On May 24th, 1963, electric blues guitarist Elmore James suffered a fatal heart attack in Chicago at the age of 45. James, whose best-known recording was “Dust My Broom,” influenced such rock musicians as Keith Richards and Eric Clapton.

In 1969, Mick Jagger and Marianne Faithfull were arrested for marijuana possession at their home in London.

In 1974, bandleader and composer Duke Ellington died of lung cancer at the age of 75. Ellington, considered by many to be the greatest jazz musician ever, composed such standards as “Mood Indigo” and “I Got It Bad and That Ain’t Good.”

In 1978, the debut album by Van Halen went gold in the U.S.

In 1980, members of Genesis surprised fans by showing up at the box office of the Roxy in Los Angeles to sell tickets to their benefit for local hospitals the following night.

In 1990, Axl Rose of Guns N’ Roses and Erin Everly, Don Everly’s daughter, filed for divorce. They were married 27 days.

In 1995, the members of Lynyrd Skynryd put their handprints and signatures into the Hollywood Rock Walk.

In 2000, Britney Spears’ album “Oops!…I Did It Again” sold 1.3 million copies its first week out, giving her the most first-week sales for a female artist.

In 2006, Taylor Hicks beat out Katherine McPhee to win the fifth season of “American Idol.”

In 2010, Slipknot bassist Paul Gray was found dead in a hotel room in Des Moines, Iowa. He was 38. An autopsy determined he died of a drug overdose.