They died too young - artists you wish had lived longer

As you said "artists" and gave 5, I'll take 5 too: Jerry Garcia, Janis Joplin, Tim Buckley, Robert Johnson and Paul Kossoff

For me its

• Sandy Denny
• Amy Winehouse
• Freddie Mercury 
• John Lennon

Kirsty MacColl

Not quite as young as those above (she was 41) but definitely too young. She was hugely talented, and had a chequered personal life but was apparently as happy and productive as she had ever been when killed by a speedboat accident in Mexico. Made me feel incredibly sad.

'Days' would be played at my funeral, and 'Fairytale of New York' is the only Xmas song I ever feel the need to play each day year.

Bruce

Ian Curtis.

Bonzo/Moon.

I would like to add Lee Morgan to the list (died at 33).

Jeroen.

Beyond control is a bit a definition but I would add...

Michael Jackson

Prince

Chester Bennington

Stevie Ray Vaughan

Alex Harvey

Eddie Cochran

Nick Drake

Jaco Pastorious

Chet Baker

I know I have a couple of older ones, but having watched the Proms Stax programme last night and enjoyed those maestros in their 70's, there was potential for all the above. Then as an aside to that, how do we start a petition to get the Beeb to maintain quality streaming AND please to synchronise it with the pictures.

Also, in work, I am increasing seeing people with mental health problems, we talk about it more these days, there is more help available, possibly with understanding and communication some of those "self induced" deaths might not haved happened?

Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse, Marvin Gaye but most of all Bob Marley. 

Sam Cooke. Malcolm Owen. Tim Buckley. Nick Drake.

Lots of good suggestions so far, but surprised no-one's mentioned Karen Carpenter - absolutely sublime voice.

Penarth Blues posted:

Lots of good suggestions so far, but surprised no-one's mentioned Karen Carpenter - absolutely sublime voice.

When typing my first comment I was thinking "this is male dominated". This reminded me -

Eva Cassidy

Billie Holiday

Schubert, Pergolesi, Theodore "Fats" Navarro and Clifford Brown.

Also Wagner, I know he was almost 70 when he died, but he was planning to write symphonies rather than more operas, it would would be fascinating to know what they would have been like.

I would add Elvis Presley to this list. An amazing voice, sadly missed. 

A small selection of important composers for me and the age they were when they died.  I would add more but stopped at 50 years.

Lili Boulanger:  24 years old

Giovanni Pergolesi:  26 years old

Franz Schubert:  31 years old

Wolfgang Mozart:  35 years old

Henry Purcell:  36 years old

Georges Bizet:  37 years old

Felix Mendelssohn:  38 years old

George Gershwin:  38 years old

Carl Maria von Weber:  39 years old

Frédéric Chopin:  39 years old

Fanny Mendelssohn: 41 years old

Alexander Scriabin:  43 years old

Modest Mussorgsky:  43 years old

Anton Arensky:  44 years old

Ernest Chausson:  44 years old

Robert Schumann:  46 years old

Isaac Albéniz:  49 years old

Kurt Weill:  49 years old

Gustav Mahler:  50 years old

Many of the above, but particularly Hendrix and Lili Boulanger* (what she did write was totally beautiful and pointed to something extraordinary. It would have been interesting to see how an older Mozart reacted to Beethoven.

* My heart also adds Tim Buckley, who I worshipped through his musical twists and turns, but in retrospect his last two albums (good as they are) hint at someone who'd lost his extravagant muse.

Interpreting the OP's point re wishing they'd lived longer because they were still developing their art and had more to come ..

Patsy Cline

Otis Redding

Freddie King

James Honeyman-Scott

Buddy Holly

Jim Croce

Janis Joplin

Mama Cass

John Bonham

Duane Allman

Sean Costello 

From Bert's Classical list, particularly:Mozart, Mussorgsky, Bizet, Mendelssohn 

and a few who didn't die, but had their careers truncated by unfortunate events:

Peter Green

Syd Barrett

Nic Jones

I'd go with Eva Cassidy as my first thought. The way she sung was amazing. Take a listen to Fields of Gold from her Songbird album.

best

David

I would add Tim Hardin. Listen to his 'Tim Hardin 3, live in concert' for proof. Also Sean O'Riada, whose influence on music in Ireland has been immense. 

Lowell George.

This must be the most poignant song ever written. This was recorded shortly before his death.

Jaqueline Du Pre.

Wolfgang Mozart, George Gershwin, Jehan Alain, Michal Bulgakov, Edgar Allan Poe.

This post's average replies show me three things: that forum members have mostly knowledge of pop/rock 'artists', even some really (to my eyes) minor and obscure; that only musicians are considered artists and that (I notice with guilty, mild satisfaction), that nobody so far thinks Charlie Parker died too early....

At the risk of appearing an ignorant snob, I'd apply to him the famous quote by Glenn Gould (by the way...) about Mozart.

Marc Bolan (29)

Mick Ronson (46)

Jacqueline du Pré