10 Female Singers Who Died Young

Female singers who died young include Karen Carpenter. Karen was an accomplished singer and drummer known for her distinctive voice.

Part of a sibling duo with her older brother Richard Carpenter, Karen rose to fame in the early 1970s. The duo was popular for making relaxing, cutesy music that can be categorized as easy listening, soft rock, or even Jazz.

Though their rise to fame was swift, their fall was even swifter as pop music started gravitating towards the more hard rock and disco sounds that dominated the charts mid-1970s onwards. Sadly, Karen and her brother could not compete and gradually fell out of favor.

After a lifelong struggle with anorexia and body dysmorphia, Karen succumbed to heart failure. The singer’s early demise, talent, and tragic story have turned her into a mythic figure.

Minnie Riperton was a legendary singer-songwriter known for her powerful voice. Riperton is widely considered one of the most tragic figures in R&B.

In a classic coming-of-age tale, the singer went from singing backup vocals to established singers to become one herself, and that too with a number 1 single and a gold album, all within ten years.

Sadly, her life would be cut short by breast cancer, as while her career was getting bigger, so was the lump. To her credit, Riperton was one of the first celebrities to speak in public about her diagnosis and fought to publicize the disease for much of her life.

Riperton’s legacy is secured by her wonderful music, but also through her daughter, Maya Rudolph, who is an accomplished actor and a legend in her field.

Lisa Lopes was a singer best known by her stage name “Left Eye.” Lopes gained fame as a member of the iconic 90s R&B girl group, TLC.

Alongside fellow members T-Boz and Chilli, Lopes ruled the 90s airwaves. Lopes not only served as both the rapper and singer of the group but was its chief creative force, and received more writing credits than the other members.

Expectedly, this led to problems within the group, and Lopes started her own successful solo career which was tragically cut short when the singer was in a car crash in Honduras.

In a case of absurd irony, Lopes was in the country shooting a documentary about health. The singer has since been memorialized for her talent and beauty.

Amy Winehouse was a British singer known for re-popularizing soul and Jazz music in the mid-to-late 2000s. Winehouse had deep contralto vocals.

Though her discography is only two albums deep, Winehouse managed to make a lasting impression not only with her vocals but her lyricism which depicted her as a lovelorn figure constantly unlucky in love.

However, as her life would unravel, it became clear that her lyrics came from a personal place. The singer’s unlucky love life coupled with the growing pressures of fame led to her indulging too often in drink, which eventually caused her downfall.

Winehouse died due to complications arising from alcohol poisoning, and by dying at age 27, became one of the newest additions to the hallowed 27 club.

Janis Joplin is the epitome of a female singer who died way too young. Joplin was one of the first inductees of the 27 club.

The 27 club is an informal group of artists who passed away at the age of 27. The same year, 1970, that Joplin lost her life, another rock legend, Jimi Hendrix would pass, and that too a month before her.

However, despite the gnarly nature of her death, Joplin is best remembered for being one of the shining examples of female singers during a time when rock and pop music was overly male-dominated. 

With her iconic voice and electric stage presence, the singer crafted unforgettable music and persona that is bringing her fans still, more than half a century after she died.

Simone Battle was a singer and television personality most prominent in the early 2010s. Battle was best known for being in the girl group G.R.L.

Battle initially started her career as an actress and had small roles in various American television shows like Zoey 101 and Everybody Hates Chris. However, Battle gained national recognition by appearing in and becoming the finalist of The X Factor, a competitive reality television show.

The singer was originally slated to join the new incarnation of The Pussycat Dolls, soon after her time at The X Factor, but was instead placed in G.R.L. Battle would star in the 2012 film, We the Party, alongside the rest of the group. 

Sadly, Battle’s still nascent career would be cut short by suicide, which a spokesperson would later confirm was due to depression from financial issues. The singer’s death led to wide media coverage, especially on Twitter.

Tammi Terrell was a singer and songwriter affiliated with the famous Motown Records. Terrell is best known for her duets with Marvin Gaye.

During her short life, Terrell was widely recognized as being one of the most popular Motown acts during a period when the label, and R&B as a whole, were gaining major traction in the world of pop music.

Sadly, both Terrell’s personal and professional life were incredibly tragic behind closed doors as the singer was in a series of abusive relationships with James Brown, then David Rufiin. 

As for her professional life, Terrell had been suffering from migraines and headaches throughout her life, and it was eventually revealed to be a brain tumor. However, due to her massive popularity, Motown refused to let her rest, which eventually cost her her life. 

Selena was a popular Mexican-American singer known as the Queen of Tejano music. Through her music and her fashion, Selena ruled the early 1990s.

Quite simply put, Selena was an icon who put Latin artists on the map through her success. Only after Selena did Latin artists, especially female artists, feel like they had a chance at stardom.

However, the same stardom that appeared as a result of her artistry and fame would be the cause of her demise. The singer was shot and killed by Yolanda Saldivar, the president of the Selena fan club, and manager of one of her boutiques.

As with many on this list, Selena’s tragic death and short life have made her an icon. She is especially remembered by the Latin community for paving the path many walk on even today.

Christina Grimmie was a singer and YouTuber best known for competing in The Voice. Grimmie reached third place during the sixth season of the show.

Grimmie started her career via YouTube by creating a channel when she was only 15 years old. The channel has since amassed close to 4 million subscribers, though she had already passed 2 million while still alive.

The singer’s turn on The Voice brought her many subscribers and also national recognition as even the host of the show, Carson Daly, was shocked that Grimmie did not end up winning.

Sadly, Grimmie’s career would also be cut short by murder as a deranged fan, Kevin James Loibl would end up shooting her and then himself.

Aaliyah was a popular R&B singer widely hailed as the “Princess of R&B.” Over the course of a decade, Aaliyah rose to the forefront of the genre.

The singer started performing at the age of 12 and gained wide recognition after working with R. Kelly, her mentor, lover, and abuser. Aaliyah eventually removed herself from Kelly and saw great success working alongside producers like Timbaland.

Around the time of her death, the singer was branching out to other fields like acting and had appeared in a movie called Romeo Must Die to great success. As for her music, despite the shadow of the R. Kelly incident, she was gaining more and more acclaim.

Sadly, after filming the video for her song Rock the Boat, Aaliyah would be the victim of an airplane crash that would take her life right as she was about to release her third, self-titled, album.