Johnny "Guitar" Watson

Thanks in part to Snoop Dogg and Ice Cube -- who had recently sampled his work -- Watson was enjoying a comeback in 1996 when he performed at the Blues Café in Yokohama, Japan. The funk artist, who had inspired Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa and Stevie Ray Vaughan, was playing one of his signature tunes -- "Superman Lover" -- when he collapsed, shortly after taking the stage. Many thought his fall was part of the show, but Watson, 61, had suffered a fatal heart attack.