There’s something especially heartbreaking about artists who leave us before they’ve had a chance to reach their full potential. In R&B, where emotion, storytelling, and soul collide, we’ve lost more than a few voices way too soon. Some were just getting started, while others were already icons in the making. Either way, their absence is still felt in their music and legacy.
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They gave us songs that still hit, verses we still hum, and sounds that shaped what R&B is today. And though their lives were cut short, their impact is still undeniable. These 25 artists all tragically passed before the age of 35, but not before leaving a mark to be celebrated.
Here’s a look back at some of the young legends we lost too soon:
Gone Too Soon: 16 R&B Stars Who Died Under 35 was originally published on ronemycolumbusmagic.staging.go.ione.nyc
1. Aaliyah (died 2001, age 22)
Gone Too Soon: 16 R&B Stars Who Died Under 35 was originally published on ronemycolumbusmagic.staging.go.ione.nyc
2. Amy Winehouse (died 2011, age 27)
Gone Too Soon: 16 R&B Stars Who Died Under 35 was originally published on ronemycolumbusmagic.staging.go.ione.nyc
3. Sam Cooke (died 1964, age 33)
Gone Too Soon: 16 R&B Stars Who Died Under 35 was originally published on ronemycolumbusmagic.staging.go.ione.nyc
4. Frankie Lymon (died 1968, age 25)
Gone Too Soon: 16 R&B Stars Who Died Under 35 was originally published on ronemycolumbusmagic.staging.go.ione.nyc
5. Donny Hathaway (died 1979, age 33)
Gone Too Soon: 16 R&B Stars Who Died Under 35 was originally published on ronemycolumbusmagic.staging.go.ione.nyc
6. Simone Battle of G.R.L. (died 2014, age 25)
Gone Too Soon: 16 R&B Stars Who Died Under 35 was originally published on ronemycolumbusmagic.staging.go.ione.nyc
7. Static Major (died 2008, age 33)
Gone Too Soon: 16 R&B Stars Who Died Under 35 was originally published on ronemycolumbusmagic.staging.go.ione.nyc
8. Natina Reed of Blaque (died 2012, age 31)
Gone Too Soon: 16 R&B Stars Who Died Under 35 was originally published on ronemycolumbusmagic.staging.go.ione.nyc
9. Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes (died 2002, age 30)
Gone Too Soon: 16 R&B Stars Who Died Under 35 was originally published on ronemycolumbusmagic.staging.go.ione.nyc
10. LaLa Brown (died 2007, age 21)
Gone Too Soon: 16 R&B Stars Who Died Under 35 was originally published on ronemycolumbusmagic.staging.go.ione.nyc
11. Tammi Terrell (died 1970, age 24)
Gone Too Soon: 16 R&B Stars Who Died Under 35 was originally published on ronemycolumbusmagic.staging.go.ione.nyc
12. Otis Redding (died 1967, age 26)
Gone Too Soon: 16 R&B Stars Who Died Under 35 was originally published on ronemycolumbusmagic.staging.go.ione.nyc
13. Minnie Riperton (died 1979, age 31)
Gone Too Soon: 16 R&B Stars Who Died Under 35 was originally published on ronemycolumbusmagic.staging.go.ione.nyc
14. Jimi Hendrix (died 1970, age 27)
Gone Too Soon: 16 R&B Stars Who Died Under 35 was originally published on ronemycolumbusmagic.staging.go.ione.nyc
15. Florence Ballard of The Supremes (died 1970, age 32)
Gone Too Soon: 16 R&B Stars Who Died Under 35 was originally published on ronemycolumbusmagic.staging.go.ione.nyc
16. Robert Johnson (died 1938, age 27)
Gone Too Soon: 16 R&B Stars Who Died Under 35 was originally published on ronemycolumbusmagic.staging.go.ione.nyc
