September 30, 1955,
James Dean dies at 24

James Dean is killed in a car accident at age 24. Dean dies around the same time rock and roll comes alive (the #1 song the day he dies: Pat Boone’s cover of “Ain’t That A Shame” – clearly America is at a crossroads).

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02:05

Over the next 10 years, songs about cars, teenagers and tragedy became commonplace, with Dean the template for the romantic lead. You can make a pretty good case for Dean giving rise to rock and roll, as his death adds an authenticity to the form.

In the ’70s, rock matures and Dean is viewed though the lens of nostalgia. While Buddy Holly is the impetus for Don McLean’s “American Pie,” Dean of course gets a mention:

The jester sang for the king and queen
In a coat he borrowed from James Dean

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09:02

The Eagles even include a song called “James Dean” on their 1974 album On The Border:

James Dean, you said it all so clean
And I know my life would look all right
If I could see it on the silver screen

https://youtu.be/4xglMH_72UE?si=ds5Uy8EwD5TDMtrh

And while Dean did live life in the fast lane, evidence indicates that he was not driving in a reckless manner when his Porsche Spyder 550 crashes into an oncoming car on a highway in California. Prior to the accident, Dean made an appeal for safety when he appeared on the TV show Warner Brothers Presents to promote his upcoming film Giant. At the end of the video, Dean says, “Take it easy driving, the life you might save might be mine.”

Although he made few films before his death in a car accident at age 24, his performances, perhaps most notably in Rebel Without a Cause (1955), have proved enduring.

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