Not everyone is at their peak when they die. Even though I have a lot of respect for these people (with one notable exception), their best was behind them when it was time to go. If I was more honest, I probably should have added Carl Perkins here but I just couldn't bring myself to do it.

I might get a crate-load of tomatos tossed at me for saying this but his last few years weren't his best. Most jazz fans dig the '50's and '60's classic material and most rock fans dig the '70's material. I'm a rock fan so guess what? I've never heard ANY fusion (or otherwise) group/performer touch the stuff that he did then - it's still ahead of its time and will be that way for a while. Out of frustration, I might have to kidnap Wynton Marsalis just to get people working on this legacy.

The abstract/jazz/cabaret insanity that he perputated with the original Mothers is still something to gawk at. I've loved everthing about We're Only In It For the Money for years now- who else could cut from Clatpon to surf music to musique concrete in one song and make it sound reasonable? Even his outlook on the '60's was profound - the conservative right-wing AND the hippies were BOTH messed up in their own ways. After that, he told adolescent sex jokes over fusion then turned into a 'composer' and never had the original crazed inspiration.

No, I didn't want to see 'the King' (is the Artist just his 'Prince' then?) go either. But who's going to tell you with a straight face that the guy was at his peak when he croaked in the bathroom? Just about everything he did before he was drafted is Manna but don't kid yourself about what happened after that.

It kills me to list him here but facts are facts. He is still criminally under-rated and under-appreciated, known more for his death (supposedly tied to a jukebox as he dived into the water) than for his ferocious playing. Still, the last few years of his life saw him moving towards hippie light-headedness that was pretty depressing after all the important work that he'd done early in his career. Would have loved to hear him disrupt the Army band he was in with his solos.

He doesn't deserve to be listed here- everyone from Smokey to Dr. Funkenstein loved him (me too). I just wanted to point out that not long after his career began as a youngster (or Teenager to be exact), he was a dead junkie. How the great fall sometimes... Still, with better management, support and whatever else, he should have had a long and fruitful career. Hell, he did die too soon but he wasn't anywhere near where he should have been in his life.

Like Lymon, not someone I'm proud to put here but she definitely wasn't at her peak after she left Fairport Convention. I used to think it was Richard Thompson who made that band great but it was definitely her too- her voice, her songs, her spirit (if that's what it was). Amazing how booze can wreck a person and drive them too.

Another big fan of the bottle, the Loon was part of a dinosaur act by the time of his last Who record. His fury of drum rolls made him a justifable legend but he and his three mates were pretty tired as the '70's came to an end. He should just be grateful that he wasn't around for the many of their 'final' tours or seeing Tommy staged.

Again, not someone I like listing here, especially as anyone who's not a Deadhead loves to bash the guy. As Dylan pointed out, he was a rare breed who had a genuine love of every kind of music (except punk) from bluegrass to free jazz and it showed. The one Dead show I caught in '89 was one of the worst (most boring) things I've ever witnessed. Who knows - maybe these guys could have still whipped up some magic on a good night but after Pigpen died, they had the Godcheaux's and then a long stretch of inactivity in the '80's (including Jerry spending a while in a coma). The curse of the dying keyboard players haunted them though they did actually manage a hit single at the end of the '80's. Problem was that they were long past being a rock band by then and running on fumes and their own history for years. That's the problem with having an adoring and unquestioning audience- you don't push yourself as much anymore. Elvis could have told them that. With Phish, Blues Travelers, Further Festival and all, the Deadheads still have something new to toke up to, lucky for them.

I must have really missed something here. What the hell was this guy good for? It's not like he was the heart or the brains of the Pistols. He couldn't play, couldn't sing and couldn't write. So what's that leave? He had a destructive personality that was probably modeled after Iggy (who could write, sing and perform). Is that why he got to be a legend? So he could be a role model for GG Allin and other eggheads? His twisted love affair with Nancy did make good fodder for a flick though.

You gotta hand it to a guy that made Sid look like an intellect. Guess the 'live fast, die young' thing made him into a (very minor) legend. Had he stuck around a few more years, nobody would have cared about him. He was pretty much a waste when he was around so there's not much to mourn in his passing. Some Aussie thought enough of him to do a bio picture on him so that'll certainly help sales (just as his O.D. did I'm sure). Pat Smear did much better with Cobain than here, that's for sure (though he must wonder if a curse surrounds him).

Alright so it didn't happen yet but it's wishful thinking. I'd add Kenny G and Whitney here but that'd probably mean that we'd have to hear their glop all over the radio as the robots passing as DJ's pay 'tribute' to them.

I know a lot of people are broken up about the early demise of these performers but I could never really work up enough enthusiasm myself: Tim Buckley, Tim Hardin, Nick Drake.