Dead Before 27 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Buddy Holly

If this question looks familiar, thanks for playing my other quizzes. I do indeed have another quiz that opens with a question about Buddy Holly. He just happens to fit into more than one sub-category of quizzes that I make.

Buddy Holly started off as a member of a band called "The Crickets." He then went solo and released two more albums. Among these two albums were the hit songs "Peggy Sue" and "Oh Boy." He died in a plane crash. His death is "The Day The Music Died" in Don McLean's song "American Pie."

Weezer had a hit song called "Buddy Holly" in 1994, in which singer Rivers Cuomo says that he looks like Buddy Holly. Cuomo wasn't kidding; he did indeed look like Buddy Holly.

Answer: Selena

Selena Quintanilla, better known simply as Selena, was a singer who sang songs in Spanish. She has sold over 65 million albums worldwide, making her the best-selling Latin female pop star ever at the time. Her most popular album was "Amor Prohibido," which in English would be "Forbidden Love."

Selena was shot at age 23 by the former president of her fan club, Yolanda Saldivar.

In 1997, a movie called "Selena" was released starring Jennifer Lopez as the title character.

Selena Quintanilla is not to be confused with Selena Gomez, a completely different singer who made it to the 21st century alive.

Answer: Frankie Lymon

Frankie Lymon was born in Harlem (explaining the Mountain Goats' song title). He was a member of a band called The Teenagers, which consisted of five boys who really were teenagers. That band had a 1956 hit song called "Why do Fools Fall in Love." In 1957, Lymon went solo. His popularity went downhill after that, and he died at age 25 of a heroin overdose.

Although his popularity didn't last, he was a big influence on Michael Jackson and the Beach Boys.

Answer: Duane Allman

Duane and Gregg Allman were the leaders of a band called The Allman Brothers. They achieved fame with their first live album, which was called "At Fillmore East" and released in 1971. That album opens with a cover of Blind Willie McTell's "Statesboro Blues," which Rolling Stone Magazine ranked as the ninth best guitar song of all time in 2008. Shortly after that live album, the guitarist responsible for that work died at age 24 in a motorcycle accident.

Answer: Randy Rhoads

Randy Rhoads was a hard rock guitarist. He helped form the band Quiet Riot in 1973, with which he played until 1980. He then joined Ozzy Osbourne, playing on his solo debut album, "Blizzard of Ozz." On that album, Randy Rhoads created one of the most recognizable guitar riffs ever created for the song "Crazy Train." Shortly after that, he died at age 25, after an airplane pilot somehow crashed a plane into a bus.

Answer: Otis Redding

Otis Redding is a soul singer who died at age 26 in a plane crash. "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay" is the first song ever to go to number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Chart after its songwriter died. His song "Respect" became a number one hit on that same chart for Aretha Franklin when she sang it.

Answer: The Notorious B.I.G.

Christopher Wallace, A.K.A. The Notorious B.I.G., released his first album "Ready to Die" in 1994. This album was a success thanks to hit songs such as "Big Poppa" and "One More Chance." He released his second album, "Life After Death" in 1997, which had the song "Hypnotize" which went to number 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Chart. In 1997, he was shot by an unknown African-American man while he was in his truck.

Answer: Tupac Shakur

Tupac Shakur was a highly popular but also highly troubled rapper in the 1990's. In 1993, he was convicted of rape and went to prison. While he was in prison, an album called "Me Against the World" was released; presumably it was recorded before he went to prison. The album had hit songs called "Dear Mama" and "So Many Tears" and went to number one on the U.S. Billboard Top 200 chart. In 1996, while he was in a car late at night, another car pulled up alongside his car and somebody shot him.

The Notorious B.I.G. denied being the one who did this. Ironically, he was killed in the same way shortly after Shakur was.

Answer: Sid Vicious

Sid Vicious was born Simon John Ritchie. He got his more well-known name when his hamster, Sid (named after Pink Floyd's Syd Barret), bit him and he said "Sid is really vicious."

He joined the Sex Pistols in 1976. He played on the song "Anarchy in the U.K." which ranked at #56 on Rolling Stone Magazines list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time."

He died of a heroin overdose in 1979 at age 21.

Answer: Cliff Burton

Burton played on the Metallica albums "Kill 'em All," "Ride the Lightning" and "Master of Puppets," which many die-hard Metallica fans consider to be the band's three best albums. All three of these albums were certified at a minimum of 3 times platinum, making Metallica arguably the most commercially successful heavy metal band of all time. Popular songs from these albums that are played on some radio stations include "Seek and Destroy," "For Whom The Bell Tolls," and "Master of Puppets."

In 1986, while on a tour bus, Burton and guitarist Kirk Hammett drew cards. Burton won and said he wanted Hammett's bunk. Hammett said "Fine, take my bunk, I'll sleep up front, it's probably better up there anyway." Hammett turned out to be right. The bus crashed, and Burton was the only member of the band who died.