: Larry Bessel, Los Angeles Times, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Neil Diamond wrote "Sweet Caroline" in 1969, drawing on his feelings for his wife at the time, Marcia Murphey. But if it was about her, why "Caroline"?

Diamond needed a three-syllable name for the lyrics, and he remembered a photo of First Daughter Caroline Kennedy with her horse that he had seen in LIFE magazine in 1962. Diamond kept the connection to JFK’s eldest secret for nearly 40 years until 2007, when he sang the hit for Caroline at her 50th birthday and finally told her the story. She was "struck by it and really, really happy," Diamond revealed.

3
"You're So Vain" by Carly Simon

Image: Arthur D'Amario III

When a relationship ends, the inspiration can show up in unexpected ways. For Carly Simon, it became one of her biggest hits: "You’re So Vain."

As Simon herself confirmed, most of the lyrics were inspired by actor Warren Beatty, with whom she had a brief but intense relationship in the early 1970s that ended after he cheated on her. But Beatty wasn’t the only "vain" one. Although she didn’t confirm it, there’s speculation that other famous men from her past, including Mick Jagger and Jack Nicholson, also inspired parts of the song.

4
"I Will Always Love You" by Dolly Parton

Image: Moeller Talent, Inc. Nashville (management), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Despite what many assume, "I Will Always Love You" wasn’t written about a romantic breakup. Dolly wrote it as a professional farewell .

After more than seven years working with her mentor and longtime duet partner, Porter Wagoner, on The Porter Wagoner Show , Dolly felt it was time to pursue a solo career. But the decision wasn’t easy, and Wagoner was reluctant to let her go. When ordinary conversations weren’t working between them, Dolly did what she knew best: she put her feelings into a song. She brought her guitar to his office, sat him down, and played it for him. Wagoner was moved to tears, called it the prettiest song he had ever heard, and finally agreed to let her leave the show.

5
"American Pie" by Don McLean

Image: Aija Lehtonen

A song can be a farewell, a declaration of love, or a tribute born of admiration. That was the case when Don McLean wrote the beautiful yet haunting "American Pie" in 1971.

This epic folk-rock song became a memorial to "the day the music died," the tragic plane crash on February 3, 1959, that took the lives of rockers Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. Richardson . McLean was just 13 at the time, but he later said the tragedy had a profound impact on him. The song didn’t come together all at once, either; he wrote it in stages over several years.

6
"Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson

Image: Matthew Rolston; Distributed by Epic Records, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

In his 1988 autobiography Moonwalk , Jackson explained that his classic "Billie Jean" was inspired partly by experiences involving women who approached his older brothers while the Jackson 5 were touring.

However, the event that really shaped the song happened in 1981, when Jackson received thousands of messages from a woman who claimed he was the father of her children. The unsettling situation stayed with him and eventually became part of the inspiration for one of his biggest hits.

7
"My Sharona" by The Knack

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Have you ever wondered who "Sharona" was in The Knack’s famous hit? The answer comes from a real story involving the band’s lead singer, Doug Fieger.

In 1978, Fieger met Sharona Alperin, a clothing store clerk in Los Angeles. He was instantly attracted to her, and after breaking up with his then-girlfriend, he spent several months trying to win Sharona over before she finally agreed to a date. Their romance lasted from 1979 to 1982, and inspired one of the most danceable hits of the 20th century. Even after they broke up, Sharona and Doug remained close friends until he passed in 2010.

8
"Sweet Child O' Mine" by Guns N' Roses

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In 1986, Axl Rose was dating model Erin Everly, daughter of Don Everly of The Everly Brothers. He was so in love that he wrote her a love poem in just a few hours, without knowing it would eventually become one of his most famous songs.

That same year, at the band’s shared house, guitarist Slash was playing around with some chords when he came up with an interesting riff. Izzy Stradlin joined in, and when Rose heard the melody from upstairs, he brought down the poem he had written for Everly and adapted the lyrics to fit the music, resulting in the iconic "Sweet Child o’ Mine." Rose and Everly eventually married in 1990, but the marriage ended soon afterward.

9
"Walk On the Wild Side" by Lou Reed

Image: Man Alive!, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Music crossed paths with other forms of art when Lou Reed wrote his 1972 classic "Walk on the Wild Side".

The song is essentially a series of portraits of real people from Andy Warhol’s circle at The Factory, his famous New York City studio and collective. In the song, "Holly" is a reference to Holly Woodlawn, a transgender actress who appeared in Warhol’s underground films such as Trash (1970). "Candy" was Candy Darling, another prominent actress who starred in Flesh (1968) and Women in Revolt (1971). "Little Joe" referred to Joe Dallesandro, the actor and model who became one of Warhol’s male muses. Other figures from the era’s counterculture are also in the song, bringing a very specific art scene of 1970s New York to a much wider audience.

10
"Sara" by Bob Dylan

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In 1975, Bob Dylan was in the middle of a creative rush, writing and recording his album Desire . But while his career was going well, his marriage to Sara Lownds was falling apart. So he decided to write a love song for his wife.

