Stars Who Died Tragically Young

As Robert De Niro said to his son in Chazz Palminteri’s A Bronx Tale, “one of the saddest things in life is wasted talent.” When it comes to creative folk such as actors, painters and writers, the same talent that drives their ability can also trigger tragedy.

Success for these type of people can result in a situation where the darker demons of celebrities are enabled to a much greater extent than if they lived a relatively normal life outside of the limelight, without a fortune and idle time to pursue potentially destructive behavior.

Some of the most dramatic examples of creative talent leading to tragedy happen when young celebrities, such as actresses and actors, engage in destructive substance abuse patterns that result in addiction, overdose and death.

Occasionally, rising stars perish early simply because they’re in the wrong place at the wrong time, getting caught in a terrible plane crash, car wreck or another type of deadly accident that cuts their lives short.

This list showcases actors and actresses that passed away far too early, tragically taking them and their talents from the world during what should have been the prime of their lives.

1. James Dean

Born in Marion, Indiana in 1931, James Dean initially studied law at Santa Monica College before pursuing his true passion by enrolling at UCLA to study theatre.

After moving to New York, he quickly established himself as a talented thespian in the theatrical production of The Immoralist before making his mark in the movies East of Eden, Giant and most notably, as an iconic badass in Rebel Without a Cause.

His stardom was rising to feverish levels when he passed away in a car crash in 1955. Dean’s talent and charisma earned him two posthumous Academy Award nominations – making him the only person to be nominated twice after their death.

2. Heath Ledger

Heath Ledger was fast becoming known as one of the best actors of his generation, with a career-defining portrayal of The Joker in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight under his belt.

He rose to superstardom for his role in Brokeback Mountain as a ranch worker who has a clandestine love affair with a rodeo rider, played by Jake Gyllenhaal. It was this role that earned notice from critics and audiences alike, and he received Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations along with winning the best actor honor from the San Francisco Film Critics and New York Film Critics.

At the very height of his career, and in the midst of filming The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, Ledger died. The cause was listed as an accidental combination of sleep aids and other prescription drugs. It was believed he became emotionally and physically exhausted after his psychotic portrayal of The Joker the year before.

3. Paul Walker

Born in Glendale, California, Paul William Walker IV became a huge action star when he acted in The Fast and the Furious, a series of action-packed car chase movies with death defying stunts.

He also appeared in shows such as Touched by an Angel, Varsity Blues, Who’s the Boss? and The Young and the Restless as well as feature films like Eight Below, The Skulls and Into the Blue.

In a case of horrible dramatic irony, Walker – at the height of his Fast and Furious fame – was involved in a terrible car wreck on his way to a charity event to help those affected by Typhoon Haiyan. The Porsche his friend was driving lost control, struck a tree and burst into flames.

4. Chris Farley

Chris Farley was one of the funniest actors of his generation, with a grace and ease of movement that belied his large physicality.

A star of Saturday Night Live for six years, his performances were some of the best that came out of the 1990s, earning him starring roles in movies that he single-handedly made watchable, such as Tommy Boy, Beverly Hills Ninja and Black Sheep.

He was born in Madison, Wisconsin in 1964 and studied theatre during his stint at Marquette University. He died of a drug overdose in 1993, falling victim to his severe addiction problems and over-the-top lifestyle.

5. Brandon Lee

Theories of the curse of Bruce Lee resurfaced when his son, Brandon Lee, was accidentally shot and killed while on set filming The Crow. Apparently, instead of blanks, the gun had a live round hidden deep in the chamber, fatally wounding Brandon in 1993.

Brandon was born in Oakland in 1965 and starred in action movies such as Showdown in Little Tokyo and Rapid Fire before his big role in The Crow. Like his father, he studied martial arts and acting.

Tragically, he was to marry Eliza Hutton less than two months before his death, which was blamed on a film crew using an unapproved weapon during the creation of the film.

6. Bruce Lee

Bruce Lee is still the biggest martial arts name that humanity has ever known, single-handedly developing new martial arts systems and bringing the genre to Hollywood and North America.

He was born in 1940 in San Francisco and lived in Hong Kong, where he starred in various roles as a child actor, before returning to the Unites States where he was a passionate teacher of Wing Chun and Jeet Kune Do styles of fighting.

He passed away in 1973, with doctors suggesting the official cause of death being an edema of the brain due to a bad reaction to prescription painkillers. Many bizarre theories surround his death, some stating that he was murdered or died due to a curse.

7. Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn Monroe, nee Norma Jeane Mortenson, was born in Los Angeles in 1926. She’s one of the most enduring sirens of the silver screen, surviving a horrifying family life and childhood to eventually become one of the biggest sex symbols the Earth has ever known.

She starred in features such as The Seven Year Itch, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Some Like It Hot, which propelled her to the status of an icon and living legend.

Despite her fame and fortune, she suffered from serious mental illness and addiction issues stemming from her troubled upbringing. Monroe died of a drug overdose in 1962, leaving behind a legacy that few actresses have achieved since.

8. River Phoenix

Born on a farm in Madras, Oregon, to free-spirited parents, River learned his craft as he traveled the world, eventually landing in Florida where his talents were beginning to get noticed.

With an Academy Award nomination for his work in Running on Empty and a memorable breakthrough role in Stand by Me, River Phoenix appeared destined for a long, successful career as one of the most talented young actors to ever grace the screen.

Just as his star was on the rise, he tragically died of an overdose in 1993 at the Viper Room in Hollywood, California, devastating his family and fans. His brother Joaquin and sister Rain tried to help but were doomed to witness their beloved brother pass away.

9. Cory Monteith

Born in Calgary, Alberta in 2013, Cory Monteith was one of the megastars of Glee, playing Finn Hudson, a quarterback  reluctantly recruited to the school’s glee club. His voice, charm and good looks won him a legion of fans, including Taylor Swift.

His feature film credits include Final Destination 3, Sisters & Brothers and Monte Carlo, adding to appearances on other shows such as The Simpsons, Smallville and Supernatural.

He battled addiction with the support of his girlfriend Lea Michele and by checking into a rehabilitation facility. He passed away in 2013, succumbing to the demons of substance abuse in a hotel room in Vancouver. His cause of death was an overdose of heroin mixed with alcohol.

10. Brittany Murphy

Brittany Murphy was born in Atlanta in 1977 and rose to stardom in her role alongside Alicia Silverstone in Clueless. She secured her star as an actress in Girl, Interrupted and 8 Mile. She also played Luanne in King of the Hill and starred in Sin City.

Brittany passed away suddenly due to cardiac arrest late in 2009, with the coroner initially suggesting she died of natural causes – a diagnosis difficult to believe at such a young age.

Since her death, a variety of bizarre and troubling evidence has emerged suggesting that she and her husband may have been murdered deliberately, as part of a shadowy, unknown plot.

11. Skye McCole Bartusiak

Skye McCole Barthusiak shot to fame in her movie roles The Cider House Rules, Don’t Say a Word and as Mel Gibson’s daughter in The Patriot. She parleyed this success into solid, consistent gigs such as a recurring role on 24 and appearances in House M.D., CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Lost, Touched by an Angel and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

Born in Houston, Texas in 1992, Skye died in 2014 due to an accidental overdose of medication she was taking to help deal with her epileptic seizures. According to the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences, the mix of hydrocodone, difluoroethane and carisoprodol caused her to pass away in her sleep.

12. Christopher Pettiet

Born in Dallas, Texas in 1976, Christopher Pettiet started his career at a young age as a child actor in various television series. As a teenager, he starring in movie hits such as Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead and Point Break, eventually earning his own show playing Jesse James on The Young Riders television program.

However, despite his success, Christopher struggled with massive addiction issues, which started to erode his health and acting opportunities.

In the year 2000, he ended up overdosing a couple of months after his birthday at the young age of 24. This was after repeated attempts to get help. Posthumously, his manager started a scholarship under his name.

13. Lee Thompson Young

An actor ever since he played Martin Luther King in a play when he was ten, Lee Thompson Young was born on February 1st, 1984 in Columbia, South Carolina.

He found success playing the title character in The Famous Jett Jackson, expanding into roles on other shows such as Friday Night Lights, Scrubs, FlashForward, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, South Beach and Rizzoli & Isles.

Sadly, Lee suffered from bipolar disorder, diagnosed with the mental illness as a teenager. He struggled with the disease while he grew his career, attending therapy sessions and taking medication to help cope. Ultimately, he was overwhelmed by the condition, taking his own life in 2013 with a single gunshot.

Actors and Actresses who died before 40s

Actors and actresses that were dead before they were 40. Listed are the people those that died from 1980 and onwards.

1.River Phoenix
Actor, Stand by Me
River Phoenix was born River Jude Bottom in Madras, Oregon. His mother, Arlyn (Dunetz), a Bronx-born secretary, and his father, John Bottom, a carpenter, met in California in 1968. They worked as itinerant fruit pickers, and later joined the Children of God religious group (John was originally Catholic.

On October 31, 1993, Phoenix collapsed and died of drug-induced heart failure on the sidewalk outside the West Hollywood nightclub, The Viper Room which was owned by Johnny Depp.


2.Brittany Murphy
Actress, 8 Mile
Brittany Murphy was born Brittany Anne Bertolotti on November 10, 1977 in Atlanta, Georgia, to Sharon Kathleen Murphy and Angelo Joseph Bertolotti. Her father's ancestry is Italian, and her mother is of Irish and Slovak descent. Her father moved the family back to Edison, New Jersey as a native New Yorker and to be closer to other siblings from previous marriages.

