![Eva Cassidy: Cassidy was virtually unknown outside of Washing D.C. when she died of melanoma in 1996, at the age of 33. Two years went by, and her music went undiscovered. Then, in 1998, Terry Wogan played her covers of 'Fields Of Gold' and 'Over The Rainbow' on his Radio 2 show. It received an overwhelming response, and compilation album Songbird reached No.1 in the UK almost three years after its release. Since then, her posthumous material has sold more than ten million copies.]()
Eva Cassidy: Cassidy was virtually unknown outside of Washing D.C. when she died of melanoma in 1996, at the age of 33. Two years went by, and her music went undiscovered. Then, in 1998, Terry Wogan played her covers of 'Fields Of Gold' and 'Over The Rainbow' on his Radio 2 show. It received an overwhelming response, and compilation album Songbird reached No.1 in the UK almost three years after its release. Since then, her posthumous material has sold more than ten million copies.
![Nick Drake: Drake's reluctance to either perform live or be interviewed perhaps explains why his albums failed to sell more than 5,000 copies upon their initial release. He was so camera shy, in fact, that there's no known video footage of him as an adult. He committed suicide at the age of 26, but the release of retrospective album Fruit Tree five years later led to his work being reassessed. By the mid-1980s, he was credited as an influence by some of the most important musicians around.]()
Nick Drake: Drake's reluctance to either perform live or be interviewed perhaps explains why his albums failed to sell more than 5,000 copies upon their initial release. He was so camera shy, in fact, that there's no known video footage of him as an adult. He committed suicide at the age of 26, but the release of retrospective album Fruit Tree five years later led to his work being reassessed. By the mid-1980s, he was credited as an influence by some of the most important musicians around.
![Jackson C Frank: Frank's eponymous debut album was produced by Paul Simon while the two were living in England. Frank was chronically shy, and suffered from severe mental health problems stemming from the childhood trauma of a classroom fire which killed fifteen of his classmates (including his girlfriend). By the 1980s, he was in New York City, homeless and sleeping on the pavement. He died of pneumonia and cardiac arrest in 1999. Since then, he's become a cult icon thanks to songs such as 'Blues Run The Game' and 'My Name Is Carnival'.]()
Jackson C Frank: Frank's eponymous debut album was produced by Paul Simon while the two were living in England. Frank was chronically shy, and suffered from severe mental health problems stemming from the childhood trauma of a classroom fire which killed fifteen of his classmates (including his girlfriend). By the 1980s, he was in New York City, homeless and sleeping on the pavement. He died of pneumonia and cardiac arrest in 1999. Since then, he's become a cult icon thanks to songs such as 'Blues Run The Game' and 'My Name Is Carnival'.
![Bradley Nowell of Sublime: After struggling with a heroin addiction throughout his life, an addiction he temporarily beat after the birth of his son before relapsing, Nowell died in 1996 at the age of 28. Sublime's self-titled album was released after his death, and by the following year it had shot up the US charts. Sublime became one of the most successful rock acts of 1997, despite the fact their lead singer wasn't alive for any of that year.]()
Bradley Nowell of Sublime: After struggling with a heroin addiction throughout his life, an addiction he temporarily beat after the birth of his son before relapsing, Nowell died in 1996 at the age of 28. Sublime's self-titled album was released after his death, and by the following year it had shot up the US charts. Sublime became one of the most successful rock acts of 1997, despite the fact their lead singer wasn't alive for any of that year.
![Jeff Buckley: Buckley had only released one album when he drowned during a spontaneous evening swim, fully clothed, at the age of 30 in 1996. After his death, much of his unreleased material became public, including his cover of Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah' - a cover the catapulted him to posthumous superstardom.]()
Jeff Buckley: Buckley had only released one album when he drowned during a spontaneous evening swim, fully clothed, at the age of 30 in 1996. After his death, much of his unreleased material became public, including his cover of Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah' - a cover the catapulted him to posthumous superstardom.
![Arthur Russell: Despite being one of the most innovative and forward-thinking musicians of his - or any - time, Russell suffered from a]()
Arthur Russell: Despite being one of the most innovative and forward-thinking musicians of his - or any - time, Russell suffered from a "near-chronic inability to complete projects". He had only released one album, and was unknown and near broke, when he died from AIDS in 1992. Thankfully, he left behind an overwhelming amount of recordings, and the world was able to discover his music.
![Jim Croce: Croce financed his first album, Facets, with a 500 dollar wedding gift from his parents, and only had enough money to press 500 copies. The day before the release of what would go on to become arguably his biggest single, 'I've Got A Name', Croce was killed in a plane crash. His posthumous album, also called I Got A Name, included three massive hits, and Croce became a household name.]()
Jim Croce: Croce financed his first album, Facets, with a 500 dollar wedding gift from his parents, and only had enough money to press 500 copies. The day before the release of what would go on to become arguably his biggest single, 'I've Got A Name', Croce was killed in a plane crash. His posthumous album, also called I Got A Name, included three massive hits, and Croce became a household name.
![Israel Kamakawiwo'Ole: The singer was already well-respected in Hawaii when he died at the age of 38, but it wasn't until his mash-up of 'Over The Rainbow' and 'What A Wonderful World' started gaining notice two years later that his legacy reached the rest of the world.]()
Israel Kamakawiwo'Ole: The singer was already well-respected in Hawaii when he died at the age of 38, but it wasn't until his mash-up of 'Over The Rainbow' and 'What A Wonderful World' started gaining notice two years later that his legacy reached the rest of the world.
![Otis Redding: Just a few weeks after Redding completed the recording of '(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay', he and six others were killed in a plane crash. It went on to become the sixth most performed song of the 20th century.]()
Otis Redding: Just a few weeks after Redding completed the recording of '(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay', he and six others were killed in a plane crash. It went on to become the sixth most performed song of the 20th century.
![Joy Division: Joy Division, of course, were already popular when Ian Curtis committed suicide at the age of 23. But in the 36 years since then, the band's debut album, Unknown Pleasures - its artwork and the songs themselves - has become one of the most famous albums of all time.]()
Joy Division: Joy Division, of course, were already popular when Ian Curtis committed suicide at the age of 23. But in the 36 years since then, the band's debut album, Unknown Pleasures - its artwork and the songs themselves - has become one of the most famous albums of all time.
![Selena: Credited with catapulting Latin American music into the mainstream, Selena's legacy grew exponentially after she was shot dead at the age of 23. The film of her life made two years later is responsible for not only raising her status once again, but also launching the career of Jennifer Lopez.]()
Selena: Credited with catapulting Latin American music into the mainstream, Selena's legacy grew exponentially after she was shot dead at the age of 23. The film of her life made two years later is responsible for not only raising her status once again, but also launching the career of Jennifer Lopez.