Number One in Heaven: The Heroes Who Died for Rock 'n' Roll

"Number One In Heaven" is a Bible of pop's 'dead' - the ultimate record of all those who arrived, rocked and pegged-out over the last forty-odd years of fast cars, private jets, hard drugs, hot guns, reckless living and killer riffs. Music writer Jeremy Simmonds draws on a lifetime's obsession and his voluminous knowledge to provide definitive entries for the industry's biggest stars - Buddy Holly, Jimi Hendrix, Elvis Presley, Sid Vicious, Brian Jones, Michael Hutchence, Jeff Buckley, Kirsty MacColl, Ian Curtis and many others. But the book's compulsive chronology doesn't stop there: studded throughout are entries for artists with short, strange lives - take a bow Mr GG Allin - and/or bizarre ends - witness soul singer Sam Cooke's extraordinary demise. Mortality can be a tricky subject, so should the register of deaths get a little gloomy, relief is at hand. Entries for the deceased are broken by a smorgasbord of lighter-hearted facts (Dead Interesting!), lucky escapes (Close .Closer .!), and Top Tens of some of the most morbid tunes committed to vinyl or CD (The Death Toll). An indispensable reference book, full of useful and useless information, a comprehensive index and hundreds of photos of the good, the bad and the dead silly, "Number One In Heaven" is guaranteed to rock the world of trivia buffs and die-hard music fans alike, eg. "Who had the bright idea of changing a light bulb whilst standing in the shower?" and " Whose tombstone features a volume control?"