On February 4, 2010, the Los Angeles County coroner stated that the primary cause of Murphy's death was pneumonia, with secondary factors of iron-deficiency anemia and multiple drug intoxication. On February 25, 2010, the coroner released a report stating that Murphy had been taking a range of over-the-counter and prescription medications, with the most likely reason being to treat a cold or respiratory infection. These included elevated levels of hydrocodone, acetaminophen, L-methamphetamine and chlorpheniramine. All of the drugs were legal and the death was ruled to be an accident, but the report observed: the possible adverse physiological effects of elevated levels of these medications cannot be discounted, especially in her weakened state.
Murphy's husband died shortly after in similar circumstances, her mother is currently trying to find answers, believing something more sinister may have happened.

3.Brandon Lee
Actor, The Crow
Born in Oakland, California, USA, Brandon Lee spent the first eight years of his life in Hong Kong. By the time he was able to walk, he was already involved in learning about martial arts from his father, martial arts expert and famed actor Bruce Lee. After Bruce Lee's untimely death, Brandon.

Brandon Lee died of a fatal gunshot wound on March 31, 1993 after an accidental shooting on set of The Crow. The props crew had incorrectly placed what they thought would be dummy bullets in the gun. Due to the way the bullet was prepared, it did in fact fire with similar force to a regular bullet, hitting Lee in the abdomen, his injuries proving fatal.

4.Brad Renfro
Actor, Ghost World
Brad Renfro was born on July 25, 1982 in Knoxville, Tennessee, to Angela Denise McCrory and Mark Renfro, a factory worker. He was discovered at age 10 by director Joel Schumacher and was cast in the motion picture The Client, which starred Susan Sarandon and Tommy Lee Jones. Although this would be his zenith.

Renfro was found dead on January 15, 2008 in his Los Angeles apartment. He was 25 years old. On February 8, 2008, the Los Angeles County Coroner's office ruled that Renfro's death was accidental, attributing it to acute heroin/morphine intoxication.

5.Heath Ledger
Actor, The Dark Knight
When a hunky, twenty-year-old heart-throb Heath Ledger first came to the attention of the public in 1999, it was all too easy to tag him as a pretty boy and an actor of little depth. He spent several years trying desperately to sway this image, but this was a double-edged sword. Heath Ledger was born on the fourth of April 1979.

Ledger died on 22 January 2008 from an accidental toxic combination of prescription drugs.

6.Jonathan Brandis
Actor, One Life to Live
Born in Danbury, Connecticut, USA, to Greg and Mary, Jonathan Brandis began his career at age 5, acting in television commercials. He appeared in small parts in several films and TV shows before his first starring role in the 1990 film The Neverending Story II: The Next Chapter. He starred in popular films such as Ladybugs and starred as Lucas Wolenczak in Steven Spielberg's television series SeaQuest 2032.
On November 12, 2003, Brandis died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in West Hollywood from injuries he suffered after he hanged himself.

7.Heather O'Rourke
Actress, Poltergeist
Heather Michele O'Rourke was born on December 27, 1975 in Santee, San Diego, California, to Kathleen, a seamstress, and Michael O'Rourke, a construction worker. She had German, Danish, English, and Irish ancestry. Heather entered American cinematic pop-culture before first grade. She was sitting alone in the MGM Commissary waiting for her mother when a stranger approached her asking her name.

O'Rourke died at the age of 12 of cardiac arrest and septic shock caused by a misdiagnosed intestinal stenosis in February 1988.

8.Corey Haim
Actor, The Lost Boys
Corey Haim was born in Toronto, Ontario, to Judy Haim, an Israeli-born data processor, and Bernie Haim, a Canadian-born clothing sales representative. He has a sister, Carol, and a half-brother, Daniel. His family is Jewish. Haim broke into the film industry in 1984, playing a young child caught up in a family war in the movie Firstborn.

On March 10, 2010, after Haim's mother phoned 9-1-1, paramedics took Haim from their home to Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, where he was pronounced dead at 2:15 a.m. He was 38 years old. Los Angeles police stated that his death appeared to be an accidental overdose and that four bottles containing Valium, Vicodin, Soma (a muscle relaxant) and Haloperidol (an anti-psychotic) were retrieved. Autopsy results later showed his death was caused by pneumonia.

9.Sage Stallone
Actor, Rocky V
On August 30, 2012, the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office announced that Stallone died of atherosclerosis, which caused a heart attack.

10.Johnny Lewis
Actor, Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem
Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, the middle of three siblings, Johnny began performing from the age of 5 at a small performing arts school, making his debut as a Chanukah candle. Pursuing the acting profession, he appeared with success in many TV and film projects, handling both drama and comedy with finesse.

On September 26, 2012, Lewis and an 81-year-old woman, Catherine Davis, were found dead at a home in the Los Feliz area of Los Angeles, California. Officers from the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) found Lewis' body on the home's driveway. Davis was found dead inside the dwelling, which appeared to have been ransacked. Broken glass and a dead cat were found in the home, as well. Davis' death is being investigated as a homicide, in which Lewis is a suspect. According to multiple reports, police were called to the scene after neighbors heard the 81-year-old woman screaming.

Neighbors told police they saw a man jump the fence on the Davis property, assault a homeowner and painter next door, then jump back over the fence. According to the LAPD, Lewis then either fell or jumped from the home's roof, garage, or patio. An autopsy report released on November 29, 2012 stated that Lewis did not have any drugs or alcohol in his system when he died. Lewis had a history of drug abuse, leading to speculation by his attorney that the actor may have suffered a drug-induced psychosis when he allegedly killed his landlady. Toxicology reports came back negative for marijuana, cocaine, alcohol, psychedelic drugs or anti-psychotic medication. The autopsy report did indicate he had suffered partial strangulation and had fingernail marks on his neck when he died. There was no indication that Lewis had been pushed or jumped from the roof in an act of suicide. His death was ruled accidental.

11.Sammi Kane Kraft
Actress, Bad News Bears
On October 9, 2012, at 1:30 AM, Kraft was riding in the passenger seat of a car when it rear-ended a semi trailer and was then struck by another vehicle, according to the California Highway Patrol.[5] Subsequently, she was pronounced dead at the Cedars Sinai Medical Center.

12.Natina Reed
Actress, Bring It On
Reed died on October 26, 2012, two days shy of her 33rd birthday, in a road accident. She was struck while talking on the phone in Lawrenceville, Georgia, on U.S. Highway 29 (near Hamilton Road) while crossing the street.

13.Mark Priestley
Actor, Better Than Sex
On the afternoon of 27 August 2008 Priestley checked into the Swissotel in Market Street, Sydney, under the name 'Damien Barker'. He jumped from a window at the hotel at about 2PM. Police confirmed that his body was found in an awning. A police spokesperson said that the incident was not being treated as suspicious. The actor was believed to have been suffering from depression. Priestley continued to be seen posthumously in his All Saints role until November 18, 2008

14.Ryan Dunn
Self, Jackass 3D
Ryan Dunn (June 11, 1977 - June 20, 2011) was an American reality television personality, actor and stunt man. He was a member of the Jackass and Viva La Bam crew. Ryan Matthew Dunn was born in Medina, Ohio, to Linda Sue (Reese) and Ronald James Dunn. He came to prominence as a member of the CKY Crew.

Dunn died in an alcohol-related car crash in West Goshen Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, on the morning of June 20, 2011, alongside his friend Zachary Hartwell, a production assistant on Jackass Number Two.

15.Andy Whitfield
Actor, Gabriel
Whitfield died of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in Sydney, Australia, on 11 September 2011, 18 months after his initial cancer diagnosis.

16.Justin Mentell
Actor, G-Force
On February 1, 2010, Mentell died in a car crash near Hollandale, Wisconsin.

17.Andy Hallett
Actor, Not Fade Away
Andy Hallett is from the tiny Cape Cod village of Osterville, part of the town of Barnstable. He attended Barnstable High School and then Assumption College in Worcester. Always shy, he didn't begin singing until Patti LaBelle invited him onstage at a concert. After moving to Los Angeles he worked as a runner for an agency and then as a property manager and personal assistant.

Five years after first experiencing heart problems, and after at least three additional hospitalizations, Hallett died from congestive heart failure on March 29, 2009 at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles with his father by his bedside.

18.Lucy Gordon
Actress, Spider-Man 3
On 20 May 2009, Gordon was found hanging in the Paris flat she shared with cinematographer Jerome Almeras.

19.Johnny Palermo
Actor, Sissy Frenchfry
On June 8, 2009, he and his girlfriend Alessandra Giangrande were both killed in an early morning car crash in North Hollywood, California. Giangrande was driving at the time. Palermo was 27 years old at his death.

20.Robert Knox
Actor, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Son of Colin and Sally Knox. Brother of Jamie Knox. Stabbed to death in bar brawl in London on 24 May 2008, while protecting his 16-year-old brother, four days after his last scene on Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince was shot. His attacker was convicted of his murder on 4 March 2009.

Knox died after being stabbed outside of a bar in Sidcup, Greater London, in May 2008, when he intervened in a fight to protect his brother. ”

21.De'Angelo Wilson
Actor, 8 Mile
Wilson was found hanged in the back room of a commercial building in Los Angeles, California; his death was ruled a suicide.

22.Sophie Heathcote
Actress, Three Chords and a Wardrobe
Heathcote died suddenly in Connecticut from an aneurism. She had also been suffering from advanced skin and pancreatic cancer.

23.Adrienne Shelly
Actress, Waitress
The late Adrienne Shelley was born in Queens, New York, to Sheldon Levine and Elaine Langbaum. After graduating Jericho High School, located in Jericho, New York, she went enrolled at Boston University, and majored in film production. After her junior year, she dropped out and moved to Manhattan where she made a name for herself in independent films.

On November 1, 2006, Shelley was murdered in her Greenwich Village work studio. Found hanging from a curtain rod in the studio's bathroom, her death was initially thought to be a suicide. After a police investigation, and with her husband insisting a suicide was out of the question, an Ecuadorian illegal immigrant who was part of a construction crew working at the building was arrested and later confessed to her murder. Shelley had confronted him after he had crept into her studio and found him rummaging through her purse.

