This list contains information about the best songs released posthumously, ranked by your votes. Several famous rock stars, rappers and singer-songwriters have released fantastic music after their deaths. Some of these famous people died just months before their songs were released while others have had hit songs released decades after their deaths.
What are some of the best songs that were released after the artist's death? Tupac Shakur's “Hail Mary” is a great song. It was released Feb. 11, 1997 and Shakur died Sept. 13, 1996. Shakur has had several posthumous hits including “Changes,” "To Live & Die in L.A." and "Baby Don't Cry (Keep Ya Head Up II)." Shakur was gunned down after leaving a boxing match at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. His murder still remains unsolved to this day.
Another great posthumous release is “Me and Bobby McGee” by singer Janis Joplin. The track appeared on the album “Pearl” which was released on Jan. 11, 1971. Joplin died of an alcohol and drug overdose on Oct. 4, 1970. Other great posthumous releases include “You Got It” by Roy Orbison, “(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay” by Otis Redding and “Nobody Told Me” by John Lennon.
Which posthumously released song is your favorite? These songs are part of some of the best albums released posthumously as well. Vote on this list to make sure that the best song ends up on top and share your thoughts in the comments section.1
Released Jan. 8, 1968: Redding died December 10, 19672
15870Released on January 11, 1971: Joplin died on October 4, 19703
14475Released May 23, 1983: Marley died May 11, 19814
33359Released Feb. 7, 1989: Orbison died Dec. 6, 19885
Released March 1974: Croce died Sept. 20, 19736
Released Dec. 22, 1964: Cooke died Dec. 11, 19647
Released March 5, 2013: Hendrix died Sept. 18, 19708
157184Released Nov. 19, 1982: John Bonham died Sept. 25, 19809
8173Released March 25, 1997: Biggie died March 9, 199710
15611
12162Released 1965: Cline died March 5, 196312
6678Released Feb. 11, 1997: Shakur died Sept. 13, 199613
31714
10787Released Oct. 13, 1998: Shakur died Sept. 13, 199615
6716
Released 1995: Freddie Mercury died November 24, 199117
18
Released Nov. 6, 1995: Freddie Mercury died Nov. 24, 199119
1210Released October 3, 1977. Elvis Presley died on August 16, 1977.20
Released 1954: Williams died Jan.1, 195321
Released Oct. 8, 2002: Kurt Cobain died on April 5, 199422
23
Released August 2018: Jackson died June 2014
24
Released October 2018: XXXTentacion died June 18, 2018.
25
68237Released on July 30, 1996: Bradley Nowell died on May 25, 1996