In the last month or so, the rock world has lost several of its icons. While they may be gone, they have left behind a big legacy for future generations of musicians to follow.

David Bowie

The famed rock legend David Bowie died at the age of 69 on January 10^th at his New York home after an eighteen month bout with liver cancer. He leaves behind the legacy of a career that lasted for almost five decades from his breakthrough 1969 single “Space Oddity” to his recent album “Blackstar” that was released two days before his death. Although he is considered to be one of the main figureheads of the 1970s glam rock scene, he collaborated with artists from other genres such as Bing Crosby, industrial rocker Trent Reznor and the godfather of punk himself Iggy Pop.

Lemmy

Ian Fraser “Lemmy” Kilmister, the lead vocalist/bassist of the band Motorhead, passed away four days after his 70^th birthday on December 28^th, 2015 of cancer. Not only was known for his influence on the heavy metal genre (and for his distinctive mutton chops), he was also known for his hard-partying ways. His unusual nickname came from a phrase he used to ask his childhood friends for gambling money: “lemme (lend me) a few quid.”

Scott Weiland

Scott Weiland was the former front man of the popular grunge band Stone Temple Pilots. He was known for his wide vocal range. During the band’s heyday during the 1990s, they had numerous hits such as “Plush”, “Vasoline”, “Interstate Love Song”, “Big Bang Baby” and “Trippin’ on a Hole in a Paper Heart” amongst others. After the Stone Temple Pilots originally broke up in 2002, he went on to form the popular supergroup Velvet Revolver with some former members of Guns n’ Roses.  Like many grunge musicians such as Kurt Cobain and Layne Staley, Weiland suffered from a drug dependency. Not only did this dependency manage to get him kicked out of Stone Temple Pilots, it led to his premature death at age of 48 while on tour with his band The Wildabouts.

Philthy Animal

A month before the passing of Lemmy, former Motorhead drummer Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor passed away at the age of 61 from liver failure. He was the drummer for Motorhead from its initial inception in 1975 until 1984. He re-joined the band in 1987 and remained with them until 1992. Just like Lemmy, Philthy Animal was also known for his hard-partying ways. Sometime after recording the 1980 masterpiece album “Ace of Spades”, he broke his neck after being accidentally dropped by a friend in an attempted failed feat of strength. As a result, he had a permanent lump on the back of his neck due to a calcium deposit from the spinal trauma he suffered from the incident.