"Sara," a heartfelt and personal song, was recorded in 1975 with Sara in the studio, and it became the raw, emotional closing track on the album. It helped spark a brief reconciliation, and Sara even joined Dylan on his subsequent Rolling Thunder Revue tour. However, the marriage ultimately ended in divorce in 1977.

Geography Geography 4 min read

Discovering America

What's the easternmost point of the US? If you say Maine, think again!

Image: Jon Sailer

We’ve all picked up "facts" about the fifty states somewhere along the way, but not all of them hold up. Some are half-truths passed around for generations , others are just plain wrong. So, in an attempt to set the record straight once and for all, we’ve gathered some fun truths that clear up the biggest mix-ups about our states.

1
Arizona skips Daylight Saving Time

Image: Christoph von Gellhorn

This is partly true because most of the state doesn’t bother with Daylight Saving Time . They stopped changing the clocks back in 1967. The exception is the Navajo Nation, which stretches into Utah and New Mexico and keeps DST so all its communities stay on the same schedule. Now, as for the smaller Hopi reservation, inside the Navajo Nation, it sticks with Arizona time… Yes, quite confusing if you’re not a local.

2
Georgia isn’t really the Peach State

Image: Jessica Furtney

Georgia loves its peaches, sure, but the state’s top fruit money-maker is actually blueberries . In recent years, blueberries have brought in several times more cash for farmers than peaches. Meanwhile, California grows far more peaches than Georgia ever has. The nickname stuck from the old days when Georgia peaches were famous for their flavor, not their volume. So while the pride is real, the peaches aren’t quite the powerhouse people may think.

3
Nevada didn’t record the hottest US temperature

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You probably think of Nevada’s desert heat as unmatched, but the all-time record belongs to California’s Death Valley . In July 1913, it hit a mind-melting 134 degrees Fahrenheit, the hottest temperature not only in America but the hottest ever recorded on Earth!

4
Minnesota doesn’t have the most lakes

Image: Tom Conway

Minnesota proudly calls itself the "Land of 10,000 Lakes," but that’s selling itself short… The real number is closer to 12,000. However, Alaska wins this battle . The state has more than 3 million lakes over five acres in size. In fact, Alaska contains over 40 percent of the nation’s surface water. If you love fishing, kayaking, or just staring at a quiet stretch of water, the true lake capital of America is far up north.

5
Pineapples aren’t native to Hawaii

Image: Christian Joudrey

Pineapples are everywhere in Hawaiian imagery, but the plant actually comes from South America , mainly Paraguay and southern Brazil. Spanish explorers likely brought them to Hawaii in the 1500s after spreading them across the Pacific to places like the Philippines and Guam. Hawaii’s climate turned out to be perfect for growing them and by the 1900s, the islands were producing so many pineapples that the fruit became a symbol of Hawaii itself.

6
Maine isn’t the country’s easternmost point

Image: Chris Henry

If you’re a Geography geek, you’ll love this one. You might picture Maine’s rocky coast as the eastern tip of America, but the actual easternmost point is thousands of miles away, on Alaska’s Semisopochnoi Island in the Aleutians. How is that possible? Well, that’s because it crosses the 180th meridian, putting it in the Eastern Hemisphere. That means part of Alaska technically sits farther east than anywhere in Maine.

7
The biggest US earthquake didn’t happen in California

Image: Lala Miklós

California has suffered some big earthquakes in its history, but the most powerful earthquake in America struck Alaska in 1964 . It hit Prince William Sound with a magnitude of 9.2. It was so strong it shook the ground for four and a half minutes and triggered massive tsunamis. In today’s dollars, the damage would total more than $2 billion. Alaska sits on a collision zone of tectonic plates, making it one of the world’s most seismically active regions.

8
The Everglades isn’t America’s biggest swamp

Image: Joshua J. Cotten

A lot of people picture the Florida Everglades when they think of swamps, but technically, the Everglades isn’t a swamp at all. The real title of the largest swamp in the United States goes to Louisiana’s Atchafalaya Basin , which spans about 1.4 million acres. This swamp has a vast mix of cypress forests, bayous, and marshes, and it’s more than twice as productive as the Everglades when it comes to wildlife and plant life.

9
Big cities aren’t always capitals

Image: Mackenzie Cruz

It surprises people how often the biggest city isn’t the state capital . New York City? Not the capital… Albany is. Chicago? Nope, that honor goes to Springfield. Pennsylvania’s capital isn’t Philly or Pittsburgh, it’s Harrisburg. Even California’s capital isn’t L.A. or San Francisco, it’s actually Sacramento. Out of fifty states, only seventeen have their most populous city as the capital.

10
Alaska isn’t divided into counties

Image: Rod Long

Alaska likes to do things its own way. Instead of counties, it’s split into boroughs , and a massive area known as the Unorganized Borough has no local government at all. People out there don’t pay property taxes, but that freedom comes with challenges, limited services, fewer job options, and tough living conditions.

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