Tragic News Reports on Musicians’ Deaths
These are the moments when fans learned one of their favorite musicians died. We hunted down these 10 news reports announcing famous musicians’ deaths.
Imagine watching local infomercials only to learn that Elvis Presley had passed away. Well, that’s how people used to get their news. Right after a commercial for a carpet store called Carpeteria, a bulletin from KTLA 5 interrupted a quiet Los Angeles night in 1977, announcing in real time that the King of Rock had just been pronounced dead.
The death of Kurt Cobain was yet another moment which stopped the world from spinning. The biggest rock star in the world at the time, Cobain took his own life in 1994 after publicly struggling with depression, addiction and a debilitating stomach condition. Beyond MTV News, Cobain’s death was reported on all major news broadcasts, including one with NBC’s Tom Brokaw.
A respectful and heartfelt tribute came from ABC World News Tonight anchor David Muir following the 2020 death of Eddie Van Halen. After cycling through the iconic guitarist’s many career-defining moments, Muir spoke about Van Halen’s impact and the sheer number of fans he left behind.
Watch these Tragic News Reports on Musicians’ Deaths in the Loud List below.