Gene Clark
Harold Eugene Clark (November 17, 1944 – May 24, 1991) was an American singer-songwriter and founding member of the folk rock band the Byrds. He was the Byrds’ principal songwriter between 1964 and early 1966, writing most of the band’s best-known originals from this period, including “I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better“, “She Don’t Care About Time“, “Eight Miles High” and “Set You Free This Time“.
Although he did not enjoy commercial success as a solo artist, Clark was in the vanguard of popular music during much of his career, prefiguring developments in such disparate subgenres as psychedelic rock, baroque pop, newgrass, country rock, and alternative country. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991 as a member of the Byrds. Clark’s health continued to decline as his substance abuse accelerated, and he was diagnosed with throat cancer in early 1991. He died on May 24, 1991, at the age of 46 from heart disease as a result of a bleeding ulcer. Drug and alcohol addiction were determined to have contributed to his death. He was buried at St. Andrews Catholic Cemetery in Tipton, Missouri, beneath an epitaph that reads “No Other.