Ryan Sargent

Our favorite departed musicians can leave us starstruck and humbled with their legacies, but they really were just human. Among other things, proof of the normalcy of these legendary rock stars is in their favorite foods. Even the wealthiest and most demanding stars have a soft spot for cheap eats and junk. Someone as famous as Amy Winehouse, for example, found joy in the simple pleasure of KFC.

If you’d like to put together a tribute buffet to the best departed music stars, you won’t have to spend big. To eat like your favorite musician from history, you likely just have to let yourself indulge in a guilty pleasure.

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• Photo: CBS Television / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

David Bowie: Shepherd’s Pie

At his lowest point, David Bowie admitted to having a diet that consisted of little more than milk, red peppers, and coke. Later in life, however, he professed a love for the classic English comfort food shepherd’s pie.

For those who have never had shepherd’s pie, it is a savory casserole-like entree with minced meat, vegetables, and gravy under a potato crust. Bowie’s wife, Iman, even learned to make the dish just for him.

o Birthplace: Brixton, London, United Kingdom

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Prince: Pancakes

Over the course of his life, legendary pop star Prince grew to be associated with breakfast foods. He not only wrote a song all about breakfast but had a personal obsession with pancakes. In an infamous Hollywood legend, Prince and his band defeated Eddie Murphy, his brother Charlie, and some friends in a game of basketball while wearing their stage outfits. Afterward, the Murphys were treated to a stack of pancakes. Prince confirmed the story years after it happened.

Prince’s butler also made it clear that wasn’t the only spontaneous pancake party. He tells a story about getting an order for 14 plates of omelets and 14 plates of pancakes at 3 am one morning while Prince hosted some friends for an impromptu breakfast.

• Birthplace: Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America

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• • Photo: Bill Donald Bailey / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0

Kurt Cobain: Kraft Mac And Cheese

Even at the peak of fame and success, Kurt Cobain craved Kraft macaroni and cheese above any other meal. He explained for Rolling Stone: “I like it, I’m used to it.”

Cobain also apparently didn’t appreciate it when the Kraft formula was messed with. During one Atlanta visit, he requested Kraft mac and cheese, and caterers decided to create their own version and spice it up with some jack cheese and jalapeños. In response, Cobain’s wife, Courtney Love, found the caterers and asked, “What the f*ck are jalapeños and jack cheese doing in this macaroni?” before dumping it in the trash.

• Birthplace: Aberdeen, Washington, United States of America

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John Lennon: Corn Flakes With Cream

Beatles fans have tracked down many of John Lennon’s favorite things, but one food, in particular, stands out. Both music critic Robert Hilburn and Beatles superfan Eddie Deezen have confirmed Lennon had a soft spot for corn flakes with cream.

Lennon apparently enjoyed the cheap treat because cream was in short supply in WWII Liverpool, and he always craved it as a child.

• Birthplace: Liverpool, Eurasia, Lancashire, North West England, United Kingdom

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Amy Winehouse: Caribbean Food

When Amy Winehouse began recording songs for a third album in St. Lucia, she fell in love with the tiny island nation. When the time came to return to the United Kingdom, she apparently asked more than one local chef to return with her to cook local dishes. Winehouse herself allegedly enjoyed making her own jerk chicken.

• Birthplace: Southgate, London, United Kingdom

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Whitney Houston: Pop Tarts And Sushi

Whitney Houston is the queen of ’80s pop, and she certainly had a very pop taste in snacks. Apparently, she enjoyed a good Pop-Tart, particularly the brown sugar flavor. When Houston had the urge to splurge, her favorite pricey meal was said to be sushi rolls.

• Birthplace: Newark, New Jersey, United States of America

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Jimi Hendrix: Spaghetti, Strawberry Shortcake, And Banana Cream Pie

During one interview recorded in the book Starting At Zero: His Own Story, Jimi Hendrix spoke on his favorite grub. He called out spaghetti, strawberry shortcake with whipped cream, and banana cream pie as his top picks.

