Stars Who Died At Age 27–A Curse?

I was reflecting recently on gifted, talented, and famous individuals in the world of music who coincidentally all died at age 27.

It's a surprising list when you start compiling it. And it doesn't just include icons of the 1960's. Not all are overdoses either...just a few of the notables. All of these people were gone way before their time at the age of 27:

1. Robert Johnson, legendary blues master (1938)
2. Jim Morrison, singer/songwriter The Doors (1971)
3. Jimi Hendrix, guitarist extraordinaire (1970)
4. Kurt Cobain, singer/songwriter Nirvana (1994)
5. Brian Jones, multi-instrumentalist Rolling Stones (1969)
6. Janis Joplin, Texas blues and Sixties icon (1970)
7. Pete Ham, lead singer/songwriter Badfinger (1975)
8. Ron 'Pigpen' McKernan, Grateful Dead (1973)

Why do such gifted people burn brightly and burn out early, all at the age of 27? You could arguably call it a curse. For some great photos of all of the artists listed here, along with more details on their individual departures, click here where I sourced the list at music.msn.com .