24.Belinda Emmett
Actress, The Nugget
Belinda Emmett was born on 12 April 1974 in Umina Beach, New South Wales, Australia. As a teenager, she worked for local radio station Coast Rock FM before landing her first major acting role as Tracy Russell in the popular sitcom Hey Dad..!. She became a household name two years later when she joined the cast of popular drama series Home and Away as Rebecca Fisher.

On 11 November 2006, Emmett died from cancer at St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney. She had been there since reportedly suffering stroke-like symptoms the previous Monday.

25.Lamont Bentley
Actor, Buffalo Soldiers
A native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Lamont Bentley moved to Los Angeles with his mother, an aspiring singer. His aptitude for comedy became apparent as he constantly made people laugh at his mother's auditions. It was then that he was encouraged to begin his own entertainment career. He began with commercials.

Shortly after midnight on January 19, 2005, Bentley was driving alone when he was killed in a single-car accident in southern California's Ventura County. He was driving on Highway 118 near Simi Valley (30 miles northwest of Los Angeles). Witnesses to the accident stated that Bentley's vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed towards the Rocky Peak Fire Road off ramp. After running through a stop sign, the vehicle went through a chain-link fence situated across the street and rolled down an embankment. Bentley was ejected from the vehicle into traffic where five cars struck him before help could arrive. ”

26.Nicole DeHuff
Actress, Meet the Parents
Nicole DeHuff was born on 6 January 1975 in Oklahoma. She began her acting studies at the prestigious Carnegie Mellon Acting Conservatory. Her first screen role was in the comedy hit Meet the Parents, in which she co-starred with Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller. Her character (Deborah Byrnes) was the sister whose wedding caused chaos for her family.

DeHuff became ill and was allegedly misdiagnosed twice by doctors who failed to recognize her as having pneumonia. She collapsed at her Hollywood Hills home. Taken unconscious to Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center, she was found to have an aggressive form of pneumonia that, a friend says, led to a staph infection and cardiac arrest. When it was finally discovered, it was already well advanced and she died on February 16, 2005, in Los Angeles.

27.Matthew McGrory
Actor, Big Fish
Originally a student of pre-law at Widener University, and later majoring in Criminal Justice at West Chester University, Matthew started his career by making appearances on The Howard Stern Show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, and music videos of Iron Maiden, Marilyn Manson, and Blondie. Matthew would later amass a cult following for memorable roles such as Tiny in Rob Zombie's House of 1000 Corpses.

He lived in Sherman Oaks, California, with his girlfriend Melissa. On August 9, 2005, Matthew McGrory died of natural causes (he was never diagnosed as having gigantism) at age 32.

28.Lloyd Avery II
Actor, Boyz n the Hood
In 2001, Avery was arrested in connection with a double homicide soon after wrapping Focus. He was later convicted and sentenced to prison.
On the evening of September 6, 2005, Avery was found dead in his cell at Pelican Bay State Prison. His body was discovered two days after he was strangled and struck on the head. Avery's cellmate, Kevin Roby, is the prime suspect in the murder. He is buried at Inglewood Park Cemetery, in Inglewood, California. 
29.Fritha Goodey
Actress, About a Boy
Having struggled with anorexia for years, Goodey committed suicide by stabbing herself in the chest on 7 September 2004.

30.Lana Clarkson
Actress, Scarface
This beautiful, long-legged blonde actress was known to be a kind, intelligent and dependable actor with a comedic talent as well. She appeared in many American TV hits of the 1970s and 1980s, such as Three's Company, The Jeffersons, The New Mike Hammer, Riptide, Knight Rider, Who's the Boss?.
In February 2003, Clarkson was fatally shot in the mansion of songwriter and producer Phil Spector. ”

31.Kellie Waymire
Actress, One Life to Live
Received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Theatre from Southern Methodist University in Dallas and graduated in 1993 from University of California at San Diego with a Masters of Fine Arts.

Waymire died on November 13, 2003 in her home in Los Angeles, California from an undiagnosed cardiac arrhythmia (cardiac arrest), likely related to mitral valve prolapse, a condition she was diagnosed with as a teenager.

32.Josh Ryan Evans
Actor, How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Despite being one of the smallest actors in Hollywood at 37 inches, Josh proved quality early on in life. By creating and distributing his own business cards before he was even a teenager, Josh landed a spot on The Dancing Baby ice cream commercial, which led to his role in Baby Geniuses, where he played all the babies and did all the dancing.

On August 5, 2002, Evans died from complications related to a congenital heart condition.

33.Merlin Santana
Actor, Showtime
Originally from New York, both of Merlin's parents were from the Dominican Republic. His mother pushed for a career in show business to keep him out of trouble and off the mean streets. He began as an advertising model for a fast-food chain at the age of 3. He first began getting noticed as Stanley.

On November 9, 2002, Santana was shot in the head and killed as he and his best friend, former child actor Brandon Quintin Adams were in a car leaving another man's home in the Crenshaw District of Los Angeles on Nov. 9, 2002. He was 26 years old.

34.Glenn Quinn
Actor, Dr. Giggles
Quinn was born in Dublin, Ireland, and moved to the United States with his mother and two sisters in 1988. His first role was as a pool shark in the Richard Marx video Satisfied. He later landed a major role in the John Travolta film Shout, where he shared a screen kiss with Gwyneth Paltrow.

Quinn was found dead on 3 December 2002 of a drug overdose. He was 32 years old. Police and autopsy reports revealed the cause of death to be an accidental heroin overdose. His body was found on the couch of a friend he was visiting in North Hollywood, California.

35.Aaliyah
Soundtrack, Boyhood
Talented. Beautiful. Modest. These three words described R&B singer-turned-actress Aaliyah perfectly. Aaliyah Dana Haughton was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Diane (Hankerson) and Michael Haughton. Her uncle was music manager Barry Hankerson and her brother is director Rashad Haughton. Aaliyah was raised in Detroit.
She was killed in Plane crash.

36.Megan Connolly
Actress, The Crossing
After making her film debut in The Crossing, Megan was one of the leading soap stars in Australia. After her role in Paradise Beach ended in 1994, she co-hosted the morning kids show The Zone for a year. In late 1995 she hosted the Foxtel's fitness show Body Corp for cable television, before moving on to become a V-Jay for Foxtel's music channel V until early 1997.
Connolly died from a heroin overdose on 6 September 2001 at the age of 27.

37.Justin Pierce
Actor, Kids
Born in London, England to a Welsh mother and an Australian father, Justin Charles Pierce was raised in the Marble Hill section of Manhattan, New York City. He attended P.S. 7 in the Bronx for Elementary School and J.H.S. 141 in the Riverdale section of the Bronx for Junior High School. Pierce's parents divorced when he was 15 years old.

On July 10, 2000, aged 25, Pierce was discovered hanged in his room at the Bellagio Hotel by hotel security. His death was a determined to be a suicide.

38.Dana Plato
Actress, Different Strokes
Dana Michelle Plato was born in Maywood, California, on Saturday 7 November 1964. Her first excursion into the film world occurred when she was eleven in the television film Beyond the Bermuda Triangle. Dana never really made an impact on the TV screen until she landed the part of Kimberly Drummond in the TV hit sitcom Diff'rent Strokes from 1978-1984.
Plato died at the age of 34 of an overdose of the painkiller Lortab along with Soma.

39.Rodney Harvey
Actor, My Own Private Idaho
During the making of My Own Private Idaho, Harvey began using heroin. After several stints in jail and attempts to get clean, he died of a heroin and cocaine overdose on April 10, 1998 at the Hotel Barbizon in Los Angeles.

40.Michelle Thomas
Actress, Hangin' with the Homeboys
Michelle Thomas was born in Boston but raised in New York and New Jersey. She attended the Montclair School of Arts and the Broadway Dance Center. She is survived by her parents, Phynjuar Thomas (a stage actress and acting coach) and Dennis J.T. Thomas (a founder and current member of the 1970s funk band Kool & the Gang); her brother.

In August 1997, Thomas was diagnosed with a rare form of stomach cancer, intra-abdominal desmoplastic small-round-cell tumor. She underwent surgery to remove a lemon-sized tumor shortly before landing her Young and the Restless role in the spring of 1998. In October 1998, she underwent surgery after a second cancerous growth ruptured. After being released from the hospital, Thomas flew home to New Jersey to spend Thanksgiving with her family.

On December 22 or 23, Thomas died surrounded by her family and friends in New York City at Manhattan's Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, aged 29 or 30. On December 26, 1998, a Muslim funeral service was held, as she had requested. She was buried in Montclair, New Jersey, near her home.

41.Dana Hill
Actress, European Vacation
Dana Hill was born Dana Lynne Goetz on May 6, 1964, in a suburb of Los Angeles, to parents Sandy Hill and Ted Goetz, a commercial director. Despite diabetes ending a promising future in athletics when she was just ten years old, Dana gamely threw herself into acting when still in her early teen years.

Hill slipped into a diabetic coma in May 1996 and suffered a massive paralytic stroke the following month. On July 15, 1996, Hill died at age 32.

42.Tupac Shakur
Soundtrack, Django Unchained
Born in New York City, Tupac grew up primarily in Harlem. In 1984, his family moved to Baltimore, Maryland where he became good friends with Jada Pinkett Smith. His family moved again in 1988 to Oakland, California. His first breakthrough in music came in 1991 as a member of the group Digital Underground.
He was murdered. 

43.David Rappaport
Actor, Time Bandits
British actor David Rappaport earned more roles and respect than most guys his size (or any size for that matter) who attempted a professional acting career. Born with the genetic condition dwarfism (he was 3' 11), he was often typecast in bizarre, sometimes silly and demeaning roles; but, like others before (Michael Dunn) and after (Peter Dinklage).

