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Juice WRLD, 'Legends Never Die' - Young superstar rapper Juice WRLD tragically died of an accidental overdose in 2019 at the age of 21.
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Juice WRLD, 'Legends Never Die'
- His family and team have assembled an album of his remaining work with the fitting title 'Legends Never Die.' It went straight to the number one spot on the Billboard charts.
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Tupac Shakur, 'The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory'
- Widely considered one of the greatest rappers of all time, Tupac was violently gunned down in Las Vegas in 1996. He had just finished recording his final album.
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Tupac Shakur, 'The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory'
- It was intended to be an underground album, which he recorded using the stage name 'Makavelli.' The controversial album included some of his big hits like 'Hail Mary' and 'To Live and Die in L.A.'
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Amy Winehouse, 'Lioness: Hidden Treasures'
- Amy Winehouse was one of the most unique vocalists of our time. But she was known to have a wild lifestyle, and was tragically lost to alcohol poisoning at the age of 27.
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Amy Winehouse, 'Lioness: Hidden Treasures' - Just six months after her death, an incredible album of previously unreleased gems was shared with the public.
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Nirvana, 'MTV Unplugged In New York' - Nirvana's lead singer Kurt Cobain famously took his own life in 1994. He was another member of the '27 club.'
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Nirvana, 'MTV Unplugged In New York'
- An acoustic album of live recordings and covers was released a year after his death. His heartfelt and somewhat devastating cover of David Bowie’s 'The Man Who Sold the World' made the biggest impact.
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John Lennon and Yoko Ono, 'Milk And Honey'
- John Lennon and Yoko Ono were working on this album before he was shot by a crazed fan in 1980. Sadly, Yoko was left to finish it by herself.
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John Lennon and Yoko Ono, 'Milk And Honey' - Unfortunately, Yoko is not the strongest vocalist, but she did manage to complete the album. It was released four years after his death.
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The Notorious B.I.G., 'Life After Death'
- The Notorious B.I.G., also known as Biggie Smalls, was killed in a drive-by shooting at the age of 24. By this time, he was already huge in the East Coast hip-hop scene, collaborating with the likes of P. Diddy (then known as Puff Daddy).
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The Notorious B.I.G., 'Life After Death'
- There's speculation that he knew he was going to die, as his two albums were named 'Ready to Die' and 'Life After Death.' The latter was in fact released after his death.
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Bob Marley and the Wailers, 'Confrontation' - The legendary Bob Marley was tragically lost to skin cancer when he was 36 years old. His songs of peace, freedom, and strength have remained just as relevant since his death in 1981.
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Bob Marley and the Wailers, 'Confrontation'
- After his death, his loved ones compiled all of his unreleased songs into the beautiful album 'Confrontation,' which gave us the classic hit 'Buffalo Soldier.'
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Johnny Cash, 'American IV: The Man Comes Around'
- Johnny Cash is one of the only stars on this list who didn't die young. Yet he still had an incredible body of work left behind.
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Johnny Cash, 'American IV: The Man Comes Around' - His final album, released after his death, was his first number one hit on the Billboard charts in 36 years.
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Janis Joplin, 'Pearl'
- Janis Joplin is another member of the '27 club.' The incredible vocalist died of a heroine overdose in 1970.
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Janis Joplin, 'Pearl' - Her final album, 'Pearl,' was released after her death, and stayed at the top of the Billboard charts for more than two months.
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Queen, 'Made in Heaven' - After his AIDS diagnosis, Freddy Mercury worked with the band to record as many vocals as possible while he was still strong enough.
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Queen, 'Made in Heaven'
- He died in 1991, and his bandmates finished the album. It was finally released four years later.
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Jim Morrison, 'An American Prayer'
- Jim Morrison tragically died of a drug overdose in Paris in 1971. In the years prior, he had been working on some spoken word that had never been published.
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Jim Morrison, 'An American Prayer' - Several years after his death, the surviving band members of The Doors created an album of his spoken word poetry with added background music.
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Marvin Gaye, 'Vulnerable'
- Marvin Gaye was shot by his own father just before his 45th birthday in 1984. He's well known for his seductive ballads like 'Sexual Healing' and 'Let's Get It On,' but his posthumous album 'Vulnerable' was something different.
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Marvin Gaye, 'Vulnerable'
- The album recording began in 1968, but had never been released before. There's a personal depth in these songs that gives an insight into his heart.
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Otis Redding, 'The Dock of the Bay'
- Otis Redding was a defining voice in 1960s soul music. He died at the age of 26 in a shocking plane crash.
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Otis Redding, 'The Dock of the Bay'
- The album he had been working on was released after his death, and his famous hit '(Sittin’ On) the Dock of the Bay' was the first posthumous chart topper in US history.
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Jimi Hendrix, 'The Cry of Love'
- Legendary guitarist Jimi Hendrix met his untimely death the same year as Janis Joplin, shocking the world. His record label released this album of songs he had been working on before his death.
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Joy Division, 'Closer'
- Iconic punk band Joy Division lost their front man Ian Curtis to suicide when he was only 23. Many believe that their final album 'Closer' gave a dark look into his troubled mind.
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See also
- For more music history, take a look at the best girl groups of all time.
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The 15 most iconic posthumous albums of all time
The talent of these musicians proved to be immortal
© Getty Images
The greatest legends in music have a habit of dying too young. Thankfully, their music lives one. When an album is released after an artist's death, it gives the world a chance to connect with them again and for their message to live on.
The music world recently lost young rapper Juice WRLD, who was clearly on his way to becoming a legend. His posthumous album is proving to be one of the biggest in 2020, topping all the charts. With this in mind, let's take a look at some of the most influential posthumous albums of all time. Click through the gallery to get started.
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