Rod Stewart Dead at 33 [Updated]

Most of you don't know this, but former Faces singer Rod Stewart died mysteriously in 1978, his death initially made evident upon the release of the disco-infused Blondes Have More Fun LP—if you've ever wanted to hear what the soul being sucked out of a man sounds like, then I recommend giving it a spin. Since then, the devil himself has channeled his messages through the zombified golden pipes of the English rocker. The proof is in the pudding.The Anakin Skywalker of rock singers, Stewart was blessed with perhaps the finest voice ever bequeathed to a white man—some guys have all the luck—yet has spent the lion's share of his career using those God-given powers for evil instead of good, singing unspeakably sappy vapid crap. At "64" his voice is still pitch-perfect and the amount of great music he could've made, but didn't, is criminal. Consequently, he is one of the most critically maligned figures in rock history: the archetype of the commercial sellout. This point was best made by legendary rock critic Greil Marcus who once said: "Rarely has a singer had as full and unique a talent as Rod Stewart; rarely has anyone betrayed his talent so completely."