Rappaport struggled with depression later in his life. On May 2, 1990, he committed suicide by shooting himself in the chest in Laurel Canyon Park in the San Fernando Valley, California.

44.Franklyn Seales
Actor, Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Franklyn Seales was a stage and television actor best remembered for playing the finicky business manager Dexter Stuffins on the NBC sit-com Silver Spoons. He also appeared in films, most notably as the real-life cop killer in The Onion Field. One of eight children, Seales was born in 1952 on the Caribbean island of St.

On May 14, 1990, Seales died of complications from AIDS at his family's home in New York City. He was 37 years old.

45.Cory Monteith
Actor, Monte Carlo
Cory Monteith was born on May 11, 1982 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada as Cory Allan Michael Monteith. He was an actor, known for playing the singing jock Finn on the American TV show Glee and films such as Monte Carlo, and Final Destination 3. He died on July 13, 2013 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

The 31-year-old actor, who played Finn in the popular TV series, Glee reportedly died of a drug overdose in Vancouver in July 2013.

46.Jiah Khan
Actress, Ghajini
On 4 June 2013, she was found dead in her apartment in her residence in the Sagar Sangeet building in Juhu, Mumbai after hanging herself.

47.Lee Thompson Young
Actor, Friday Night Lights
Lee Thompson Young was born as the son of Velma Love and Tommy Scott Young. When he was in second grade his parents split up and he went to live with his mother. At age ten, he portrayed Dr. Martin Luther King in a play called A Night of Stars and Dreams. That's when Lee decided he wanted to be an actor.

On August 19, 2013, Young failed to show up for filming an episode of Rizzoli & Isles. Police were called to do a well-being check on him at his Los Angeles apartment, where he was found dead. His manager confirmed the actor took his own life. Police confirmed cause of death was a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

48.Gia Allemand
Self, Episode #2.7

On August 12, 2013, Allemand was admitted to University Hospital in New Orleans after an attempted suicide by hanging. She was declared brain dead and removed from life support two days later at age 29.

49.Paul Walker
Actor, The Fast and the Furious
Paul William Walker IV was born in Glendale, California. He grew up together with his brothers, Caleb and Cody, and sisters, Ashlie and Amie. Their parents, Paul William Walker III, a sewer contractor, and Cheryl (Crabtree) Walker, a model, separated around September 2004. His grandfather, William Walker.

Died in a single vehicle car crash on November 30th, 2013 during a charity event. Investigations are underway to determine the cause of the accident. Paul was a passenger of the vehicle.

50.Max Cantor
Actor, Dirty Dancing
Died of a heroin overdose in 1991 aged 32.

51.Chris Farley
Actor, Tommy Boy
Christopher Crosby Farley was born on February 15, 1964, in Madison, Wisconsin, to Mary Anne (Crosby) and Thomas Farley, who owned an oil company. Among his siblings are actors Kevin P. Farley and John Farley. He was of Irish heritage. Farley studied theatre and communications on Marquette University.

Died in 1997 from a drug overdose, aged 33.

52.John Belushi
Actor, The Blues Brothers
John Belushi was born in Chicago, Illinois, USA, on January 24, 1949, to Agnes Demetri (Samaras) and Adam Anastos Belushi, a restaurant owner. His father was an Albanian immigrant, from Qytezë, and his mother was also of Albanian descent. He grew up in Wheaton, where the family moved when he was six.

Died from at drug overdose in 1982 at the age of 33.

53.Judith Barsi
Actress, The Land Before Time
The only child of Jozsef Barsi and Maria Benko, Judith Eva Barsi beat 10,000 to 1 odds when she was discovered at a San Fernando Valley skating rink at 5 1/2 years old in 1983. She was mistaken for a three year old child. Her first commercial was for Donald Duck Orange Juice and she went on to appear in anywhere between 50-100 commercials.

Died in 1988 at the age of 10 after her father killed her in a murder suicide in Los Angeles.

54.Ashleigh Aston Moore
Actress, Now and Then
Ashleigh Ashton Moore was born as Ashley Rogers on September 30, 1981. Her parents were Cynthia Moore, a CNA (Certified nursing assistant) and James Moore, who wasn't around for much of her life. She attended a private school in Sunnyvalle until third grade when she left to spend full time on her acting.
Died from an accidental heroin overdose, age 26 in 2007.

55.Bridgette Andersen
Actress, Savannah Smiles
Bridgette Andersen was born on July 11, 1975 to Frank Glass and Teresa Andersen in Inglewood, California and grew up in Malibu. She always considered it good luck to have her birthday read as 7-11 instead of July 11th. One thing unique about her she would always kiss the first two fingers on her right hand and then touch any digital clock that read 7:11.

An accidental drug overdose in 1997, aged 21.

56.Christopher Pettiet
Actor, Point Break
Born in Dallas, Texas, Christopher Pettiet began career as a child actor making appearances in television series, made-for-television movies and films. He starred in two hit flicks, Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead and Point Break, and then joined the cast of the Western TV series The Young Riders as a young Jesse James.

Died in 2000 of a drug overdose at the age of 24 in Los Angeles.

57.Tara Correa-McMullen
Actress, Rebound
Murdered by gang member in 2005 at the age of 16 in California. She was shot outside her own apartment.

58.J. Madison Wright
Actress, Shiloh
Jessica Madison Wright was born in Cincinnati on July 29th 1984, the eldest of four children. A pretty youngster who enjoyed dressing up and was very much a 'girlie' child, Madison began modelling at the age of five. Her interest in modelling and acting - something she shared with her younger sister Victoria-- led the Wright family to relocate to Los Angeles and.

Died of a heart attack just before her 21st birthday in 2006 in Kentucky.

59.Michael Cuccione
Actor, 2gether
Michael James Cuccione was born in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada on January 5th, 1985, to Domenic and Gloria Cuccione. In 1994, when he was only 9 years old, he was diagnosed with 2A Hodgkin's Disease. He recovered from two bouts of the cancer, but was left with permanent damage to and around his heart and lungs due to the massive doses of treatment he received.

Died in 2001 at 16 of respiratory failure just after his 16th birthday in Vancouver.

60.Misty Upham
Actress, Frozen River
Misty Anne Upham, born in Kallispell, Montana, grew up in south Seattle, the fourth of five children. She began her career at the age of thirteen when she joined a community theater group, Red Eagle Soaring. What began as a summer workshop soon turned into a full-time job. By the age of fourteen she was writing and directing short skits and performing on tours throughout the northwest.

Died in October 2014 at the age of 32. Best known for her role in Frozen River. It is debated whether her death was a suicide or accident after being found at the bottom of a cliff.

61.Jason Jurman
Actor, Cougar Club
Died in October 2014 at the age of 34.

62.Justin Gocke
Actor, The Burning Bed
Best known as the child actor in Santa Barbara, Justin died in September 2014 at the age of 36.

63.Skye McCole Bartusiak
Actress, The Patriot
Accidental drug overdose at the age of 21 in July 2014 in Houston.

64.Stephanie Moseley
Actress, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1
Died in December 2014 at the age of 30 in an apparent murder/suicide with her partner.

65.Jon-Erik Hexum
Actor, Voyager from the Unknown
In the early 1980s, this ruggedly handsome young man of Norwegian parentage was seen as the next big thing, and then suddenly he was dead from an accident via a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Hexum was born and raised in Tenafly, New Jersey, where he was a musically gifted student at school playing both the horn & the violin in the school orchestra.

Died in 1984 after playing a game of Russian roulette with a prop gun loaded with blanks, unaware that it would be dangerous. He was 26.

66.Rebecca Schaeffer
Actress, One Life to Live
Rebecca began modeling at the age of 16, going off to New York on her own to begin her career. Four months later, she found herself in Japan, modeling there. Eventually, she landed her role on My Sister Sam, for which she is best known. In 1989, she became a spokesperson for Thursday's Child, a charity for at-risk teens.

Died in West Hollywood in 1989 after being fatally shot by a stalker. She was 21.

67.Dorothy Stratten
Actress, Galaxina
Dorothy Stratten's story was brief, glorious and tragic. She was born Dorothy Ruth Hoogstraten on February 28, 1960 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She grew up in a rough neighborhood in Vancouver, but kept out of trouble and went through the motions of school. While not a beauty as a child.

Dorothy was killed by her estranged husband in Los Angeles in 1980. She was 20.

68.Anne Pressly
Actress, W.
Brutally murdered in Arkansas in 2008. She was 26.

69.Dominique Dunne
Actress, Poltergeist
Dominique Dunne was born to a life of privilege in Santa Monica, California, the daughter of Ellen Beatriz (Griffin) Dunne and Dominick Dunne, a producer, actor, and writer. Actor Griffin Dunne is her brother. After her parents' divorce, she moved first to New York, and then to a posh home in Beverly Hills.

Dominique was murdered by her former boyfriend in Los Angeles in 1982. She was 22.

70.Wade Dominguez
Actor, Dangerous Minds
Wade Dominguez was born in Northern California. While on a modeling assignment in Italy he landed an American soap Opera. He was in the video Losing My Religion by R.E.M. Of course he was in Dangerous Minds.

Died in Los Angeles in 1998 at the age of 32 from respiratory failure.

71.Chris Hardman
Self, Episode #22.7
Committed suicide in March 2015 at the age of 24 in England.

72.Windell Middlebrooks
Actor, Miss March
Suffered a pulmonary embolism and died at the age of 36 in Los Angeles.

73.Ben Woolf
Actor, Pilot
Died in February 2015 in Los Angeles after sustaining a head injury after being in a traffic accident.

74.Greg Plitt
Actor, Terminator Salvation
Killed after being hit by a train in California in January 2015, he was 37.

