Blender's 50 Most Awesomely Dead Rock Stars

Enduring Mystery: Smith was transformed from cult miserablist into Joaquin Phoenix-endorsed doomed genius poet as details of his drug-addled final months emerged. Adding grist to the controversy mill, a Kurt-like murder theory circulates, based on medical examiner Lisa Scheinin's report that "possible defensive wounds" on his arms and hands "raise the possibility of homicide."

Life After Death: Smith's posthumous 2004 album From a Basement on the Hill hit the Billboard charts at No. 19, 80 places higher than his previous release, although super-harrowing tracks such as "Suicide Machine" were excised by Smith's complicated estate (father Gary, birth mother Bunny and Elliott's stepmother Marta).

In the Vault: A cache of twenty-two unreleased songs were leaked onto the Internet in fall 2005, fueling persistent rumors of another archive release, while Smith's contributions to the soundtrack for the film Thumbsucker maintain the illusion of an artist more prolific in death than in life. The inevitable tribute album, To: Elliott From: Portland, is slated for February 2006.

Enemy of Estate: From '60s R&B trio the Impressions through his monumental solo career, Mayfield recorded more than 100 charting singles and amassed an impressive estate. In 2003, however, Mayfield's widow Altheida successfully settled a suit to remove Marv Heiman, the artist's manager and trustee, from the family's trusts, alleging that Heiman had paid himself millions in fees and caused tax difficulties for both her and her six children.

Peer Plaudits: Mayfield's music continues to be part of hip-hop's DNA: Kanye West's recent song "Touch the Sky" is essentially Curtis's "Move On Up" with different lyrics. In 2002 Mayfield's family placed an ad in Billboard thanking rappers like Snoop and Jay-Z who had sampled his music (and provided a contact number, presumably to drum up more business). The same year, Heiman was quoted as saying he received five sample requests a month--each one can fetch up to $350,000 for Mayfield's estate.

Last Night a DJ Saved My Career: Peel was an early champion of acts from Pink Floyd to the Fall and the White Stripes. Admired by hipsters on this side of the Atlantic, he was utterly beloved in his native U.K., where the first anniversary of his final broadcast was marked by "John Peel Day"-during which the BBC devoted six hours of programming to its former employee and more than 300 concerts were held in his honor.

Life After Death: Peel's autobiography, for which he was paid $2.6 million and which was posthumously completed by his wife, became an instant bestseller in Britain when published last fall. Many of those who benefited from the DJ's long career of patronage feature on the predictably eclectic range of Peel Sessions CDs-the latest, featuring Galaxie 500, hit stores last November-while a planned website supervised by Peel's son Tom will continue his mission of showcasing new acts.

Peer Plaudits: After news broke of Peel's death, Radiohead's Thom Yorke moaned, "Who am I going to listen to now?"

Hip-Hop Pioneer: Despite being in one of the most important and successful hip-hop groups of all time, Jay reportedly left as much as $500,000 in debts at the time of his shooting. The trio's biggest hits came on the small Profile Records, and they stayed with the label even after declaring bankruptcy in 1993. After Jay's death, friends and admirers-including Russell Simmons, LL Cool J and Eminem-contributed to a fund to help support his family.

Peer Plaudits: Just before his death, Missy Elliott paid tribute to Jay by sampling "Peter Piper" on "Work It." And right after his death, Adidas released a limited-edition "Run-D.M.C. Superstar" shoe and a Dr. Pepper commercial memorialized the DJ. There's little chance Run-D.M.C. itself will continue, however: The three albums released since Jay's death have all been retrospective compilations.

The Future: While the family has championed a Jam Master Jay Foundation for Music to support inner-city music programs, the DJ's murder rather than his music appears destined to keep him in the public eye, with federal prosecutors examining alleged ties between Queens gangs and the rap world.

Mystery White Boy: Buckley's otherwordly voice, moody good looks and bloodline (his dad, singer-songwriter Tim Buckley, also died young) made him a cult hero; drowning in a Mississippi riptide made him perfectly tragic. He has inspired songs by peers from Aimee Mann to Rufus Wainwright and is the industry standard for dreamy singer-songwriter comparisons.

A Prolific Afterlife: Mary Guibert, Buckley's mother and estate manager, joked that she'd become "Jeff Buckley Inc." after his death. She oversees his growing post-mortem catalogue, including three versions of his debut, Grace, one of them a Legacy Edition that pushed sales of the record to nearly 800,000. Buckley's archives may be limited, but Guibert's skilled repackaging keeps them fruitful. Further feeding the myth are a 2004 documentary, a thoughtful bio-recently optioned for film-and a heady book on Grace by Princeton prof Daphne Brooks.

Dial Jeff for Sad: Buckley's voice has become the sound of onscreen sorrow: Recently, characters have grieved to his version of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" in The West Wing, The O.C., House and the Nic Cage flick Lord of War.

