December 10, 1967: Otis Redding Dies in Plane Crash

Otisredding.com

Soul singer Otis Redding was killed in a plane crash near Madison, Wisconsin. He was 26.

Redding then kicked off an uncomfortable trend that continues to this day: Six weeks after his death his song "Dock of the Bay" was released and hit number one. It was the first time an artist scored a number one hit for a song released after their death.