75.Sawyer Sweeten
Actor, Captain Nemo
Played one of the young boys in Everybody Loves Raymond. Sawyer committed suicide in Texas in April 2015. He was 19.

Stars Who Died Young Before 30

It's as common in Hollywood as the rags-to-riches tale: stories of stars who died young.
Following is he enliste of the ranks of artists, actors and musicians who died before their 30th birthdays, often during the prime of their careers.

1. Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, 23

Selena , best known by her first name, was a Latin music sensation and crossover pop sensation in the United States. She began her singing career at the age of 6. Three years later, Selena's father made her the lead singer of the family band he founded, Selena y Los Dinos. Performing every gig they could get their hands on paid off when Selena landed her first record deal at the age of 12, recording her debut album for a local record company. She grew to be insanely popular with the Latin community and quickly reached star status, with a devoted fan club. With her musical success, Selena gained the financial means to launch her own fashion line. At the peak of the singer's career, her family discovered that the president of Selena's fan club and manager of her boutique, Yolanda Saldívar, had been pocketing income from the star's funds. Selena decided to confront Saldívar about the situation while collecting papers for tax purposes at a hotel in Corpus Christi, Texas. Saldívar refused to give Selena the papers and then shot her in the back. The singer was taken to a hospital, but she had lost too much blood. Her voice went quiet at age 23.

2.River Phoenix, 23

Critically acclaimed but deeply tormented, River Phoenix was one of the brightest young actors of the 1980s and '90s. The Oregon-born star broke into Hollywood in the 1985 movie "Explorers," but it was his 1986 role in "Stand By Me" that made the industry and the public take notice of his talents. He scored a best supporting actor award from the National Board of Review for his role in 1988's "Running on Empty," and played a young Indiana Jones alongside Harrison Ford in '89's "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade." As his profile grew, Phoenix attached himself to a variety of causes, campaigning for PETA and endangered rain forests. Despite the actor's success, Phoenix's tumultuous childhood haunted him. In 1991, he told Details magazine that he lost his virginity at age 4 while in the Children of God, a religious cult his family belonged to in the early 1970s and that he reportedly suffered from depression. On Oct. 31, 1993, Phoenix died after overdosing on cocaine and heroin at the Viper Room in Los Angeles. He was 23 years old. Phoenix's legacy lives on in his younger brother Joaquin Phoenix, who won a Golden Globe for his role in 2005's "Walk the Line."

3.James Dean, 24

James Dean was the original "rebel without a cause," a rising star who lived life in the fast line. The Indiana-born actor solidified his A-List status through movies including "East of Eden," "Giant" and "Rebel Without A Cause." Despite his fame, Dean reportedly dealt with severe mood swings and depression that resulted in erratic behavior, including heavy use of alcohol and drugs. Besides acting in big screen productions, Dean also took up an auto racing career, coming in second in the Palm Springs Road Races and third in Bakersfield in 1955. On his way to another race on Sept. 30, 1955, Dean died in a head-on collision. He was 24 years old.

4.Janis Joplin, 27

Ranked No. 46 in Rolling Stone's 2004 list of the 50 Greatest Artists of All Time, Janis Joplin was an accomplished singer and songwriter in the 1960s hippie heyday. While her career break came as the lead singer for Big Brother and the Holding Company in the '60s, she truly became famous as a solo artist singing the blues, folk music and rock. But behind her rich, powerful voice and great lyrical talents was a troubled star. Joplin was reported to have been deeply concerned about how the public would receive her and became prone to drinking and using drugs as a way to cope with her nerves. Sometime between late night Oct. 3 and early Oct. 4, 1970, Joplin, 27, died in a Los Angeles hotel room. The cause of death was determined to be a heroin overdose, possibly accelerated with alcohol. Joplin was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 and awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005.

5.Jim Morrison, 27

Morrison — called a "rock god" by the music industry to this day — was a poet, writer and film director as well as the lead singer and lyricist for psychedelic rock band The Doors. He was born into a military family, and his nomadic childhood helped shape his music. Morrison credited a car accident he saw as a young child, in which a group of American Indians were injured or possibly killed, as one of the most formative experiences of his life. (He wrote about the accident in the Doors songs "Peace Frog" and "The Ghost Song.")

Morrison joined The Doors in 1965 and released six studio albums with the band before moving to Paris in 1971, where depression may have led him to develop a heroin addiction. He died in Paris in July 1971 at age 27 from what many believe was a heroin overdose. The absence of an official autopsy has left unanswered many questions surrounding his death.

6.Sid Vicious, 21

Alan Jones once said, "Sid, on image alone, is what all punk rests on." Sex Pistols' bass player and eventual solo artist Sid Vicious — otherwise known as John Simon Ritchie — was everything that the punk movement stood for: excess, anarchy, violence, total and absolute destructiveness and apathy. His personal philosophy of "live fast, die young" led him to a precarious lifestyle of drug use. After the suspicious death of his then-girlfriend Nancy Spungen in a New York hotel room, which Vicious said he could not recall because of a drugged stupor he was in that night, he was arrested, hospitalized at Bellevue Hospital for an attempted suicide, released, then sent to Rikers Island jail for assault. While there, he was weaned off his heroin addiction and released Feb. 1, 1979. Upon returning home, Vicious obtained heroin from his mother and overdosed that night. He was revived once only to have his heart slow to a stop. In the end, his death at 21 further romanticized his tragic life of junkie glamour.

7.Kurt Cobain, 27

Cobain, frontman for the iconic grunge band Nirvana, was a symbolic figure during the shift from the glam/pop rock of the 1980s toward early 1990s alternative rock with the song "Smells Like Teen Spirit," considered by many to be the anthem of Generation X. Some viewed him as the unofficial spokesman for '90s teens and 20-somethings, but Cobain turned to drugs and alcohol to help him cope with the pressures of the media, years of depression, chronic bronchitis and mysterious stomach pains. Cobain committed suicide in April 1994, shooting himself in the head in his home on Seattle's Lake Washington after leaving a one-day stay at a rehab center in Los Angeles. He died at age 27, leaving behind wife Courtney Love and daughter Frances Bean Cobain.

8.Tupac Shakur, 25

Like Wallace, Tupac Shakur's death was a tragedy of the East Coast/West Coast hip-hop rivalry. Though he hailed from Harlem, Shakur began rapping in California in the early 1990s. He released his first solo album, "2Pacalypse Now," in 1991 and formed the group Thug Life in 1993. As he gained fame, Shakur ran into legal troubles: He was accused of sexually abusing a woman in '93 and convicted of attacking a former employer in 1994.

In November 1994, Shakur was shot five times and robbed in the lobby of a New York recording studio. While serving a prison sentence for sexual abuse charges, Shakur released "Me Against the World," which went to No. 1 on the Billboard 200. After getting out of jail, suspicious that former friend Biggie Smalls set him up for the '94 shooting, Shakur railed on Biggie and his associates on the track "Hit 'Em Up." On Sept. 7, 1996, while driving through Las Vegas with his entourage, Shakur was shot 12 to 13 times in a drive-by shooting. He died six days later of internal bleeding. Shakur's death remains a mystery, though some speculate Biggie was involved in the murder. Biggie's family has vehemently denied those claims. More than 10 years after his death, Shakur remains a hip-hop legend. He's been named the highest-selling rap artist by the Guinness Book of World Records, with more than 75 million albums sold worldwide.

9.The Notorious B.I.G., 24

Chris Wallace, better known as The Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls or Big Poppa, lived up to his various nicknames. He was a force to be reckoned with in the rap world and remains an enormous influence a decade after his death. Brooklyn born and bred, Wallace dropped out of school at age 17 and turned to a life of crime. He spent nine months in prison for dealing crack. Soon after getting out in 1992, he parlayed his amateur rhymes into a record contract and started working with some of the biggest names in the business: Sean "Puffy" Combs, LL Cool J, Mary J. Blige and Tupac Shakur.

His 1994 album "Ready to Die" came at a time when the East Coast/West Coast rap rivalry was going strong, and according to Rolling Stone, Biggie shifted the focus back to New York. This created tension with Shakur, who was leading the West Coast rap scene at the time. When Shakur was shot to death in September 1996, rumors swirled about Biggie's involvement, though he denied all allegations. In March 1997, while in California to promote his upcoming album, Biggie, 24, was shot to death while riding with his entourage in a GMC Suburban. His murder remains unsolved, and in 2007 his relatives filed a second wrongful death lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles. A movie chronicling his life is due out in 2009.

10.Aaliyah Dana Haughton, 22

Aaliyah Dana Haughton, known simply as Aaliyah by hip-hop and R&B fans, was one of the industry's most promising female stars. Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., she appeared on "Star Search" at age 10 and performed with Gladys Knight at age 11. But it was her debut album, "Age Ain't Nothing but a Number," that got the attention of hip-hop heavyweights. The album went platinum within months.

R. Kelly, the singer who helped write and produce Aaliyah's album, married the 14-year-old singer. (He was 27 at the time.) Vibe magazine published a copy of their Illinois marriage license, dated Aug. 31, 1994, which showed the starlet's age had been listed as 18. Their marriage was annulled in February 1995. Aaliyah went on to release "One in a Million" at age 17, which was certified double-platinum within a year. She followed that up with "Aaliyah" in July 2001, after landing her first major film role in 2000's "Romeo Must Die." One month later, shortly after wrapping production of her music video for the single "Rock the Boat" in the Bahamas, Aaliyah and members of her record company boarded a small plane to fly back to the United States. The plane crashed shortly after takeoff, and all aboard were killed.

11.Brad Renfro, 25

Renfro made his acting debut in 1994 at age 11, playing the title role in "The Client" alongside Susan Sarandon and Tommy Lee Jones. He went to on star with Brad Pitt, Robert DeNiro, Kevin Bacon and Dustin Hoffman in the 1996 film "Sleepers." Renfro quickly became a teen heartthrob, and his acting talents had critics thinking he'd last in Hollywood. But legal troubles and struggles with drugs and alcohol hindered his prospects.