Sympathy for the Devil: The myths surrounding Johnson's early death have helped build the enduring legend of the doomed blues Prometheus cursed for his gifts. The most popular story--that he sold his soul to the devil in exchange for his guitar skills--inspired the 1986 Ralph Macchio vehicle Crossroads.

Estate of Confusion: Johnson died with neither legitimate children nor will, leaving his recordings to an unknowing family until 1973, when the last heir, a half-sister, was located by a music historian, to whom she assigned all rights to the small estate. When Columbia's The Complete Recordings went platinum not long after its 1990 release, however, royalties to the estate rose to $1.3 million and a truck driver named Claud L. Johnson emerged, claiming to be Johnson's illegitimate son. In 2000, after an eight-year hearing, he was named sole heir.

Peer Plaudits: Johnson is the blues icon: Eric Clapton famously said that "his music remains the most powerful cry that I think you can find in the human voice." The White Stripes covered his "Stop Breaking Down Blues," and if you think Jack White's penchant for fedoras owes nothing to Johnson, think again.

Microphone Fiend: The most successful female R&B group of all time, TLC sold 22 million albums in the U.S. alone--and the rapping and maverick behavior of Lopes was what really set them apart

On the TLC Tip: After Lopes was killed while taking a vacation in Honduras, a reported 10,000 people attended her funeral in Atlanta. Seven months later, TLC's fourth album, the well-received 3D, was released with Left Eye's vocals on five of the tracks-and a greatest-hits CD followed the next year. The 2005 reality TV show R U the Girl With T-Boz and Chilli offered hopefuls the chance to perform and record with the remaining members, though emphatically not as a replacement for Lopes. A single, "I Bet," was cut with the show's winner, O'so Krispie, but failed to chart.

Coming Soon: Later this year, VH1 will show The Last Days of Lisa Lopes, a feature-length program including exclusive home video footage shot by the singer during her final retreat in Central America.

Early Exit: Dying at 22, with only one album to his name, the self-mutilating star of L.A. hardcore earned the postmortem mystique of a goth Peter Pan. Although Crash blew it on the death date (John Lennon was shot 24 hours later, eclipsing Darby's newsworthiness), his timing was otherwise perfect. Neither his fledgling solo career nor brief stay in England-from which he returned looking ominously like Adam Ant-augured greatness.

Crashing In: The Germs' rep has solidified since Crash's death, thanks to Rhino's MIA: The Complete Anthology and shout-outs from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nirvana and the Offspring. But the real surge should come later this year, with the release of Rodger Grossman's What We Do Is Secret. Recreating Crash's gambol through L.A.'s punk scene, the film, whose music supervisor is Germs guitarist Pat Smear (lately of Nirvana and Foo Fighters), features performances by Bijou Phillips as Germs bassist Lorna Doom and Shane West (a.k.a. Dr. Ray Barnett on ER) as Crash himself-donning blue contacts and prosthetic chipped teeth for the role.

This Could Be the Last Time: Lewis Brian Hopkins-Jones founded the Rolling Stones and steered them into their weirdest territories, but by early June 1969, the original junkie rock star was enough of a drug casualty that they booted him. A month later he was dead, and the supposed mystery of his youthful demise has continued to make him considerably more famous than, say, living ex-Stones Bill Wyman and Mick Taylor.

Baby, You're out of Time: The 2005 British biopic Stoned depicted Jones's death as a murder-but even if he's exhumed, as one former girlfriend has suggested, it's past the point where anyone but his fan club could care.

Time Wasn't on His Side: Jones's songwriting contribution to the Stones was minimal (a handful of co-written non-hits), and they shrugged off his influence after ditching him. His most significant musical legacy may be helping to invent the "world music" concept by producing The Pipes of Pan at Jajouka, a recording of Moroccan musicians issued in 1971-or maybe having the Brian Jonestown Massacre named after him.

Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah: Despite the deaths of two founding members, Chic remain a cash cow. The single "Le Freak" sold six million copies in the U.S. alone; that was frosting for Edwards and partner Nile Rodgers, who, as writers or producers, moved upwards of 100 million records by Sister Sledge, David Bowie and Duran Duran. Rodgers's 1995 Sony deal for his catalogue earned him millions, luckily, he's still breathing.

Ghosts in the Machine: The Chic vault has been hip-hop's hall closet since the Sugarhill Gang sampled "Good Times" in 1979; artists from the Beastie Boys to Joe Budden love them so much that in 2003 Rodgers was declared the most-sampled artist of all time. He and Edwards settled with the Gang after hearing "Rapper's Delight," gaining credit and a hefty royalty-and beginning the regulation of sampling.

Life After Death: Rodgers now oversees bestselling Xbox soundtracks and is still pushing a reconstituted Chic, with a 2006 studio album in the works.