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They Called It

January 20, 2012

“Dreamt I died in Chicago next weekend (heart attack in my sleep). need to write my will today,” Mikey Welsh, former bassist of Weezer, tweeted last Fall in a chillingly accurate prophecy of his death shortly thereafter. From Michael Jackson to Tupac Shakur, Jimi Hendrix to Brad Nowell (of Sublime), a number of musicians have inadvertently or expressly predicted their end. Here are some others in the arts who called it:

The English Playwright

English playwright Joe Orton’s first big success Entertaining Mr. Sloane would prove to be an eerie example of life imitating art. In the play, an elderly man is bludgeoned to death by his tenant who then takes some Nembutal and goes to sleep. Only a few years later, Orton was bludgeoned to death by his roommate/lover who then took too many Nembutal and died.

The Country Legend

Legend has it Hank Williams’ “I’ll Never Get out of this World Alive” was #1 on the country charts when Williams passed away at the tender age of 29. Not exactly, but close. The fateful track, the last single released during his lifetime, did top Billboard immediately after he shockingly died right before a gig to promote the song.

The Cult Cartoonist

Cult cartoonist Fletcher Hanks pioneered the particularly dark, disturbed world of superheroes and villains during the 1930′s-40′s golden age of the comic book (you’ve achieved special status when even R. Crumb calls you a “twisted dude”). In one of his stories he foreshadowed his own grim passing–at age 88 police found him frozen to death on a park bench.

The Oscar-Winning Actor

Actor George Sanders, best known for his Oscar winning role in All About Eve, was only 31 when he told friends he would die at 65. True to his word, he took his own life shortly after reaching that milestone. “Dear world,” read his blunt suicide note, “I am leaving because I am bored. I feel I have lived long enough. I am leaving you with your worries in this sweet cesspool. Good luck.”

Brett Barth is a freelance writer living in the constant state of Venice, CA.

Image: Waifer X