On July 3, 1969, just a month after being kicked out of the famous group he had helped form -- the Rolling Stones -- guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Brian Jones drowned in his own swimming pool.

Jones, a slide guitar genius who intended to be the Stones' leader as they performed more traditional blues-based music, was slowly pushed to the side in favor of the impressive songwriting abilities (and charismatic on-stage presences) of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.  After he contributed to just two songs on 1969's Let it Bleed album, Jones' substance abuse problems -- including an arrest that threatened his ability to tour overseas -- became too much for his bandmates. Those same abuse problems are also believed to have contributed to his drowning death.

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