I can name 2.
One.
The band Death
Chuck Schuldiner is known by many to be the godfather of death metal.
He formed the band Death in 1983 (at the time it was known as Mantas)
They released a few demos and had a few lineup changes. They became pretty well known in the metal underground. In 1987 they released their first studio album, "Scream Bloody Gore." They were pretty much the number 1 death metal band for many years. In 1999 Chuck got brain cancer. He fought it, however, he died in 2001. Since then, Death is more popular than ever. Death metal as a whole is larger than ever. He also had a band called Control Denied. He was a member of the band Voodoocult. He had a solo project. All of his other works gained popularity with the news of his death. These days there are Death cover bands, most well known is Symbolic. While Chuck is no longer alive in person, all the music he's released lives on and continues to gain popularity.
http://www.emptywords.org/
Number Two.
The band Mayhem.
They made their best music from 1988 to about 1993.
In 1991, their singer Per (Aka Dead) killed himself.
In 1993, Varg Vikernes (aka Count Grishnackh) joined the band as a Bass player. (Also known for his solo project, Burzum.)
Varg and the founding guitar player of the band, Øystein Aarseth (aka Euronymous), had a big feud about money and fame.
Varg stabbed Øystein some 20+ times later in 1993.
The murder got the band a lot of press, and while they may not exactly be "top 10", they are much more widely known than they were before.
The band still lives on today, but I don't care for their more recent tunes.
IMO their best songs are "Chainsaw Gutsfuck" and "Pure Fucking Armaggedon."
Their music is very raw and chaotic. It is not for everyone.