Gram Parsons (30)

Gram Parsons
1946-1973
Long-haired godfather of country rock
Cause of Death: Drug overdose

If You Gotta Go: If he had merely invented country rock and guest-starred at the early-'70s court of the Rolling Stones, Parsons would be a cult figure. But the circumstances surrounding his death-ODing at the Joshua Tree Inn, his body "stolen" from LAX by his road manager and set alight in the desert in a bungled attempt at open-air cremation-elevated him immediately into rock legend.
It's Better to Burn Out: Commercial failures at the time, Parsons's two solo albums, GP and Grievous Angel, are now considered classics. His estate is controlled jointly by his ex-wife and daughter Polly Parsons, whose proactive celebration includes two tribute albums, two legend-heavy 2004 concerts that featured Keith Richards and Norah Jones and recent "visual scrapbook"/biography, Grievous Angel.
Peer Plaudits: Parsons's stock has risen rapidly in the past decade, thanks to a new generation of alt-country-influenced rock acts such as Wilco. He was also the subject of an acclaimed documentary, Fallen Angel, and the rather less successful 2004 Johnny Knoxville movie Grand Theft Parsons.