Which musician retired too soon?

These are not individuals, but for rock 'n roll bands I'd nominate Buffalo Springfield (and, of course, that group Paul McCartney was in during the 60's : )

I'd include Peter Green and Artie Shaw;
even though Green has returned recently.

And the list of those prematurely "retired"
by substance abuse or accidents is WAY too
long. A few favorites not mentioned yet are
Gram Parsons, Clarence White, Clifford Brown,
Buddy Holly and Stevie Ray Vaughan.

Artie Shaw, who retired because he felt the music industry was strangling his creativity.

There certainly are some great musicians who have 'preceeded us in death.' It's sad to think of how many are no longer with us.

Another gentleman that I really enjoyed was Steve Taylor, especially the "I Predict 1990" lp. He is alive and well but is only producing as far as I know.

There certainly could be a long list of people who I would like to see be more productive. Some of my favorite musicians haven't released new material in a long time.

Cat Stevens retired for deeply held religious convictions?!? Anyone else remember he supported the murder fatwah against Salmon Rushdie which resulted in at least two translators (one Japanese and the other European) being murdered? Anyone else catch that expose about 5-6 years ago in, I think, the Wall Street Journal about his charity? The one whose workers would walk right over the bodies of starving Jewish, Christian, and Hindu children to get to the Muslims? No other charity in existence that I know of operates in this way.

Hooper, I think if you used any kind of Yiddish words like chutzpah around Stevens he'd have you thrown out.

People like George Harrison (Vaishnava Hinduism) and Richard Gere (Tibetan Buddism) chose different spirtual paths and show us all paths are not the same. Remeber, Cat Stevens resused to ever criticize the Taliban and, as I remember the article saying, supported their destruction of the 100+ ft Buddist statues. This is not a guy to admire.