Jay Bennett, (November 15, 1963 - May 24, 2009) founding member of Titanic Love Affair, multi instrumentalist for the band Wilco, and successful solo artist, dead at 45. Bennett died unexpectedly in his sleep, the result of an overdose of the prescription painkiller fentanyl. Bennett publicly revealed that he needed hip replacement surgery which he could not afford due to his health insurance company considering his damaged hip a "pre-existing condition."

Drew Glackin played bass and pedal steel for the alt-country band, the Silos. 
His death, just days after a sudden heart attack at the age of 42, described as a “damning indictment of our failed health care system”.
Like many musicians, Glackin didn’t have health insurance. When he began to look unwell, his family and friends could not convince him to see a doctor. Had he done so, the doctors would no doubt have diagnosed the thyroid condition that led to his untimely death, a condition that is very treatable. 
Drew Glackin is described as an amazing musician, and a friend to all he met.

David Williams, a Vietnam war veteran, and guitarist for Madonna, Michael Jackson, Jessica Simpson, Lionel Richie and Van Halen, died at a Virginia hospital after he slipped into a coma, his family said.
Williams, who was suffering from complications related to high blood pressure, collapsed and was taken to Sentara Hospital in Hampton, Virginia. A family friend said that while Williams was in the hospital, he slipped into a coma and the hospital urged family members to “pull the plug because he had no medical insurance.” 
“This man was a Vietnam veteran and gave his life to music and still had no benefits,” the friend continued. 
The day before Williams passed away, his wife, Deborah, wrote a letter to the NY Daily News saying, “During this very difficult time where our focus should be on the nurturing and care of David, we are battling with hospital officials just to get and maintain the care he deserves, a hospital whose main interest lies in his ability to pay for his care.”

Vic Chesnutt, (November 12, 1964 – December 25, 2009) folk-rocker, paralyzed by a car wreck at the age of 18, died on Christmas Day, 2009. He was 45. According to Rolling Stone, “Chesnutt gained national prominence thanks to 1996’s Sweet Relief II: Gravity of the Situation, which featured Smashing Pumpkins, R.E.M., Garbage and more bands covering his songs to raise money for the Sweet Relief charity, which aids musicians in need of health care.” Chesnutt had recently struggled with medical bills totaling in the tens of thousands, even though he had health insurance, and lived his last days in fear, as he was being sued by the hospital.

Robin Shivers died in November of 2009. Austin, Texas lost a friend and important talent. 
Ms. Shivers was the founder of Health Alliance for Austin Musicians, and her dream to find affordable healthcare services for Austin's low-income, uninsured working musicians. Many musicians put off getting health insurance because they assume it’s unattainable, or it is too cost prohibitive. Robin helped bring health care to more than 1,400 uninsured musicians. She was 53 years old.

Dr. Manisha Sharma, in December of 2009, attended a vigil held in Times Square to highlight loss of life, and outrageous economic cost of delayed healthcare reform. Dr. Sharma told the crowd the patient she would be speaking about was herself. In her early 20s, Dr. Sharma was studying to become a dancer and musician, until she was hit by a car. Instantly, she went from being a healthy independent young woman, to being a patient in need of continuous medical care. Dr. Sharma underwent four major hip surgeries and extensive physical therapy. Despite having private health insurance, she amassed thousands of dollars in medical bills. Though her recovery was long and difficult, the worst part was fighting her insurance company to pay the medical bills, while she continued to pay her premiums. “I went into medicine because I believe healthcare is a right, not a privilege,” she declared. “I am here to tell you as both a doctor and a patient that we do not get to choose when we get sick or when we get hit by a car. We need a system that puts patients before profit, a system where health insurance coverage is there for you whether you have a job or are between jobs, no questions asked.” Every day 2,500 Americans are forced into bankruptcy by medical costs, the leading cause of bankruptcy in the United States.

Charles Michael "Chuck" Schuldiner, died on  December 13, 2001 at the age of 33.  He was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and musical genre innovator. Schuldiner was the singer, songwriter, rhythm and lead guitarist of the band Death. He is often referred to as "The Father of Death Metal", though he was modest about his role in being a musical innovator. He was quoted as saying,  'I don’t think I should take the credit for this death metal stuff. I’m just a guy from a band, and I think Death is a metal band'.
Schuldiner was born on May 13, 1967 on Long Island, New York to a Jewish father of Austrian descent and a mother from the American South.
On his birthday in 1999, Schuldiner was diagnosed with a brain cancer that invades the brain stem. The Schuldiner family was struggling financially. The total costs of the operations would come to $70,000, a price the Schuldiner‘s could not afford. Schuldiner had gotten medical insurance after his first surgery, but the insurer had refused to pay because the tumor existed before he had gotten the insurance.
In May 2001, the cancer returned and Schuldiner fell ill again. He was originally denied surgery (which he needed immediately) due to lack of funds.
Many fundraisers, auctions, and benefit concerts took place to help cover the costs. The metal community and the Schuldiner family showed deep concern because Schuldiner could lose his life, because he did not have the money to pay for medical care.  Many artists, including Kid Rock, Korn and The Red Hot Chili Peppers, got together in Summer 2001 to auction off personal items with the funds assisting Schuldiner's medical expenses.
He died on December 13, 2001.
Chuck once described himself as "a lover of life", "friendship", and "animals”.

Goth Musician Belinda Bach, 28, passed away after receiving a liver transplant at the UCLA Medical Center. She never regained consciousness and was removed from life support on November 12, 2007 after being declared brain dead. She died as a result of the inadequacies of the health care system, according to her mother, who stated that Belinda was repeatedly denied health insurance coverage because of chronic health problems.

For more information about Belinda's story, check out the following sites. 

www.spankyandourgang.com
www.belindasstory.com

Joaquin Rivera, 63, a popular Philadelphia musician and mentor, died in the waiting room at the Frankford Hospital in Philly of hypertensive heart disease. Thirty-nine minutes later, one of three people in the waiting room stole Rivera's watch, the security tape showed. According to the police, hospital workers walked by him several times, and nearly 50 minutes after Rivera stopped moving, hospital personnel noticed he appeared to be dead.

Harvard University recently reported that nearly 45,000 people die preventable deaths each year –123 every day, 5 every hour — because they lack health insurance that would provide access to affordable care.  Sadly, even in the midst of health care reform debates, very little attention has been given to this tragedy. In 2008 alone, 45,000 civilians and 2,200 veterans died from a lack of health insurance.