Ongoing History Daily: The white lighter superstition

March 22, 2021 Alan Cross 1 Comment 0 min read

Everyone has heard about the legend of the 27 Club, the spooky coincidence of so many famous musicians dying at the age of 27. But here’s a part of that story that may be new to you. It’s “The White BIC Lighter Thing.”

According to this legend, Jimmy Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, and Kurt Cobain—all members of the 27 Club—died with a white BIC lighter in their pockets. Spooky, right? Well, hang on.

BIC introduced its disposable lighter in 1973, which means that Jimmy, Janis, and Jim couldn’t have had one in their pockets because they all died before the lighter hit the market. This is one musical urban legend you can probably safely ignore.

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

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