jeffbase34

They had fame and fortune, and then lost it all. Riches to rags stories. Kinda goes along with my defunct thread. Here's a few really shocking examples:


Robin Crosby - co founder of Ratt, died in 2002


In the 80's, Ratt was one of the hottest rock bands with huge hits like "Round and Round". Robin was a respected guitarist with some killer licks. Unfortunately, he got messed up in drugs, and left the band. The fame was gone, and soon the fortune. By the mid 90s, Crosby had lost almost all his wealth and possessions. In 2001, he admited that he had contracted Aids as well and became extremely overweight. Music projects bombed, and he never got to relive the glory days. He died of an overdose weighing 400 lbs at the time.


JD Fortune - ex-lead singer of INXS

JD's immediate rise and fall is stunning. The poor guy was literally living out of his car when he was offered a slot on the singing competition, Rockstar INXS. He won the competition, and soon embarked on a 18 month world tour, singing to thousands, and enjoying a successful single.

According to Fortune, the band dumped him off at a Hong Kong airport, thanked him, and then fired him from the band. He invested his remaining money into a solo album which never came out. The guy was back to being penniless and living in his car. According to INXS, JD had drug problems. Being a penniless coke addict can't be easy.


Anyone want to share some other great falls?

islandclaws

Nirvana, for obvious reasons.

shaun3000

This was a pretty big one.

Traxan

Amy Winehouse. Obvious.

Steve Clark, Def Leppard.

Syd Barrett. The poster child.

Jaco Pastorius. Not rock, a jazz bassist, but probably the biggest tragedy in modern jazz. He and Britney both suffered from bipolar disorder. Britney is alive and well and touring again because of her millions to get the best treatment. A broke jazz musician ends up like Jaco, beaten to death in an alley.

cungar

Badfinger. Two original members comitted suicide.

Of course the usual suspects: Moon, Joplin, Jones, Hendrix, Morrison.

Spiderbite

Michael Jackson. I mean...what the fuck, Michael?

CRM114

MC Hammer - Ususally 2 or 3 mega hit songs and you are set for life. Not this clown.

Hixx

Steven Adler of Gn'R, just watch any episode of Celebrity Rehab.

Not rock, but MC Hammer couldn't quite parlay selling over 10 million albums into lasting fame and/or fortune.

Syd Barrett is another that comes to mind and really sad as he was enormously talented but just couldn't keep it together in the face of heavy drug use.

rw2516

In the case of the most of the "early departed". They are more famous then ever and their family/estate has money falling out of their asses.

NoirFan

I think the guy he replaced had it worse.

WMAangel

How true, better to be alive than dead!

Based on the title, I thought this thread was going to be about bands or artists that had massive popularity and fame, but are now virtually unheard of by the mainstream audience (but are people still alive).....in which case I was going to throw out there:
Hootie and the Blowfish - they were one of the biggest bands in the world there for a few years, with multiple hits, now I don't even know if they are actually still together (I know the lead guy made a country solo album)....if they are, they are definitely not playing stadiums or sheds, maybe only a county fair or something....

Lateralus

How about The Darkness, they hit the skids pretty quickly. I was happy as I thought they really sucked!

nothingfails

actually, Darius Rucker's country album is selling very well especially for this poor sales climate, so I think he's made a bit of a comeback of late.

Hiro11

Sly Stone, the definitve burnout. Pure game-changing genius for about six years and then a complete fall-apart.

Lee Mavers basically reinvented Britpop with The La's first album. Every song on that thing is great. Since then, nothing.

Jeff Mangum made two albums as Neutral Milk Hotel that pop music is just now fully getting grips on. He was also instrumental in many other classic Elephant Six projects. Since then, nothing.

Stephen Adler. Jesus, don't know where to start.

Josh-da-man

Steven Adler is, when you think about it, a most amazing human being.

1. He gets kicked out of Guns and Roses for doing too many drugs.

2. He gets put in a celebrity sober house reality TV program, walks through the front door high as a kite with a pocket full of drugs, and they let him stay.

Traxan

MC is doing fine. He's an entrepreneur in the Silicon Valley, if you can believe it. He may have gone broke but he didn't die or go into a drug-induced s**tslide.

astrochimp

Genesis

Drexl

Yeah, we probably should leave those out. Elvis had a decline, but he remained famous.

Leif Garrett might be a good example.

Sean O'Hara

There are fates worse than death. For example, Mo Tucker was working at a Wal-Mart prior to the Velvet Underground reunion.

NoirFan

If we are talking about disappearing acts, what about The Stone Roses and My Bloody Valentine?

EDIT: Though these two might have reunited in the last year for tours, I can't recall the specifics.

Dr Mabuse

Bradley Nowell.

He had done the hard work and maturing in songwriting to make his band one of the coolest club and party bands on the west coast.

They got their big record deal, made a really good major debut album that was a hit.

And he died from a heroin overdose before it was even released.

The band sold at least 20 million records after that.

Oh yeah 'Sublime' was the band for those that don't know him by name.

Nick Danger

Elvis.

Made a string of rockabilly hits between 1956 and 1958. Got drafted in 1958. (That's right, he did it all in three years.) Got out in 1960 and started releasing easy-listening songs like Are You Lonesome Tonight and starring in B movies. He wouldn't make another live performance until 1968. His manager was keeping 50% of the money. He ate too many jelly donuts, got hooked on prescription drugs, and was irrelevant when he died. After he died, his heirs parlayed his image and music into a fortune that was far greater than than anything he had when he was alive.

statcat

Elvis

Syd Barrett

Stevie Wright

Mick Bower

Skip Spence

Pete Ham and Tom Evans of Badfinger

Layne Staley

Rod Evans (original singer of Deep Purple)

Roky Erikson (although he's back now but there's no doubt he hasn't faired so well)

Stacy Sutherland- his 13th floor elevators bandmate

Dave Evans (original singer of AC/DC)

statcat

forgot another big one- Steve Marriott

rw2516

Did you know the one and only time Elvis set foot off U.S. soil was when he was in the Army. He never did a performance outside the U.S. All his movie scenes were shot in U.S. If an exterior shot was required in a movie set in different country a double was used in a long shot. Reason. Col. Tom Parker went everywhere Elvis went. Parker was not a U.S. citizen. Parker came to U.S. as a child but never became a citizen. He feared if he left the U.S. he wouldn't get back in. So he never let Elvis leave the country.