Hendrix also mentioned a love of soul food like greens and rice.

Unfortunately, although he liked living in London, he couldn’t think of anything good to say about English food.

• Birthplace: Seattle, Washington, United States of America

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Jim Morrison: Moscow Mules And Pub Food

Poetic Doors frontman Jim Morrison spent most of his life in Los Angeles, and he had more than a few dive bars he liked to hang around. His favorite spot might have been a nicer restaurant and bar named The Cock ‘n Bull.

Owner Jack Morgan is rumored to have invented the classic Moscow Mule cocktail that the bar served, and English pub food was often found on the restaurant buffet.

• Birthplace: Melbourne, Florida, USA

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Selena: Fast Food, Especially Pizza

Selena, eternal sweetheart of Latin pop music had a ravenous appetite. She loved pizza and allegedly bragged she could finish an entire medium pizza by herself in one sitting.

Pizza Hut may have been her favorite fast food joint, but she also enjoyed Olive Garden, Whataburger, and Jack in the Box.

• Birthplace: Lake Jackson, Texas, United States of America

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Bob Marley: Ital Stew Over Rice

Bob Marley put great stock in his Rastafarian religion, so he tried to follow its dietary restrictions. Rastafarian meals are supposed to fit a style called Ital, which includes restrictions against meat and processed foods. Although Marley, like many Rastafarians, occasionally had a bit of chicken, beef, or fish, he refused pork, salt, and a number of other non-Ital foods.

To make sure Ital food was present wherever he toured, Marley brought along personal chef Gilly. One common Ital meal Gilly put together was a stew composed of cauliflower, carrots, potatoes, cabbage, brown gungo peas, and butter beans, cooked in coconut milk with garlic and thyme. He would then serve it over rice and kidney beans with fried plantains.

• Birthplace: Nine Mile, Jamaica, Jamaica

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Elvis Presley: Peanut Butter And Banana Sandwiches

Elvis’s appetite is almost as legendary as his music. His personal chef at Graceland, Mary Jenkins Langston, once claimed, that according to him, “the only thing in life he got any enjoyment out of was eating.”

Elvis’s taste tended towards the rich and fried, with cheeseburgers, chicken-fried steaks, and banana pudding being especially common meals for the King. His very favorite treat was peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

Sometimes, he enjoyed them fried with banana slices; other times, he wanted an entire loaf stuffed with PB&J and bacon.

• Birthplace: Tupelo, Mississippi, United States of America

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Freddie Mercury: Spicy Parsi Dishes Like Akuri

Even though Freddie Mercury spent most of his life in England and changed his birth name, he never forgot his Parsi roots. According to his personal assistant, Peter “Phoebe” Freestone, Mercury always wished for his mother’s cooking and requested a number of spicy dishes familiar to the people of Zanzibar and India. Freestone especially remembered preparing scrambled eggs in the spicy Parsi fashion, a recipe called Akuri.

• Birthplace: Stone Town, Zanzibar, Tanzania

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George Harrison: Eggs And Chips

In late 1963, George Harrison became the first Beatle to visit the United States, and while he was there, got interviewed by a young DJ in Illinois. She asked him what his favorite things were, and Harrison replied, “Small blondes, driving, sleeping, Eartha Kitt, eggs and chips, and Alfred Hitchcock movies.”

Since Harrison is English, it can be assumed he’s talking about the french fry version of chips. It’s anybody’s guess as to whether he ate them with the eggs or separately.

• Birthplace: Liverpool, United Kingdom

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Marvin Gaye: Dover Sole And Fried Chicken

Since Marvin Gaye is a key figure in the world of soul music, it makes a bit of sense that he was a huge fan of soul food. Apparently, his favorite dishes were Dover sole and fried chicken.

Restaurateur Eric Hilton also claims Gaye had quite an appreciation of Belgian food, gained from a peaceful two-year period of detox he spent living in Ostend, Belgium.

• Birthplace: Washington, D.C., United States of America

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