In August of 2026, a jury found Duane “Keffe D” Davis (the leader of Southern California’s Crip gang) guilty for his involvement in the driveby shooting of rapper Tupac Shakur on September 7th 1996.

Shakur and music producer Surge Knight were returning from a Mike Tyson boxing match when the vehicle they were in was hit with gunfire, resulting in Tupac needing to be rushed to hospital but sadly died several days later; Davis’s trial and conviction puts to rest a crime that has facisinated many for 30 years while also giving a sense of closure to a case that had remained unsolved.

With Tupac’s murder finally solved, it makes you wonder if there any other musicians who’s questionably deaths need to be reevaluated…If so we have at least ten names that would be perfect for such a thing.

#10. Gary Driscoll

At the time of his death on June 6th 1987, Driscoll had been in the music business for over two decades as a drummer while also incorporating his style of R&B into his works, something other members of his bands didn’t take kindly too.

While staying at his friend Robert Gelinas house in Ithaca New York, Driscoll was confronted by John Shillingford, a man who had gotten into a dispute with Gelina over some cocaine the latter was selling; Things soon escalated as Shillingford pulled out a knife and stabbed Driscoll before shooting him twice in the head with his 32 caliber handgun.

After Driscoll’s body was discovered and the murder weapon was found by police, Shillingford became the sole suspect but was acquitted thanks to his legal team questioning if the gun offices found was indeed his or was it planted by authorities.

With Shillingford cleared of the crime, no other suspect has been connected to Driscoll’s death.

#9. Johnny Thunders

On April 23rd 1991, 38 year old Johnny Thunders was found death at a Louisiana hotel with the initial cause being connected to drugs found in his system although the exact drugs that led to his death were not made clear at the time.

A member of rock groups like The New York Dolls and The Heartbreakers before going on to be a solo act, Thunders was a talented writer and musician from the New York area who also suffered health issues like leukemia as well as a possible drug addiction which included the use of methadone.

Some have argued what exactly cause his death, with some claiming he was murdered after taking LSD while the coroner who conducted the autopsy revealed traces of both methadone and cocaine in the musicians body. However this claim has also fallen under scrunity as there seemingly wasn’t a fatal dose of either drug in his body.

Attempts at reopening the investigation have been unsuccessful due to the police allegedly being unwilling to continue the matter which has only fuelled speculation in the decades since.

#8. Cornell Gunter

Known for his cover of ‘You Send Me’ and ‘Yakety Yak’ as well as his work with rhythm and blues band The Coasters during the late 1950’s, Cornell was a popular figure during his time and even got inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall in 1987 alongside the Coasters.

While he would continue to perform pass his hayday, Gunter’s life would sadly come to an end in Las Vegas on Feburary 26th 1990 after he was shot his in car but an unidentified person.

No charges were filed in the wake of Gunter’s death and any motives or suspects linked to his murder were never made clear; Members of Cornell’s band “The Fabulous Coasters” rebranded themselves as “The Original Cornell Gunter’s Coasters Inc.” and continued touring in his memory.

#7. Jim Sullivan

Jim Sullivan was a struggling guitarist and songwriter during the 1960’s and 70’s as a self titled album and his debut album ‘U.F.O.’ failed to leave an impression on the music charts.

On top of martial issues with his wife Barbara and running a bar that became a finanicial bust, Sullivan decided to relocate in order to fix his middling career but those plans never occurred as on March 4th 1975 Jim’s car was found along with his belongings near a ranch in New Mexico with the man himself was nowhere to be seen.

According to accounts Sullivan had driven through Nashville Tennessee inside his Volkswagen Beetle and after an encounter with police over Jim’s sobriety, he made his way to the La Mesa Motel in New Mexico at which point he bought some vodka from a nearby store before checking himself out and hittting the road once more…From there his whereabouts remain unknown.

Although a decaying body found near a body water was assumed to be him, this was proven false and this has led to everything from mobsters to rumors of self-harm to being abducted by aliens as the potential cause of his disappearance, but as of 2026 no new evidence has ever materialized.

#6. Richey Edwards

Speaking of an artist who disappeared off the face of the earth let’s talk about Richey Edwards, the guitarist and lyricist of the Manic Street Preachers who was battling depression and insomnia around the time of he vanished in the mid 90’s.

Despite a regular and happy unbringing, Edwards admitted to his struggles with depression in interviews often burning himself with cigarettes or engaging in self harm…something he had no problem doing as he once craved the words “4 Real” into his forearm.

When you take into account all of this it doesn’t sound too surprising that Edwards might’ve taken his own life, which is what some believed took place in February of 1995 when a car belonging to Edwards was discovered near the Severn Bridge which is a well known suicide location.

However Edwards once claimed a year before his disappearance that he was against the idea of suicide and that they idea never entered into his head which had further led to speculation as to his whereabouts.

