The Most Shocking Celebrity Deaths
What makes a celebrity death shocking is the way it touches us. Historically speaking, the most memorably traumatic celebrity deaths have been those that come as a surprise—inexplicable striking icons down in their prime. Two recent examples of this have been the deaths of Heath Ledger and Michael Jackson, the one so young and the other so incredibly iconic. Though we may not know the celebrities in question personally, we have included them in our emotional world as a result of achievements that have made them seem immortal and unchanging. Their unexpected and sometimes violent deaths leave us traumatized and bereft. The fact that we all know where we were and what we were doing (or where our parents were and what they were doing) when JFK died just goes to show how indelible a mark these deaths can leave. Some of the most remarkably shocking celebrity deaths in recent memory include:
- Corey Haim—Died March 10, 2010 due to a bad heart and a bout of pneumonia.
- David Carradine—Died June 3, 2009 after accidental asphyxiation.
- Princess Diana—Died August 31, 1997 in a car crash.
- Elvis Presley—Died August 16, 1977 after an accidental prescription drug overdose.
- Heath Ledger—Died January 22, 2008 after an accidental prescription drug overdose.
- Jayne Mansfield—Died June 29, 1967 in a car crash.
- James Dean—Died September 30, 1955 after being injured in a car crash.
- John Lennon—Died December 8, 1980 when shot by an obsessed fan.
- Judy Garland—Died June 22, 1969 after an accidental dose of barbiturates.
- Kurt Cobain—Died April 5, 1994 after shooting himself.
- Marilyn Monroe—Died August 5, 1962 after acute barbiturate poisoning.
- Michael Jackson—Died June 25, 2009 after an accidental prescription drug overdose.
- Phil Hartman—Died May 28, 1998 when shot by his wife.
- Sharon Tate—Died August 9, 1969 after being stabbed by the Charles Manson family.