This Artist Imagined How These Dead Rock Stars Would Look If They Were Still Alive Today

Abby Heugel
Updated April 22, 2024 725.3K views 12 items

Many of rock and roll's most brilliant stars burned out too early. There are members of the infamous 27 Club, including Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Amy Winehouse; plenty of other artists also suffered untimely deaths, such as Elvis Presley, Keith Moon, and John Lennon.

But what if they were still with us today? This was the vision behind the Rock and Roll Heaven project by Sachs Media Group and the photo restoration and manipulation company Phojoe. The companies created a visual representation of what these late artists would look like today, and included expert conjectures from two noted musicologists on what these stars could have achieved with their talents.

  • 1

    Elvis Presley

    Elvis Presley
    Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Sachs Media

    Elvis Presley, the great forefather of rock and roll, rose to unprecedented fame in the '50s before transitioning into an acting career, where he starred in 33 movies. Presley died of a heart attack at age 42 at Graceland, his Memphis, TN, mansion. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame honored Presley in 1986.

    What he would be doing today according to Rock and Roll Heaven:

    As long as Colonel Parker remained his manager, Presley would have been unlikely to make any dramatic changes of artistic direction - but it is not hard to imagine the Colonel opening an Elvis Grand Casino in Las Vegas where the "King of Rock and Roll" could have held court throughout the years.

    After Parker’s death in 1997, Elvis might have branched out. Like his old Sun labelmate Johnny Cash, he might have put himself in the hands of young rock producers and revisited his blues and country roots, making stripped-down albums that would have won him a new following of young hipsters.

    Given his command of older pop styles, he would also have been an obvious first choice for the Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett superstar duet projects.

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  • 2

    John Lennon

    John Lennon
    Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Sachs Media

    The Beatles founder John Lennon would go on to create largely influential music. Unfortunately, a crazed fan took 40-year-old Lennon's life too soon; arriving home from a recording session, Lennon suffered a fatal gunshot. In 1988 the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted Lennon as a Beatles member, and again in 1994 as a solo artist.

    What he would be doing today according to Rock and Roll Heaven:

    Having retired from the music business and devoted himself to fatherhood, Lennon returned with a new maturity and would have been likely to continue his social activism with more focus.

    He paved the way for such musical activists as Bob Geldof and Bono, but given his talent and fame could have accomplished even greater things. Given what he had done already, it is hard to put limits on what he might have attempted, and it seems safe to assume he would have continued to surprise even his most devoted followers.

    He might have been the first classic rocker to embrace the hip-hop revolution, composed avant-garde experimental music, gone back to his roots by forming a hard-rocking guitar quartet, or most likely would have experimented with all of those alternatives and more. (And yes, he almost certainly would have stayed with Yoko Ono.)

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  • 3

    Jim Morrison

    Jim Morrison
    Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Sachs Media

    Jim Morrison, the hard-partying singer and songwriter for The Doors, shook up the '60s with music, arrests, and wild behavior. His music and unhealthy habits were the stuff of legend, but he died in the bathtub of a Paris apartment at age 27, presumably of heart failure. Morrison received recognition as an influential part of The Doors from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.

    What he would be doing today according to Rock and Roll Heaven:

    Of all the 1960s rockers who died young, Morrison is the most difficult to pin down in terms of where his artistic muse might have taken him, given his broad range of interests not only in music, but also in poetry, film, and theater.

    He undoubtedly would have been involved in the explosion of independent filmmaking in the 1970s, and was perhaps the only rock star of his generation who would have been completely at home in the punk rock movement of the 1970s and later alternative scenes.

    Alternatively, he might have abandoned music entirely; devoted himself to writing; moved to New York, Paris, Tokyo, or Dakar; and by now be honored by a few cognoscenti as an experimental avant-gardist rather than revered by millions as a rock star.

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  • 4

    Karen Carpenter

    Karen Carpenter
    Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Sachs Media

    Karen Carpenter first tasted fame as a teenager, singing with her sibling Richard; they would later become world-renowned as the Carpenters, a staple of '70s soft rock. For most of her life, Karen battled an eating disorder, one which led to fatal cardiac arrest. She was 32 when she died.

