14 Music Greats Who Died Mysterious Deaths

Possibly the greatest "pure" soul singer in American history, Cooke's career was on the rise after a string of hits when he was shot to death in a seedy L.A. motel, allegedly by the hotel's manager in self-defense. A great number of alternate theories abound, however, most of which circle around the idea that Cooke may have been murdered: Etta James, for instance, saw Cooke's body before he was buried and maintained his injuries were more consistent with those of a beating than a shooting.