15 celebrities who died too soon

10. Sam Cooke. There are singer-songwriters and then there’s Sam Cooke. He is one of the few musicians who truly earns the designation of being ahead of his or her time, and he’s famously known for such hits as “Chain Gang” and “Twistin’ the Night Away”. The details surrounding Cooke’s death remain disputed to this day, although the official account holds that a hotel operator fatally shot him in self defense.