    What she would be doing today according to Rock and Roll Heaven:

    At the time of Karen's death, the Carpenters were in transition. She had explored solo projects while Richard dealt with some personal issues, but they were back together and cementing their global popularity with international tours.

    They would likely have continued to build on the foundation of their classic hits, touring, and playing top venues, and in the 21st century might well have established their own showcase theater in Las Vegas, placing them in the company of such stars as Prince and Bette Midler.

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  • 5

    Kurt Cobain

    Kurt Cobain
    Photo: YouTube / Sachs Media

    Kurt Cobain redefined rock by launching the grunge movement as the frontman of his band Nirvana. With albums Nevermind and In Utero, Cobain cemented himself as an idol of the grunge movement. At age 27, he committed suicide. In 2014 the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame officially recognized Cobain for his contributions to music history with Nirvana.

    What he would be doing today according to Rock and Roll Heaven:

    Given his aversion to celebrity, had Cobain lived, he would likely have continued to work with Nirvana, but also explored smaller, less commercial projects with other players, trying to recapture some of the anonymity and artistic freedom of his early years.

    He would probably have pursued artistic outlets offstage and behind the scenes, eschewing the limelight and using his fame to bring attention to young musicians on the cutting edge, as well as exploring his deep interest in Americana styles by producing and collaborating with older roots artists.

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  • 6

    Janis Joplin

    Janis Joplin
    Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Sachs Media

    Janis Joplin burst onto the scene as a monumental blues singer, playing with band Big Brother and the Holding Company in 1966. Their 1968 album Cheap Thrills received critical acclaim. She then pursued a successful solo career, but a drug overdose cut her life short. She died at age 27. She entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995.

    What she would be doing today according to Rock and Roll Heaven:

    The pace and intensity of Joplin's lifestyle and singing were unsustainable, and she would almost certainly have experienced a collapse of some kind in the early 1970s. However, by the 1980s she could have returned with the wisdom and depth of that experience, re-emerging like similarly troubled peers, such as Joe Cocker and Tina Turner.

    Her voice would undoubtedly have lost much of its screaming power, but gained control. She could have surrounded herself with the best sidemen available and created music that - while it would have been less raw and wild than her youthful work - would have been surer, deeper, and just as passionately soulful.

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  • 7

    Keith Moon

    Keith Moon
    Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Sachs Media

    An incredibly energetic rock-and-roll drummer, Keith Moon played with The Who, later earning the moniker "Moon the Loon" for wrecking drum kits and hotel rooms. He died from a drug overdose at age 32. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted Moon in 1990 for his prominent role as part of The Who.

    What he would be doing today according to Rock and Roll Heaven:

    Though he occasionally experimented with side projects, Keith Moon was always first and foremost the heartbeat, clown, and spectacular lunatic of The Who, and his career would have continued to be wrapped up with his longtime bandmates.

    Had he lived, The Who would not have broken up in the 1980s and could have continued on a par with the Rolling Stones, making new albums and selling out stadiums around the world. The music would not have changed all that much, but new generations of fans would have a chance to see them with the magnificent madman Moon on drums.

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  • 8

    Jimi Hendrix

    Jimi Hendrix
    Photo: Flickr / Sachs Media

    Considered by many as the greatest guitar player in rock music history, Jimi Hendrix was a groundbreaking musician. A highlight of Hendrix's career was his legendary performance at Woodstock in 1969, where he performed "The Star Spangled Banner." Similar to many other stars of his time, however, drugs led to his downfall - he died of an overdose at age 27. He joined the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.

    What he would be doing today according to Rock and Roll Heaven:

    At the time of his death, Hendrix had become frustrated with the limitations of rock and was discussing a duet project with Miles Davis. This would have opened up new worlds to both artists, and could have been the defining masterpiece of jazz-rock fusion.