Nevertheless Edwards was officially pronounced death in late 2008 despite a 2019 biography claiming evidence that the artist faked his disappearance.

#5. Paul Williams

One of the founding members of the all male vocal group ‘The Temptations’, Paul Williams would see much success throughout the 60’s but a host of problems would soon curtail his career.

Due to his sickle-cell anemia which only worsen due to Williams’ smoking and alcohol intake plus his refusal to see a doctor, led to much difficulty during his performances and reportedly oxygen tanks needed to be on standby.

After a solo career failed to get off the ground, Paul Williams was found dead inside a car on August 17th 1973 from a self inflicted gunshot wound to head; Despite his physical and even mental issues he suffered, some aren’t convinced Williams took his own life.

The biggest points of contention surrounds the fact that (according coroner reports) Williams held the gun in his right hand and he was shot on the left side of his head…To make thing even stranger the gun that was used apparently fired two shots but only one of them actually hit Williams.

While some claim foul play in Williams’ passing, no charges were filed and his death was labelled a suicide.

#4. Bobby Fuller

Famous for his cover of “I Fought The Law” and his song “Love’s Made a Fool of You”, Bobby Fuller was a rising artist in the 1960’s with was no easy feat considering the likes of the Beatles and Elvis Presley were still popular at the time.

Similar to Paul Williams of the Temptations, Bobby Fuller’s body was found inside a car on July 18th 1966 with reports filing his death a suicide; Given the trajectory his career was going at the time, many question why Fuller would take his own life just as he was reaching his peak.

Reports claim that the upper half of Fuller’s body were covered in hemorrhages which might’ve been caused by asphyxiation due to the Summer heat and traces of gasoline vapors found in the car.

A medical examiner by the name of Jerry Nelson didn’t definitively rule Fuller’s death as a suicide on medical reports and in the year’s since, Bobby Fuller’s death has been changed to ‘accidential’…but that still hasn’t stopped many from deeming his passing as an unresolved mystery.

#3. Elliot Smith

When Elliott Smith was found dead by his girlfriend with two stab wounds to the chest in their Los Angeles home on October 21st 2003, the musician had battled through mental health struggles along with stints in rehab for drug and alcohol use…So when a potential suicide message was found on a sticky note, it led many to think his problems had only gotten worse and that he killed himself.

However some doubt this idea as Smith’s official autopsy left the door open for his death to be the result of homicide; Smith also had a wide range of antidepressents in his system but no other drugs or alcohol were found, plus the autopsy had actually spelled Smith’s first name wrong.

Due to Smith’s body being cremated, there’s sadly no way in figuring out who or what led to his fatally stabbing.

#2. Biggie Smalls (aka The Notorious B.I.G.)

A one time friend turn rival of Tupac…

Christopher George Latore Wallace (best known as Biggie Smalls and the Notorious B.I.G.) was a fixature of 90’s Hip Hop and was a key member in the infamous East Coast/West Coast Rivalry.

Like Shakur, Biggie’s death was the result of a driveby shooting during a red light days after the artist returned from the 1997 Soul Train Awards; Although he was taken to the hospital he sadly succumb to his injuries and he passed away at aged 24 on March 9th 1997

Biggie’s death is still shrouded in mystery as the person or people connected to the shooting have not been revealed, although some believe it was in retaliation for Tupac’s death months prior.

With the recent news regarding Shakur’s murder case, here’s hoping will finally be able to solve the mystery around who killed the Notorious B.I.G.

#1. Sam Cooke

Nicknamed “The King of Soul” and often regarded as the one of the most influential artists of all time, Sam Cooke was a powerful voice both in Music and the Civil Rights Movement as he befriended names like Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali while also inspiring countless artists like Michael Jackson, Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding and Marvin Gaye just to name a few.

Sam Cooke’s death came on December 11th 1964 at age 33 when he entered the Hacienda Motel in South Central LA looking for a woman named Elisa Boyer (who would later claim that Cooke was sexually assaulting her); Cooke (supposedly under the influence and halfway naked) confronted the motel manager Bertha Franklin and demanded to know where the girl was.

After being told that the girl in question wasn’t here, Cooke supposedly tussled with Franklin which led to her grabbing a gun and shooting him in the chest with the bullet reportedly piercing his heart; Cooke (almost dumbfounded at being shot) then made another attempt at Franklin before getting whacked in the head with broom by the manager and before long Cooke was dead.

After authorities got word of a disturbance following Cooke’s death, Franklin told her side of the story which was only verified by the owner of the motel Evelyn Carr who was on the phone with Franklin when everything took place.

Despite a verdict of justifiable homicide closing the matter, many of Cooke’s friends refuse to believe that events went they way they did with artist Etta James mentioning that parts of Cooke’s body were in a much rougher shape at the funeral than what was reported.

With the injuries found on Cooke’s body and the accuracy of what happened that night still put into question by some, it will continue to be a matter of debate when it comes to the King of Soul.

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