Death
Bolan died on 16 September 1977, two weeks before his 30th birthday. He was a passenger in a purple Mini 1275GT (registration FOX 661L) driven by Gloria Jones as they headed home from Mortons drinking club and restaurant in Berkeley Square. Jones lost control of the car: it struck a steel reinforced chain link fence post and came to rest against a sycamore tree after failing to negotiate a small humpback bridge near Gipsy Lane on Queens Ride, Barnes, southwest London. 
Richard Madeley of daytime TV fame informed fans that it was low tyre pressure that contributed to the fatal crash. Neither occupant was wearing a seat belt. Bolan was killed instantly, while Jones suffered a broken arm and broken jaw and spent time in hospital; she did not learn of Bolan's death until the day of his funeral. Bolan's home, which was less than a mile away at 142 Upper Richmond Road West in East Sheen, was looted shortly thereafter.
At Bolan's funeral, attended by James Stroud, Les Paul, David Bowie, Tony Visconti, Eric Clapton, Paul Davis and Rod Stewart, a swan-shaped floral tribute was displayed outside the service in recognition of his breakthrough hit single "Ride A White Swan". His funeral service was at the Golders Green Crematorium which is a secular provision in North London. His ashes were buried at Golders Green Crematorium. His crash site has subsequently become a shrine to his memory, with fans travelling from all over the world to leave tributes beside the tree. In 2013, the shrine was featured on the BBC Four series Pagans and Pilgrims: Britain's Holiest Places. The site, referred to as Bolan's Rock Shrine, is owned and maintained by the T. Rex Action Group.
Bolan never learned to drive, fearing a premature death. Despite this fear, cars or automotive components are at least mentioned in, if not the subject of, many of his songs. He also owned a number of vehicles, including a famed white, 1960s Rolls-Royce that was loaned by his management to the band Hawkwind on the night of his death.
Fellow T. Rex member Steve Currie also died in a car crash less than four years later. Percussionist Mickey Finn died of alcohol-related liver problems in Croydon, Surrey, on 11 January 2003, aged 55. Drummer Bill Legend is the only surviving original member of T.Rex.