    He would also undoubtedly have continued his innovative explorations of new sound technologies, and created increasingly complex and ambitious long-form compositions.

    Though in the process he would have moved further from the hit-focused rock-pop mainstream, [and] he would have provided a bridge between the funk-jazz of Parliament and the growing experimental rock movement, and could now be reigning as the pioneer, father figure, and supreme master of the jam-band scene.

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  • 9

    Bobby Darin

    Bobby Darin
    Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Sachs Media

    Bobby Darin proved himself a noteworthy singer, songwriter, and actor, recording such hits as "Splish Splash" and "Dream Lover." He garnered two Grammy awards, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame honored him in 1990. He died at age 37 after undergoing an open-heart surgery.

    What he would be doing today according to Rock and Roll Heaven:

    At the time of his death, Darin was increasingly focusing on politics and the "turbulent aspects of modern society." Having traveled with Bobby Kennedy, he might well have entered the political arena, perhaps returning to New York to challenge the Rockefeller machine. With his commitment to social change, he would undoubtedly have been a mainstay at major events like Live Aid.

    And with his breadth of taste and talent, he might have expanded the range of artists involved in those projects, bringing in friends from the world of Hollywood and Las Vegas. As he grew older, he would probably have concentrated more deeply on his acting career, and might in the end have been better known for his activism and acting than his music.

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  • 10

    Dennis Wilson

    Dennis Wilson
    Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Sachs Media

    Dennis Wilson was a founding member of the Beach Boys; he played drums, sang, and composed songs. However, he was also battling a drinking addiction, and died of an accidental drowning at age 39. A member of the beloved Beach Boys, Wilson became a part of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.

    What he would be doing today according to Rock and Roll Heaven:

    Though his solo projects were personally satisfying, Wilson would have continued to be known principally for his work with the Beach Boys.

    Aside from touring the world with his bandmates, he would have appeared in all-star shows with fellow rock legends, made occasional albums with musician friends (one can't help musing about a duet project with long-time friend and lover Christine McVie), and perhaps would have added luster to his brother Brian's phenomenal comeback.

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  • 11

    Bob Marley

    Bob Marley
    Photo: Sachs Media

    Bob Marley immediately springs to mind when you think of reggae. Marley founded the Wailers with Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer; they produced renowned tracks, such as "Get Up, Stand Up" and "I Shot the Sheriff." Marley died of cancer at age 36. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted Marley into its annals in 1994.

    What he would be doing today according to Rock and Roll Heaven:

    Marley's success was globally inspirational in a way no previous superstar had been. Had he lived, he would undoubtedly have gone beyond his collaborations with Jamaican, American, and British musicians, becoming the central figure in the "world music" explosion and forging new fusions with artists from Africa, Latin America, and Asia.

    Given his international stature and his devotion to the varied styles of the African diaspora, he would have been a dream partner for stars like the Fugees and Kanye West. It is also likely he would have also attempted to use his influence beyond the musical domain, challenging the ongoing dominance of the old colonial powers, and serving as a spokesman for people of color around the world.

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  • 12

    Cass Elliot

    Cass Elliot
    Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Sachs Media

    "Mama Cass" Elliot became a folk singer in 1963, and formed the ‘60s quartet the Mamas and the Papas in 1965. They produced hits such as "California Dreamin'" and "Monday, Monday." Unfortunately, Elliot died at age 32 from heart failure. As a key member of the Mamas and the Papas, she entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.

    What she would be doing today according to Rock and Roll Heaven:

    Unlike most 1960s rockers, Cass was completely at home with cabaret and theater performance styles. At the time of her death, she was already appearing in prestigious venues such as the London Palladium, and with her powerful voice might have built an enduring career as a solo concert diva on the order of Bette Midler or Barbra Streisand.

    As one of the rock world's great ensemble singers, it seems likely that she would also have continued to work in group settings, perhaps adding her soulful harmony to superstar collaborations like the Linda Ronstadt-Dolly Parton-Emmylou Harris trio.

     

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