When a famous person dies by some tragic accident, it is always a shock not only for his loved ones but also for numerous fans worldwide. Moments like this make you wonder how short and unpredictable life can be.
Many brilliant actors, writers, musicians, designers, and scientists have passed away over the years, leaving the world with their great legacy. Some of them left this world without saying goodbye, while others did their best not to succumb to the dark void inside them for as long as possible.
Here are nine sudden celebrity deaths that left the world grieving.
1. Kobe Bryant
On January 26, 2020, a private helicopter with nine people on board, including the legendary Los Angeles Lakers basketball player Kobe Bryant with his daughter Gianna, crashed in California. According to the reports, severe weather conditions were the cause of the horrifying crash. Communication was lost at an altitude of 500 meters, and due to the thick fog, the pilot couldn’t pull up in time, crashing into a hill. None of the passengers survived. The whole world was shocked by this disaster. In the four hours after the tragedy, Twitter users left more than seven million messages honoring and reminiscing about Kobe.
2. Princess Diana
From one tear-jerking accident to another, we move to Princess Diana. She was only 36 when the terrible car accident took place in 1997. According to the official version, the driver was drunk and lost control, trying to “get away” from a car with paparazzi chasing them. Only one person survived – a bodyguard who got seriously injured. The driver, Diana, and her lover Dodi Al-Fayed were all killed. She was adored and admired by fans worldwide and was truly worthy of her title, “the People’s Princess.”
3. Chester Bennington
Linkin Park’s lead singer died on July 20, 2017. He was found dead in his LA house. There were empty bottles of alcohol in the room, however, no suicide note was found. The world lost Bennington on the birthday of his close friend Chris Cornell, who killed himself two months earlier in a similar way – by hanging. Chester’s death came as a complete surprise to the band members since they had a photo session planned on that day, and a week later, they were supposed to go on a tour.
4. Tupac Shakur
On September 7, 1996, Tupac Shakur was driving in the back seat of his manager Suga Knight’s car. On the right side, a white Cadillac leveled with them. One of the passengers started shooting at Tupac’s car, hitting the rapper in the chest and puncturing the lung. He was taken to the ER, where the doctors put him into a coma, but sadly, they were unable to save the legendary artist. The killer and his motives remain a mystery.
5. Heath Ledger
Ledger’s body was found on January 22, 2008, in his Manhattan apartment. The autopsy did not establish the cause of death, and after the additional examinations, it was discovered that Ledger died of severe poisoning. He drank a lethal dose of pain killers, sleeping pills, and tranquilizers. More than 500 people flew in to bid farewell to the Joker in his hometown of Perth, Australia, including his ex-wife, actress Michelle Williams.
6. Robin Williams
On March 11, 2014, Robin Williams was found dead at home. The tragedy shook the whole world. How could such a good-natured person who adored his family, deliberately commit suicide? In 2008, Robin rapidly developed a neurogenerative disease, which made him start forgetting his lines, the jokes stopped landing, and panic attacks became all too common. From the king of comedy, he turned into a shell of his former self. In 2014 he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, which broke his spirit completely and led to the tragic suicide.
7. David Bowie
David Bowie’s death took everyone by surprise. It seemed that his otherworldly talent would surely grant him immortality as a gift from the Space gods, but, alas! In 2016, Bowie died of liver cancer, which he had been fighting for almost two years. He decided not to tell fans about it, so no one even had a clue what’s really been going on. He passed away quietly, surrounded by close friends and family, without drawing any undue attention from the outsiders. Rock on amongst the stars, Ziggy!
8. Steve Irwin
Steve Irwin was the legendary Australian “crocodile hunter,” cherished by millions of fans worldwide. He was a renowned naturalist who dedicated his life to studying wildlife in the Down-Under. Ironically, the wild nature was the cause of his death in 2006. Steve was doing some underwater shots for his show, and saw a stingray swimming by and grabbed it from behind. Suddenly, the stingray attacked him, dealing a fatal blow to the heart. Irwin bled to death before even arriving at the hospital.
9. Stan Lee
Spider-Man, Hulk, Iron Man, Black Widow, Thor, Captain America – for some of you, these names may seem strange, but for us Marvel fans, each of them carries a story. All of them were created or made popular by Stan “The Man” Lee, who passed away in late 2018, six weeks before his 96th birthday. If it weren’t for Stan, the whole Marvel Cinematic Universe would be just a nerd’s wet dream, and “Avengers: Endgame” would never be the highest-grossing film in history. Stan’s death was a real tragedy for all comic book fans. In the last years of his life, he was almost completely blind, struggled with pneumonia, but still continued his life’s work until the very end. Excelsior!
