Dinah Washington 4

Born Ruth Jones, she was one of the greatest blues/jazz singers of all time. Getting her start as a gospel singer, she was forever insecure about her looks, married and divorced numerous times (2 men among that number were character actor Raphael Campos and football player Richard "Night Train" Lane), and led a volatile lifestyle that certainly did nothing to enhance her longevity. She died before the age of 40 from an accidental pill overdose combined with alcohol. Despite the fact that she wasn't old when she died, pictures taken not long beforehand show her looking haggard and ill, particularly in those where she's wearing a blonde wig. Obviously, her lifelong battle to maintain what she felt to be an adequate weight was a direct contributor to her untimely demise, and as with any artist of her magnitude and brilliance who dies prematurely, you can only speculate about how much more she could have accomplished artistically had she lived. She left behind 2 sons.