Death sucks: Here are artists we lost too soon

It's not unusual for beloved singers and musicians to continue performing well beyond the age most of us plan to retire, and you can find them still packing arenas when they're in their 70s, 80s and even 90s.

On the flipside, even the brightest stars can suddenly blink out. They fall out of favor at the drop of a hat, they burn out and quit the business, and, tragically, they sometimes die young.

This week on "How We Heard It," your hosts take a look at great performers who had everything going for them until death cut them down. The causes of death varied from artist to artist - there were accidents, murders, overdoses and suicides - but they all ultimately fell by the wayside before they could realize their potential.

Many of these artists never even made it out of their 20s, and your hosts wonder how much the world of music might be different had they had a fuller life, creating music and performing for another 50+ years.

Would they have changed the direction of music? Would they have influenced more artists? Would they have inspired more fans?

Join us as we imagine what could have been.