How did Otis Redding die?

Otis Redding died in a plane crash on December 10, 1967. The singer was traveling to Madison, Wisconsin, for a performance when his twin-engine Beechcraft H18 crashed into Lake Monona during its approach to the airport. Redding was 26 years old.

The crash killed Redding, pilot Fraser Richard, his valet Matthew Kelly, and four members of his backing group, the Bar-Kays: Jimmie King, Ronnie Caldwell, Phalon Jones, and Carl Cunningham. Trumpeter Ben Cauley was the only survivor. Poor weather, including rain and fog, contributed to the tragedy, although the exact circumstances have also been discussed in later accounts.

Redding had been at a major creative peak. He had recently recorded “(Sittin’ On) the Dock of the Bay,” which was released after his death and became his first number-one hit. The song also earned him two posthumous Grammy Awards, making his death an especially significant loss in soul music. The canonical answer is therefore “plane crash,” rather than a medical condition or drug-related cause.