In December 2005, Renfro was arrested during an undercover drug sweep in Los Angeles and charged with attempted possession of heroin. He later admitted to having used heroin and methadone and was sentenced to three years' probation. Renfro went to rehab in 2006, but in 2007 he violated his probation by not enrolling in a long-term drug treatment program, People magazine reported. He was found dead in a Los Angeles apartment Jan. 15 after a night of drinking, according to the Los Angeles county coroner. An official cause of death has yet to be determined.

12.Heath Ledger, 28

Ledger was found dead in his Manhattan apartment Jan. 22, surrounded by bottles of prescription drugs. An initial autopsy was inconclusive, and a medical examiner said further tests would be needed to determine Ledger's cause of death. The actor, recently separated from actress Michelle Williams, his former fiance and mother of his 2-year-old daughter, is expected to be remembered as one of best of his generation. He got an Oscar nomination for playing a gay cowboy in "Brokeback Mountain" and is slated to appear as the Joker in the new Batman movie, "The Dark Knight," this summer..

Bollywood Celebrities Who Died Young

1.Divya Bharti: Bollywood lost another starlet with the demise of Divya Bharti at a young age. She was only 19 years old when she died falling from the fifth floor of her Versova apartment. She was a rising talent in films and her death came as a huge shock for the industry. In an interview with idiva, Divya's mother Mita described her as a lovely child who wasn't fond of studying. Divya had married Sajid Nadiadwala at an early age. Speaking about the same, Divya's mother told idiva, “I knew she was married. I’d never have been able to stop her. I supported her so that she’d continue confiding in me and wouldn’t head in another direction.” Reveals Mita in the interview, “They must have had normal tiffs. Sajid and Divya were only together for eight months. Where did they have the time to enjoy life? She was not ambitious. Her aim in life was to marry and have children. She’d joke, ‘I’ll throw my kids in your lap and go to work’.”

2.Smita Patil: She was another one of Bollywood's most loved actresses. Smita Patil had proved her acting prowess with a lot of films, and had a career bejeweled with awards. She was a National Award winner and also a much applauded actress. However her personal life has been debated a lot. She fell in love with Raj Babbar and the two got married. They had a kid, Prateik Babbar. She reportedly died, two weeks after Prateik was born, due to childbirth complications. However things have been strained between Prateik and Raj Babbar. In an interview with Mumbai Mirror, Prateik said, "Dad was never around while I was growing up. He was always busy with his other family and I had to go and meet him at their house. Why did my mother pass away? It still hurts to come to terms with this reality. Over to movies." While Raj Babbar too has his side of the story, talking to Mumbai Mirror, he said, "So far I've felt that if the truth hurts the people close to you, it is not worth telling. I've always thought about my family. And that surely includes Prateik. The good of my family is my primary concern. However, now everyone feels that it's about time I told my version of the truth. And I agree."

3.Taruni Sachdev: Popularly known as the Rasna girl, Taruni Sachdev passed away in a plane crash in Nepal in 2012. She was only 14 years old then, but had worked in numerous advertisements and had done films too. She was the face of Rasna advertisements, and the cute girl became very popular with it. According to a report in The Times of India, Taruni aspired to become an actress, and had told director Vinayan T G (who introduced her to films in 2004), "Uncle, I want to do the heroine's role in your film." She had also done a remarkable role in Amitabh Bachchan's Paa. Big B was shocked with the news. "Shocked and deeply grieved on learning of the tragic end of Taruni. Taruni, a talented little child, who played much beyond her years, cute, confident and so immensely lovable. My prayers!" Big B wrote on Twitter.

4.Jiah Khan: The death of Jiah Khan created a stir in the industry. This young and budding talent was reportedly found dead at her apartment in Juhu in June 2013. She was just 25. As an immediate consequence of the death, Jiah Khan's alleged boyfriend Sooraj Panscholi was arrested on charges of abetment to suicide. According to a report in The Times of India, a six paged letter allegedly written by Jiah was found by the police and that Jiah Khan's mother, Rabia Khan had questioned the suicide theory. In an interview with The Times of India, Rabia Khan opened up about her daughter, saying, "Reports that my daughter was depressed because of work is all rubbish. She was fine; she was sincere, pure and not manipulative at all. She could not stand lies, deception and lies from the only one she loved the most. I am not being revengeful but telling the truth. She fell for a wrong guy." According to a Mumbai Mirror report, the Pancholis had filed a 100 crore defamation case against Rabia Khan. While the legalities are on, Bollywood remembers Jiah as the sensuous beauty of Nishabd.

5.Aarthi Agarwal, who had made her acting debut at the age of 16, with the Bollywood film, Pagalpan, died of cardiac arrest in a hospital in the US after a failed liposuction surgery. Her manager was quoted in an IANS report as saying that, "Aarthi was battling obesity and pulmonary illness. She was undergoing treatment and due to some complications, she suffered a cardiac arrest and passed away." In 2005, she had reportedly attempted suicide after an alleged relationship with a co-star turned bitter and her films did not do well at the box office. After her Bollywood career failed to pick up, Aarthi moved down South. She had made her debut in Telugu films with the hit Nuvvu Naaku Nachav in 2001. She went on to act in hits such as Nuvvu Leka Nenu Lenu, Indra and Vasantham with stars like Chiranjeevi, Venkatesh and Nagarjuna. However, a source has been quoted in the report as saying that, "From 2008 to 2015 she worked in only four films and was almost forgotten. I think she had put on weight and had decided to undergo surgery."

Like Aarthi, fate was't kind to many Bollywood celebs. Here's taking a look at the celebs whose lives were cut short

10 Bollywood Celebrities Who Died Young

Bollywood stars start their careers at a very young age and go on to become legendary actors. But some of them leave us ahead of their time at a young age. Dealing with showbiz is not that simple, and sometimes it takes the toll on these artists. Let’s take a look at 10 such Bollywood stars who died at a young age:

1.Divya Bharti: Bollywood’s yesteryear budding actress Divya Bharti who entered the industry at a very young age, died under mysterious circumstances. The actress who shot to fame in a really short span of time, died in the year 1993 after falling off from a five storey building in Versova. At the age of only 19, Divya’s death shocked the industry to the core.

2.Jiah Khan: Definitely one of the biggest deaths that shocked the entire Bollywood industry was of actress Jiah Khan. Jiah who committed suicide in the year 2013, passed away at the tender age of 25 leaving the industry in a state of shock. Her suicide letter seemed to indicate failure in this industry as the reason for her huge step. Actor Sooraj Pancholi was also involved in the actress’ suicide investigation case.

3.Aarthi Agarwal: One of the most shocking news of this year was actress Aarthi Agarwal’s death. The cause of actress’s death was said to be a sudden cardio arrest. The 31-year old actress Aarthi Agarwal was fighting obesity and pulmonary illness from a while. Aarthi underwent the risky procedure of liposuction, in order to get in shape for the showbiz and lost her life due to complications in the same.

4.Taruni Sachdev: Bollywood’s cute little angel face star Taruni Sachdev died at a tender age of 14 in a plane crash. The unfortunate mishap took place when the star was travelling back to India from Nepal, and her plane crashed. Best known for her role in the film Paa, Taruni’s death made the whole nation grieve for the young little star.

5.Soundarya: Another actress we lost in plane crash was Soundarya, who was not only a famous face in Bollywood, but also in the Southern film industry. The Suryavanshi actress died near Bangalore in a plane crash, accompanied by her brother who died as well. Soundarya was apparently on her way to Andhra Pradesh when the crash took place. She was only 28 years old.

6.Madhubala: Bollywood’s evergreen beauty Madhubala died at a young age of 39 years after losing a battle to sickness. The actress who is known as the epitome of beauty, is still remembered as an icon and her early death was felt as a loss to the entire film fraternity. Madhubala’s role as Anarkali in the iconic film Mughal-E-Azam is considered legendary.

7.Smita Patil: Another yesteryear beauty whose early death was a huge loss for Indian cinema was none other than actress Smita Patil. National Award and Padma Shri winner Patil passed away at only 31 years due to health problems. Her social work towards upliftment of women in rural India proves that she was one of the most humanitarian stars of her time. Her films also usually were women centric which was a great deal at that time.

8.Silk Smitha: Iconic actress Silk Smitha passed away at the early age of 36 after committing suicide. The actress was found dead in her Chennai apartment. Vidya Balan starrer The Dirty Picture, which was a biopic of Smitha’s life indicates how the showbiz got the best of the actress. Depression and problems in personal life were some of the reasons why Smitha took her life.

9.Abir Goswami: Television actor Abir Goswami died at a very young age of 37 due to cardiac arrest. After making a steady climb in his career with serials like Kkusum and Pyaar Ka Dard Hai, he has also acted in hit films like 2013’s Ugly and Hrithik Roshan starrer Lakshya. Abir passed away in May 2013 after a sudden massive heart attack while he was on a treadmill in his gym.

10.Sanjit Bedi: Popular Television actor Sanjit Bedi passed away recently in June 2015 after losing a battle with prolonged illness. Sanjit was suffering from brain sickness and was in coma for a long time. The actor passed away in June, at a young age of mid forty. Best known for his role in Sanjivani, he also starred in programs like Jaane Kya Baat Hui, Kyaa Hoga Nimmo Kaa and Kasautii Zindagii Kay

Child Stars That Tragically Died

1. Jonathan Brandis.

Jonathan Brandis was a model before landing the starring role in Steven Spielberg’s Seaquest DMV which also led to him working as a writer and producer. Unfortunately after a long struggle with depression Brandis hung himself at 27.

2. Matthew Garber

You might remember Garber from the classic Disney film Mary Poppins. He also featured in two more Disney movies before retiring. At 21 he died due to complications of Pancreatitis in 1977.

