19 Great Rockers The World Lost In 2015

#1 Goodbye to Gravity

Goodbye to Gravity's guitarists, Vlad Telea and Mihai Alexandru, along with drummer Bogdan Enache perished as a result of Romanian nightclub fire that killed 45 people in late October.

#2 Brandon Carlisle

Teenage Bottlerocket drummer Brandon Carlisle was taken off life support after being found unresponsive in his apartment. He passed on November 7th.

#3 Obituary

Frank Watkins, former bassist for Obituary (seen at far left) and recent Gorgoroth bassist, died Oct. 18 at the age of 44 after a battle with cancer.

#4 Steve Mackay

The Stooges saxophonist Steve Mackay died in early October at the age of 66 shortly after being hospitalized for sepsis, a complication from an infection.

#5 Martin Kearns

Longtime Bolt Thrower drummer Martin 'Kiddie' Kearns passed away on Sept. 14 in his sleep after the band's rehearsal for their tour. He was 38.

#6 Bryn Merrick

The former bassist for The Damned passed away Saturday, Sept. 12 at the age of 56 after battling cancer.

#7 Justin Lowe

After the Burial guitarist Justin Lowe announced his exit from the band in a conspiracy-filled rant in June. Soon after, it was revealed he was briefly missing and suffering from mental health issues. On July 18, he went missing again and the 32-year-old guitarist's body was found beneath a Wisconsin bridge on July 21. Police believe Lowe died of injuries consistent with a fall.

#8 Chris Squire

This bass legend passed away on June 27th at the age of 67. He had taken a break from the band in May because he'd been diagnosed with acute erythroid leukemia.

#9 Christoper Lee

With a career that spanned 70 years, actor-turned-rocker, Christopher Lee died at the age of 93 from respiratory issues. He is well-known for his appearances in film franchises such as Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, in the James Bond film, 'The Man With the Golden Gun'

Later in life he explored his passion as a metal vocalist, resulting in the release of four albums and three EPs.

#10 Allan Fryer

In early June, it was revealed that Heaven vocalist Allan Fryer (pictured center in photo) had died following a lengthy battle with cancer. The Aussie rocker reportedly auditioned for AC/DC in 1980 after Bon Scott's death, and eventually formed Heaven not long after that opportunity passed. The group released three albums in the '80s and have reunited a few times in the years since.

#11 Ryan Shutler

Passed away on May 17th. An official cause of death was not revealed but it was suspected that Shutler may have had a heart attack. He died at the age of 29. He was a drummer for the thrash metal outfit Lazarus A.D.

#12 B.B. King

Blues legend B.B. King passed away on the night of May 14. He was 89. He recorded more than 50 albums, toured relentlessly, won 15 Grammy Awards and was an early inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.

#13 Craig Gruber

Bassist Craig Gruber who played with Ronnie James Dio in Elf and Rainbow passed away on May 5th after battling prostate cancer. He died at the age of 63. Gruber's credits also include time with Gary Moore, Bible Black, Raven Lord and Zvekan.

#14 Shawn Tyler Chavez

Former Havok lead guitarist Shawn Tyler Chavez passed away on April 30th at the age of 30. The cause of death was not revealed.

Havok vocalist David Sanchez penned a moving tribute, crediting Chavez for his work during the first six years of the band's existence.

#15 Nicholas Chrisostomo

On April 6th, Khaotika tragically lost their drummer, Nicholas Chrisostomo, in an accident when two bands (Khaotika & Wormreich) were en route to a show. Their van struck a tree in northeast Georgia. The crash killed three, including two members of Wormreich.

#16 Ian McKinney and Paul Truesdale

The two members of the band, Wormreich, died in a tragic accident in Northeast Georgia. Khaotika also lost their drummer, Nicholas Chrisostomo in the incident on April 6th.

#17 Bob Burns

Founding Lynyrd Skynyrd drummer Bob Burns died April 3 at the age of 64. He was involved in a single-vehicle car crash and was not wearing a seat belt when he collided with a mailbox and a tree. Burns played on such classics as "Free Bird," "Tuesday's Gone" and "Sweet Home Alabama" during his time with the band.

#18 Jeremy Brown

On March 30th, on the eve of the new Scott Weiland and the Wildabouts album release for 'Blaster,' guitarist Jeremy Brown passed away. Brown had been part of Weiland's band for the past seven years and also appeared on the singer's 'Happy in Galoshes' solo set. Scott Weiland was devastated at the tragedy.

#19 Scott Clendenin

Former Death bassist Scott Clendenin died at the age of 47 in March. The band's former manager Eric Greif posted the news on March 24. While an official cause of death was not given, Greif stated that the guitarist "had some health challenges" in the last few years. Clendenin was part of the lineup that took part in the "Death to All" Chuck Schuldiner tributes in 2012 and 2013.