“Me and Bobby McGee” by Janis Joplin: Pole Position on the Hot 100 on 20 March 1971
Janis, the renowned rock pioneer, passed on as a result of overdosing on heroin in the fateful day of 4th October 1970, aged twenty-seven years old.
Source: bestclassicbands.com
Five months after her death, Joplin rose to the top spot on the Chart with the song “Me and Bobby McGee,” a position she claimed for two weeks despite being the only solo hit to have ever debuted in this competitive platform. Later in her death, she claimed at least four retrospective entries on the Billboard rankings.