3. Michelle Thomas.

Thomas is best known as an actress on Family Matters and The Cosby Show. She died of stomach cancer in 1998 at age 29.

4. River Phoenix.

Definitely one of the most famous child star deaths of all time, Phoenix was being touted as one of the next big actors in Hollywood, appearing in Stand By Me and Running on Empty. On Halloween night 1993, Phoenix suffered a drug overdose and died outside the Viper Room on The Sunset Strip in front of his brother Joaquin and sister Rain.

5. Lee Thompson Young.

Young was an actor on the rise who had a lead role in Friday Night Lights but suffered from Bipolar disorder which led to him committing suicide by a self-inflicted gunshot wound in 2013, aged 27.

6. Judith Barsi.

Barsi was in The Land Before Time and All Dogs Go To Heaven. Unfortunately she was in an extremely abusive domestic environment and was eventually murdered along with her mother by her father in 1988. She was only 10-years-old.

7. Josh Ryan Evans.

Evans was in Baby Geniuses and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. He would often play characters much younger than himself because he was born with Achondroplasia which is a type of dwarfism. He was 17 at the time of his biggest role when he played a child in Passions. He died in 2002 during an operation for a congenital heart condition.

8. Christopher Pettiet.

Pettiet was most famous for his role as Christina Applegate’s younger brother in Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead. He died of an accidental drug overdose in 2000 at the age of 24.

9.  Ashleigh Aston Moore.

Moore started acting when she was four and her most notable role was in the film Now and Then. She retired from acting in 1997 but eventually went the way of many child stars and died of a heroine overdose in 2007.

10. Rob Knox.

Knox landed a role in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. He was supposed to reprise the role in the final film however he was stabbed to death during a fight while trying to protect his younger brother when he was just 18.

11. Heather O’Rourke.

O’Rourke played Carol Anne in the iconic 1982 film Poltergeist. She was selected by Steven Spielberg himself for the part and spouts the now iconic line “they’re here”. Following the film she was diagnosed with Intestinal Stenosis in 1988 and died due to complications from an operation at the age of 12.

12. Justin Pierce.

Pierce was a British actor that played Casper in the film Kids and starred alongside Ice Cube in Next Friday. He was found hanging in his hotel room by a security guard in 2000 at the age of 25.

13. Bridgette Anderson.

This adorable child star was in Savannah Smiles, Family Ties, Fever Pitch and The Parent Trap II. However, she was another star that suffered addictions to alcohol and heroine, was estranged with her family and died following an overdose in 1997 at the age of 21.

14. Brad Renfro.

You might remember Renfro from his breakout role in The Client which led to his involvement with 21 other films in his short but illustrious career. He battled alcoholism and and a heroine addiction which ended up costing him his life at the young age of 25.

15. J. Madison Wright Morris.

The young actress from The Burning Zone and Safety Patrol struggled with health her whole childhood. She fought through multiple bouts of pneumonia, was diagnosed with Restricted Cardiomyopathy and had a heart transplant at 15 which only allowed her to reach the age of 21 before she suffered a heart attack and died one day after returning from her honeymoon.

10 Most Tragic Star Deaths

Hollywood stars may seem larger than life to their fans, but of course, they are just as vulnerable to life’s tragedies as the rest of us, including the chance of dying at a young age. And while the unexpected loss of a loved one is always a mournful occasion, the loss of a young person is particularly heartbreaking. Sadly, there have been quite a few Hollywood child stars who have died young. Here are 10 beloved child actors who passed away far too soon.

1. Gary Coleman (1968-2010)

Gary Coleman became a child star through his role as the wisecracking Arnold Jackson on the 1980s hit television series Diff’rent Strokes. On the show, Coleman played one of two African-American brothers that are adopted by a wealthy white widower. The show turned the diminutive actor into a pop culture phenomenon, thanks to his character’s memorable catchphrase: “What’chu talkin’ ’bout, Willis?” While Coleman was a child when he first starred on the show, he remained short-statured throughout his adult life due to multiple chronic health problems that permanently stunted his growth and kept his height at 4 feet, 8 inches.

Unfortunately, despite the fame that Diff’rent Strokes brought him, Coleman was plagued with money problems for most of his life. As an adult, he discovered that his parents and agent had misappropriated his childhood earnings. After a successful lawsuit, Coleman was awarded $1.3 million, as reported by Jet magazine. As he got older, Coleman gained further tabloid notoriety for multiple altercations with fans.

He was also cited for disorderly conduct for several incidents involving actress Shannon Price, his girlfriend and wife. Tragically, Coleman’s many health issues likely contributed to his early death at the age of 42. On May 28, 2010, after sustaining injuries due to a fall in his home, the troubled actor passed away from a brain hemorrhage at a hospital in Utah.


2. Corey Haim (1971-2010)

If you watched movies in the 1980s, you are probably familiar with Corey Haim. The young actor starred in many popular teen movies throughout the decade, often alongside real-life friend Corey Feldman. Haim made his feature film debut in 1984’s Firstborn, a movie about an abusive drug addict that also starred Sarah Jessica Parker, Robert Downey, Jr., and Peter Weller. A slew of other film appearances soon followed, including starring roles in Silver Bullet and made-for-TV drama Lucas (alongside a young Winona Ryder). In 1987, Haim starred in the teen horror film The Lost Boys alongside many other notable young 1980s stars. The success of the film made Haim a household name and led to many other teen movie roles.

Unfortunately, even while his acting career was taking off, Haim’s personal life was spiraling out of control. As noted in Feldman’s memoir Coreyography, both actors were introduced to hard drugs like cocaine at a young age. Feldman also claimed that they were both sexually abused as children by people in the movie industry, and that the trauma of that abuse likely fueled Haim’s self-destructive behavior. As Haim’s popularity began to wane in the early 1990s, his drug addictions became even more serious, despite multiple attempts to get clean with stints in rehab.

On March 10, 2010, an unresponsive Haim was found by his mother in the apartment that they shared. After being transported to a hospital, the 38-year-old Haim was pronounced dead. According to Access Hollywood, the coroner determined that the cause of death was due to pulmonary congestion and not a drug overdose, as many people initially assumed. However, it is widely believed that Haim’s years of drug abuse indirectly contributed to his death by taking a toll on his overall health.


3. River Phoenix (1970-1993)

River Phoenix was a promising young actor and musician who earned his fame at an early age thanks to his breakout role in 1986’s Stand By Me. Although Phoenix was best known for his acting work, this talented star was also a musician who sang and played lead guitar for Aleka’s Attic, a band he formed with his sister Rain. Phoenix’s well-received performance in Stand By Me soon led to additional roles in major motion pictures, including The Mosquito Coast, A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon, and Little Nikita.

In 1988, Phoenix garnered an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his portrayal of a counterculture couple’s son in Sidney Lumet’s Running on Empty. The following year, he had a small role as a young Indiana Jones in Steven Spielberg’s Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. In 1991, Phoenix delivered yet another critically acclaimed performance as a narcoleptic street hustler in Gus Van Sant’s My Own Private Idaho.

While it appeared that this young actor was well on his way to becoming a major movie star, sadly, this was not to be. In the early morning hours of October 31, 1993, Phoenix collapsed outside of a nightclub in Los Angeles in front of his brother Joaquin and sister Rain. Phoenix was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. As noted by The New York Times, the coroner reported finding “deadly levels of cocaine and morphine” in his system. He was only 23 years old.


4. Paul Walker (1973-2013)

While Paul Walker is primarily remembered today for his starring role in The Fast and the Furious films, this actor also appeared in multiple TV shows and movies as a child. His big break came when he was cast in 1986’s Monster in the Closet, a horror comedy movie that also featured Stacy Ferguson (of Black Eyed Peas fame), Howard Duff, and John Carradine. As a child actor, he appeared in several TV series, including Highway to Heaven and Throb.

However, his greatest career success came as an adult, when he was cast as Brian O’Conner in 2001’s The Fast and the Furious. The box office success of The Fast and the Furious led to roles in other major motion pictures, including Timeline, Into the Blue, and Flags of Our Fathers. He reprised his role as Brian O’Conner in five sequels to The Fast and the Furious, including 2015’s blockbuster Furious 7.

On November 30, 2013, Walker left a benefit event for his Reach Out Worldwide charity in a Porsche driven by a friend. The driver soon lost control of the car, and the subsequent fiery crash killed both men. According to investigators cited by CNN, the cause of the accident was “unsafe speed for the roadway conditions.” Walker had recently turned 40 years old.

5. Brittany Murphy (1977-2009)

Brittany Murphy appeared in several TV sitcoms and commercials before getting her big break with a role in the 1995 hit comedy film Clueless. In the film, Murphy portrayed an “ugly duckling” high school girl who is given a transformative makeover by a more popular girl, played by Alicia Silverstone. Loosely based on Jane Austen’s novel Emma, Clueless garnered critical acclaim and led to Murphy getting other roles in major motion pictures such as Girl, Interrupted; 8 Mile; and Sin City. She also lent her voice talents to Mike Judge’s animated TV show King of the Hill for the character of Luanne Platter.

On December 20, 2009, Murphy was taken to the hospital by emergency services after collapsing in her home. She was pronounced dead after going into cardiac arrest. According to the autopsy report obtained by CNN, Murphy had “acute pneumonia” and was suffering from a “chronic iron deficiency.” The report also noted the presence of multiple cold medications in Murphy’s system that may have contributed to her death. Murphy was only 32 years old.

Although Murphy’s death was ruled accidental, various conspiracy theories have emerged that blame her death on everything from toxic mold to harassment by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, as reported by The Huffington Post. The mystery surrounding this young star’s untimely death only deepened after Murphy’s husband, Simon Monjack, died under similar circumstances five months later in the same house.


