12 Bands That Called It Quits After the Loss of a Member

For a band to break up is one thing, but to tragically lose a member is a whole other story.

None of us are immortal, that's a simple fact. For many people, it's extremely painful when a musician dies, because the art that they created connected with so many. And for those who were actually a part of a musical entity with the person, it's even harder.

Many musical groups throughout history have carried on after a member died. The Rolling Stones are still a band today, and Brian Jones died in 1969. AC/DC recruited Brian Johnson after Bon Scott died, and they went on to release Back in Black, which not only served as a tribute album to the late singer, but became their most commercially-successful release of all-time. Lynyrd Skynyrd tragically lost several of their members in the horrific 1977 plane crash, including vocalist Ronnie Van Zant, and his brother Johnny took his place 10 years later and has fronted the band ever since.

There is no right or wrong way to handle the death of a bandmate — whether they decide to continue or not is up to the surviving members' discretion. But there have been a handful of groups that have called it quits in that situation.

Some of them had occasional reunions over the years following their disbandment. Others went on to play together under a different name in order to preserve the original legacy, and the rest chose to never share a stage or studio space with one another again, and perhaps pursued different endeavors.

Scroll through the gallery below to see 12 bands that wouldn't continue after the loss of a member.