How did Stevie Ray Vaughan die?
Where would rock music be without the humble guitarist? If societal norms were a bubble, the guitar was the sword used to pop it. Rock music was more than just sound. The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and The Rolling Stones were more than just bands; they were a new way of life, people who kicked locked doors off hinges and brought colour to a black-and-white world.
At the crux of all rock music are the riff and the solo, both aspects of songs that bring a huge amount of power to a song. People welcomed their favourite pieces of music in the same way they greeted loved ones: arms wide open, smiles, and cheers ensuing. The guitarist is incredibly important, which is why people talk about them with such passion.
One of the greatest to pick up the six-string was Stevie Ray Vaughan. He was renowned for being an excellent blues and rock ‘n’ roll style player, responsible for tracks such as ‘Pride and Joy’ and his famous cover of Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Voodoo Child’. He was a natural with the guitar, to the point that watching him feels like you’re watching somebody breathe; they’re just doing something that comes naturally, and they don’t even have to think about it.
Eric Clapton shared this sentiment, as he once spoke about how in awe he was of Stevie Ray Vaughan’s unique playing style. “I remember being fascinated by the fact he never ever seemed to be lost in any way,” he said. “It wasn’t ever that he took a breather or paused to think where he was going to go next. It just flowed out of him. Always seemed to flow out of him, and actually, even that doesn’t come just with virtuosity, practice or any of those.”
Clapton said that playing as fluently as Vaughan could isn’t something most guitarists can just teach themselves. You can work hard, sure, but having such a natural affinity for music has a degree of natural ability built into it.
“It’s not a question of doing it over and over again or anything like that,” he said. “It’s just that he seemed to be an open channel. He just flowed through him; he never ever seemed to kind of dry up.”
Unfortunately, the world didn’t get to experience enough of Stevie Ray Vaughan, as he died well before his time. As is so often the case with talented musicians, we are left wondering what they could have achieved had not been so cruel. He was only 35 when he died, and yet his music continues to live on despite his early passing.
So, how did Stevie Ray Vaughan die?
Often billed as “The Second Coming of the Blues,” Stevie Ray Vaughn died on August 27th, 1990, when he was involved in a helicopter crash. He was travelling near East Troy in Wisconsin when the helicopter crashed and sadly killed him.
He spent his last days performing with the guitarist who had so much praise for him, Eric Clapton. Also on board the helicopter was some of Clapton’s entourage, so it was a massive shock for the guitarist when he found out. Everyone in the helicopter was pronounced dead on arrival.
