The true story behind the tragic death of Marc Bolan
It goes without saying that tragedy, in all its warping forms, is a tough pill to swallow. Harsh as it may be, it’s an inevitable fact of life. But when it touches a truly transcendental star, the impact can feel cataclysmic. That was exactly the terrible fate that befell Marc Bolan, a figure so effervescent and essential to the fabric of rock music that his untimely passing shook the genre’s foundations to the core.
Having blazed his way into becoming a beacon of glam rock with T Rex, Bolan was perhaps one of the most recognisable frontmen in all of music during the early 1970s. Spearheading the genesis of genres in everything from glam-rock to Britpop, it’s fair to say that his all-encompassing approach to the music industry was one that proved pivotal to its entire history, far beyond his own tenure, and indeed, decades after his death.
But legacies always paint a somewhat rosy story, because this is not to say that the road was always so plain-sailing for Bolan. In reality, despite the undeniable imprint he left on the trajectory of rock music to follow, the T Rex guitarist’s peak fame only lasted a few short years, with the height of the band merely lasting from 1970 until 1973. That time consisted of endless creativity and sonic innovation from Bolan, but there wasn’t a never-ending pot of gold he could continue mining from. Eventually, the success dried up, and by the mid-1970s, Bolan’s career was on the rocks.
He managed to claw back from the brink somewhat by 1976, when T Rex’s 11th studio album, Futuristic Dragon, was released. Spawning the singles ‘New York City’ and ‘Dreamy Lady’, the band were finally climbing back to the big leagues after a tough few years, keeping in step with the new beats of the industry by encompassing the burgeoning elements of soul and disco into their trademark glam rock sound. It was a musical epiphany that brought the group back close to the top of the world – until the fateful night of September 16th, 1977, when the centre of their universe all came crashing down.
What really happened to cause the death of Marc Bolan?
That autumn night, Bolan and his partner Gloria Jones were driving home from a party at Morton’s restaurant in London’s Berkeley Square, having been celebrating her return to the country after recording an album in California. At around four in the morning, Jones was driving the Mini 1275 GT when she lost control of the car, crashing into a tree, less than a mile from their home. She was severely injured, and Bolan, whose seat turned backwards towards the rear of the car, was killed on impact.
All in a moment, the rock world was stunned by the sudden death of one of its brightest lights, with everyone from producer Tony Visconti to Cockney Rebel Steve Harley left reeling at the news. But no one was quite as shellshocked and grief-stricken as Jones herself, who has never openly spoken about the incident apart from a statement to Classic Rock that said: “We don’t need sensationalism right now. If people still want to speculate about the manner of his death, fine. But right now let’s look on the positive side. It was a long time ago. We need to move on now.”
The site of Bolan’s death became a shrine to his memory, with fans both near and far flocking on a pilgrimage to honour one of rock’s greatest visionary minds, cut short all too soon. It was testament to his power, however, that despite how relatively short-lived his peak success was, in the space of just 29 years, the T Rex star changed the fabric of music forever. Some artists hope for a lifetime treading the boards of the industry, but sometimes, the most blazing stars are the ones who burned bright but not for long.
