November 20, 1946 – October 29, 1971
Born Howard Duane Allman, Duane was a founding member of The Allman Brothers Band. He died 40 years ago today, just shy of his 25th birthday. For the 35th anniversary of his death, Michael Ventre wrote a nice tribute to Allman (which can be read here), who is often overshadowed as one of the many talented musicians to face death way too early.
Allman died after crashing his motorcycle into a truck. At his funeral, his guitar was leaned against his casket and the other members of The Allman Brothers Band played “The Sky Is Crying” and “Stormy Monday” for him.
Just over a year after Duane’s death, and close to where he had his accident, the bassist for The Allman Brothers Band, Berry Oakley, also died in a motorcycle accident and also at age 24. Duane and Berry are buried next to each other in Georgia.1
1 Tod Benoit, Where Are They Buried? (New York: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, Inc.), 342.
