Joey Hopkins (aka Nihil)
September 1, 1982 – December 30, 2008
Joey Hopkins was the vocalist and programmer for avant-garde black metal band, Alien Syndrome 777. He also fronted Joey Hopkins Midget Factory and worked with Blackdrone, Inc. On December 28, 2008, 26 year-old Joey Hopkins was found unconscious in his car with the engine running. He was taken to a nearby hospital but could not be revived. He was pronounced dead on December 31. It is believed that he pulled over to the side of the road to rest but ultimately died of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Tim Hardin was an American folk singer and songwriter who is best remembered for his “If I Were a Carpenter” and “Reason to Believe.” After serving a tour of duty as a marine in Vietnam, Hardin moved to New York City where he became immersed in the local folk scene. In 1963, he moved to Boston where he was signed to a recording contract with Columbia Records. Unfortunately, Columbia didn’t quite understand what they had in Hardin, so he was dropped from the label before any records were released. He was soon snapped up by Verve who began releasing a series of albums that are considered milestones of the folk movement. His songs have been made into hits by the likes of Johnny Cash, Rod Stewart, Bobby Darin and Robert Plant. Hardin had been struggling with both stage fright and heroin (which he had been introduced to in Vietnam), so he never was able to fully capitalize on the popularity of his songs due to his lack of consistent touring. For financial reasons, he had to sell off his songwriting rights during the late ’70s. On December 29, 1980, Tim Hardin, age 39, died of a heroin and morphine overdose.
Freddie Hubbard was a respected jazz trumpeter who was one of the leading players of the bop, be-bop and post-bop styles that became popular in the 1960s. Besides having his own celebrated albums on Blue Note and CTI Records, Hubbard played on classic recordings by the likes of Eric Dolphy, John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, and Herbie Hancock. He won a Grammy for his 1972 release, First Light and continued to perform and record well into the ’90s. Freddie Hubbard was 70 when, on December 29, 2008, he died of complications from a heart attack he had suffered the previous month.
Dennis Wilson
December 4, 1944 – December 28, 1983
Dennis Wilson was the founding drummer of the Beach Boys. It was Dennis who originally approached brother, Brian Wilson to form a band to write and perform songs about the beach life. And if any member of the group best exemplified that lifestyle, it was carefree Dennis, who in fact, was the only one who actually surfed. Although he primarily played the drums and sang back-up for the group, Dennis occasionally sang lead and would play the guitar and piano on his later solo albums. For the Beach Boys, Dennis sang “Do You Wanna Dance?” and “This Car of Mine.” In 1971, Dennis flirted with movie stardom by co-starring with Warren Oates and James Taylor in the now cult-classic film, Two-Lane Blacktop. During the late ’70s, Dennis released Pacific Ocean Blue, which although it didn’t sell terribly well, was a critical success and built itself a cult following in later years. Until it’s reissue in 2008, copies of it could fetch over $100 on eBay. Dennis suffered from personal demons most of his adult life, and with that came struggles with alcohol. On December 28, 1983, an apparently drunk Dennis drowned while diving to recover lost personal items at the marina where his old boat had once been docked. He was 39. Dennis’ father, Murry Wilson had died ten years earlier, while brother, Carl Wilson died in February of 1998.
The Rev (Born James Sullivan)
February 10, 1981 – December 28, 2009
James Sullivan was a multi-instrumentalist who went by “The Rev” and played drums for popular metalcore band, Avenged Sevenfold. He also moonlighted as the lead singer of Pinkly Smooth, another metal band. Formed in 1999 with Sullivan as a founding member, Avenged Sevenfold quickly built a loyal fanbase thanks in part to Sullivan’s acclaimed drumming. The band signed with Warner Bros. Records in 2005 who shortly thereafter released City of Evil, an album that debuted in the top 30 and went on to sell over a 1.5 million copies worldwide. The band soon found themselves on the Ozzfest tour, appearing on MTV’s popular Total Request Live program, and receiving the Best New Artist award at the MTV Video Music Awards. On December 28, 2009, age 28, was found dead in his home of what is believed to have been an accidental overdose.