Documents related to the 2008 Universal Studios Hollywood fire have now been revealed
A fire at Universal Studios Hollywood in 2008 destroyed material belonging to many bands, it has been revealed.
Flames raged through film sets for nearly 24 hours on June 1, 2008, destroying sets such as Back to the Future . As the fire continued, it reached the Universal Music Group building.
Now, documents obtained by the New York Times reveal that some very special materials were destroyed. A total of 118,230 items were destroyed, with an estimated 500,000 songs lost. Among them were unreleased tracks by Nirvana , R.E.M. , Soundgarden , Beck , Janet Jackson , Eminem , Nine Inch Nails , and more.
"A great musical legacy was undoubtedly lost in the fire," one of the documents states. "The loss of legendary recordings is staggering.".
Check out the list of artists who had material lost in the fire:
Benny Goodman, Cab Calloway, the Andrews Sisters, the Ink Spots, the Mills Brothers, Lionel Hampton, Ray Charles, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Clara Ward, Sammy Davis Jr., Les Paul, Fats Domino, Big Mama Thornton, Burl Ives, the Weavers, Kitty Wells, Ernest Tubb, Lefty Frizzell, Loretta Lynn, George Jones, Merle Haggard, Bobby (Blue) Bland, BB King, Ike Turner, the Four Tops, Quincy Jones, Burt Bacharach, Joan Baez, Neil Diamond, Sonny and Cher, the Mamas and the Papas, Joni Mitchell, Captain Beefheart, Cat Stevens, the Carpenters, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Al Green, the Flying Burrito Brothers, Elton John, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Buffett, the Eagles, Don Henley, Aerosmith, Steely Dan, Iggy Pop, Rufus and Chaka Khan, Barry White, Patti LaBelle, Yoko Ono, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, the Police, Sting, George Strait, Steve Earle, REM, Janet Jackson, Eric B. and Rakim, New Edition, Bobby Brown, Guns N' Roses, Queen Latifah, Mary J. Blige, Sonic Youth, No Doubt, Nine Inch Nails, Snoop Dogg, Nirvana, Soundgarden, Hole, Beck, Sheryl Crow, Tupac Shakur, Eminem, 50 Cent and the Roots.
READ ALSO: Nirvana's former manager reveals that Kurt Cobain wanted to pursue a solo career.
