Ol’ Dirty Bastard (21)

Ol’ Dirty Bastard
1968–2004
Wu-Tang wild man
Cause of Death: Heart failure brought on by drug overdose
Rusty's Wild Years: Ol' Dirty Bastard remains one of hip-hop's most original—and best-loved—talents, both for his music and for his outlaw lifestyle. Yet his death came just as he was starting to piece his career back together after years lost to drugs and prison. Work on a TV reality show and a new album had begun, but most of the material is now in limbo. Even the Wu-Tang Clan’s much-anticipated tribute to Dirty, "I Go Through Life," has yet to be released, while there’s an ongoing dispute over control of his estate between his mother and his widow, Icelene Jones.
Peer Plaudits: Aware the world is a less vivid place without him, hundreds attended ODB's funeral in Brooklyn, including a black-clad Mariah Carey. But efforts to turn public affection into album sales have stalled, with Damon Dash not only bungling the release of A Son Unique, the record ODB was working on at the time of his death, but also provoking the ire of his widow with plans to put ODB’s initials on a new line of sneakers.