Mia Zapata of The Gits (August 25, 1965 – July 7, 1993)

On the night of July 6, 1993, after an evening of drinking with friends at Seattle’s Comet Tavern, singer Mia Zapata was abducted, raped, and strangled to death. Just like that, her band The Gits were done and the world had lost a brilliant artist to an unspeakably brutal and senseless crime.

The case went unsolved for a decade, until a DNA match made in 2003 linked Jesus C. Mezquia to crime. Mezquia was tried in a Seattle court and sentenced to 37 years in prison.

Click here to listen to 10 of the best songs by The Gits.

Kurt Cobain of Nirvana (February 20, 1967 – April 5, 1994)

Heroin addiction, stomach illness, and depression wreaked havoc on the mental state of Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain, who was unable to grapple with his own demons and the pressures of massive fame. Cobain’s death in 1994 is largely responsible for the Forever 27 Club reentering the public’s consciousness.

But life has gone on for the other members of his group — click here for 12 bands featuring former members of Nirvana.

Kristen Pfaff of Hole and Janitor Joe (May 26, 1967 – June 16, 1994)

Just a couple months after her friend Kurt Cobain died, Hole bassist Kristen Pfaff was found dead in the bathtub of her Seattle apartment.

Having struggled with heroin abuse herself, Pfaff decided to quit Hole and move back to her hometown of Minneapolis in June 1994. She had been to rehab just several months prior and appeared to have kicked her habit. However, when she was found on the morning of June 16th by her friend Paul Erickson — with whom she had planned to leave for Minneapolis that very day  — she was surrounded by syringes and drug paraphernalia.

“[She was] bright, personable, wonderful…very, very talented, smart, and she always seemed to be in control of her circumstances,” said her father, the day after her death. “Last night she wasn’t.”

Richey Edwards of Manic Street Preachers (December 22, 1967 – February 1, 1995 disappearance)

The lyricist and rhythm guitarist of Manic Street Preachers has not been seen since February 1, 1995. However, it took him nearly 14 years to officially join the 27 Club.

On February 1, 1995, Edwards and James Dean Bradfield were due to fly to the US on a promotional tour. However, he never showed up. In the two weeks before his disappearance, Edwards withdrew £200 a day from his bank account, which totaled £2,800 by the day of the scheduled flight. He checked out of his London hotel room and then drove to his apartment in Cardiff, Wales. Over the following two weeks he was purportedly spotted in a variety of locations, including Blackwood, his childhood home.

On February 14th, Edwards’ vehicle received a parking ticket at the Severn View service station, and on February 17th, the vehicle was reported as abandoned — police reported that there was evidence that the car had been “lived in.”

Since the car was found near the Severn Bridge, a renowned suicide location, many believe that Edwards took his own life by jumping from the bridge — despite saying in 1994, “In terms of the ‘S’ word, that does not enter my mind. And it never has done, in terms of an attempt. Because I am stronger than that. I might be a weak person, but I can take pain.”

Edwards was legally pronounced dead on November 23, 2008.

Amy Winehouse (September 14, 1983 – July 23, 2011)

In 2011, Amy Winehouse died of alcohol poisoning, becoming the latest high-profile 27-year-old musician to pass away. Her tumultuous life was marred by years of alcohol and drug abuse, and she sadly died alone after allegedly spending a night watching YouTube videos of herself.

Click here for Eight Members of the “32 Club”