6. Heather O’Rourke (1975-1988)

Heather O’Rourke was a child actor who is most famous for her role in the 1982 horror film Poltergeist and its two sequels, Poltergeist II: The Other Side and Poltergeist III. In the first film, the angelic-looking O’Rourke plays the role of Carol Anne Freeling, the youngest daughter in a family whose home is plagued by a supernatural apparition. The Poltergeist movie poster that features O’Rourke with her hands on a television screen transmitting static is perhaps one of the most iconic ever created, while the “They’re here” line that she delivers in the movie is so well known that it was included on The American Film Institute’s list of top movie quotes from the last 100 years.

Sadly, Poltergeist III was to be the last film that O’Rourke would ever make. Several months before filming began, O’Rourke became ill and was misdiagnosed as having Crohn’s disease. Unfortunately, the misdiagnosis was not discovered until it was too late. On January 31, 1988, O’Rourke collapsed and was rushed to the hospital. According to the Los Angeles Times, doctors at the hospital where she was brought found that her illness was caused by a longstanding bowel obstruction. An attempt to surgically remove the blockage led to septic shock and caused her to suffer a cardiac arrest. O’Rourke was just 12 years old when she passed away.

7. Brad Renfro (1982-2008)

Brad Renfro was a child actor who is perhaps best known for his big-screen debut in the critically acclaimed 1994 thriller The Client, based on a John Grisham novel of the same name. In the film, the 11-year-old Renfro plays the lead role of Mark Sway, a young boy who witnesses the suicide of a mob-connected lawyer. Renfro’s well-received performance led to roles in other major motion pictures, including Tom and Huck, The Cure, Sleepers, and Apt Pupil. Unfortunately, Renfro’s promising acting career was soon derailed by his increasing drug use.

After having already been cited for drug possession in the late ‘90s, Renfro earned further notoriety when he was arrested in 2000 for attempting to steal a yacht, as reported by the Spartanburg Herald-Journal. In 2002, he was ordered into a three-month rehab program following an arrest for public intoxication. In 2005, Renfro was arrested for attempting to purchase heroin from an undercover police officer in Los Angeles. On January 15, 2008, the 25-year-old Renfro was found dead of a heroin overdose by his friends.


8. Dana Plato (1964-1999)

Like Gary Coleman, Dana Plato found fame as a child actor on the 1980s sitcom Diff’rent Strokes. From 1978 to 1986, Plato played the role of Kimberly Drummond, the teenage daughter of a wealthy white widower who adopts two African-American brothers. Plato struggled with drug usage at an early age and was known to be abusing alcohol and Valium when she was only 14 years old, according to People magazine. In 1984, Plato was dismissed from the show after becoming pregnant, although she made several appearances in the final 1985-1986 season.

Despite the fame she achieved as a star on Diff’rent Strokes, Plato found it difficult to find quality work after leaving the show. In the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, she starred in several forgettable B-movies and posed for Playboy magazine. Around the same time, Plato was beset by several personal tragedies when her husband divorced her, her mother passed away, and an accountant stole most of her money. She also lost custody of her son due to her ongoing drug and alcohol problems. In 1991, Plato hit rock bottom when she was arrested for a comically inept video store robbery that earned her five years of probation and a stint in a rehab program.

Unfortunately, Plato was never able to fully kick her drug habit. On May 8, 1999, the 34-year-old Plato was found dead of a drug overdose by her fiancé in their Winnebago motor home. According to People magazine, a medical examiner ruled her death a suicide.


9. Bobby Driscoll (1937-1968)


Although he may not be a familiar face to many people today, Bobby Driscoll was once a major child star.  As a young boy, Driscoll starred in several early Disney live-action films such as Song of the South, So Dear to My Heart, and Treasure Island. Driscoll also turned in a critically acclaimed dramatic performance as a witness to a murder in the 1949 film noir The Window, which earned him a juvenile Academy Award. However, Driscoll’s most famous role is one that never saw him appear onscreen. Driscoll was the voice actor and reference model for the titular character in Disney’s 1953 animated classic Peter Pan.

Unfortunately, Driscoll found it difficult to shed the child star image even after Disney terminated his contract when he got older. After a difficult stint at a public high school, Driscoll began abusing drugs and was eventually jailed in 1961. Unable to find work in the mainstream movie industry after his release, Driscoll headed to New York, where he appeared in Piero Heliczer’s experimental film Dirt and briefly joined Andy Warhol’s art community known as the Factory.

On March 30, 1968, two children discovered Driscoll’s body in an abandoned tenement building in New York. After no came forward to claim the body, the city buried him as a “John Doe” in an unmarked grave. Driscoll’s fate wasn’t discovered until over a year after his death, when his mother made inquiries about his location and postmortem fingerprints were used to identify him. Driscoll was 31 years old when he died.

10. Rob Knox (1989-2008)

Rob Knox was a young English actor who appeared to be on the cusp of a promising career after securing the role of Marcus Belby in the movie Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Although his portrayal of Belby in the sixth Harry Potter film is his most famous role, Knox had previous acting experience through appearances on multiple British TV shows, as well as a small part in the 2004 film King Arthur.

On May 24, 2008, Knox was stabbed five times in the chest outside a bar in London as he was trying to defend his brother from an attacker, reported the BBC. Knox was only 18 years old when he died. His attacker — Karl Bishop — was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole for 20 years in 2009.

Stars Who Died Too Young

Celebrity is fleeting and there are times when our favorite actors, musicians, and other shining stars are extinguished too soon in the height of their careers. Here are some of the famous faces who died all too young.

1. Paul Walker
The sudden death of this charismatic Fast & Furious actor shocked the world. After leaving a charity event in California, Walker got a lift from race car driving friend, Roger Rodas. Both were killed in the fiery crash – for Paul, at just 40 years old while his career was taking off.

2. Cory Monteith
This popular character on the FOX TV show Glee was often in a battle with addiction and depression; an abrupt end to his career at the age of 31.

3. Heath Ledger
It is often said that only the good die young. This rising star passed away at age 28 from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs. Heath died just before the hugely successful movie, The Dark Knight, was released to theaters. In his starring role as the Joker, Heath won a posthumous Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

4. Brittany Murphy
Brittany enjoyed fame as the Clueless star. She had a brilliant career ahead of her when she died at a young age from complications of anemia and pneumonia.

5. Jim Morrison
Fans adored and worshipped this popular rock idol and “Doors” singer. It is believed that he died at age 27 from a heart attack, which may have been brought on by a possible drug overdose.

6. Kurt Cobain
Kurt Cobain and Nirvana made music history as one of the greatest music groups ever. Although his death at age 27 is listed as a suicide, many people have wondered if foul play was involved.

7. John Ritter
John Ritter, who starred opposite Suzanne Somers in his role as Jack Tripper on ‘Three’s Company,’ was taken from us at the age of 54. An aortic dissection was the cause of his sudden death.

8. Whitney Houston
She was one of the greatest singers of all time. In her later years, Whitney struggled with addiction and died at age 48; she drowned in a hotel bathtub from an apparent drug overdose.

9. Bruce Lee
He was taken from us too soon. Bruce Lee’s fame as a martial artist was matched only by his amazing worldwide popularity as a movie star. When he suddenly died at age 32 from a brain swelling, the entire world mourned his death.

10. Brandon Lee
He followed in his father’s footsteps in too many ways. Like his dad, Bruce Lee, Brandon was a rising film star and martial artist. A freak accident while filming the The Crow took his life at age 28.

11. Natasha Richardson
Natasha Richardson was a brilliant British film and Broadway stage actor and the beloved spouse of Liam Neeson. A skiing accident cut her life short at age 45.

12. River Phoenix
This popular rising film star died of heart failure at the young age of 23, while he was outside a West Hollywood nightclub, The Viper Room. It is believed an overdose of drugs and alcohol led to his death.

13. Natalie Wood
It was reported that this beautiful star drowned in a tragic boating accident at age 43. Officially, the cause of her death is listed as “drowning and other undetermined factors.” Recently, however, new information has come to light that has led some people to believe that her death may have involved foul play.

14. Aaliyah 
This brilliant R&B singer and rising film star had her life and career cut short at age 22 in a tragic plane crash. Fans around the world mourned her sudden death.

15. Lisa ‘Left-Eye’ Lopes
As a former member of the female R&B group, TLC, Lopes was very popular with fans. She was only 30 years old when her life was taken from us in a tragic car crash.

16. Jim Henson
He was the creator of The Muppets and beloved by millions of children and their parents around the world. Henson’s brilliant career and life was cut short at age 53. His death was caused by toxic shock from a powerful streptococcal infection.

17. John Belushi
John Belushi was a comic genius, who became famous on NBC’s successful Saturday Night Live show. His fame and popularity grew even more after he starred in films like the Blues Brothers and Animal House. Belushi’s tragic death at age 33 was the result of a drug overdose.

18. Princess Diana
Diana, Princess of Wales, was married to Prince Charles, the heir apparent and oldest son of Queen August 31,1997, Diana was fatally injured in a car crash when her limo driver tried to lose the paparazzi that were tailing her car. She was 36 at the time. Her sons are Prince William and Prince Harry.

19. Marvin Gaye
This world-famous Motown singer was fatally shot by his father on April 1, 1984. While his parents were in a heated argument, Marvin tried to intervene on his mother’s behalf. Ironically, the gun that killed him was the same gun Marvin had given to his father to protect their home from intruders. He died at age 44.

20. Amy Winehouse
This amazing singer was truly destined for super stardom until she tragically died of alcohol poisoning at the young age of 27 years. Winehouse had battled with addiction for years. The world of music lost a great talent.

21. Selena Quintanilla Perez
She was one of the hottest and most talented Mexican-American music stars with millions of fans around the world. Sadly, Selena was fatally shot on March 31, 1995, a mere two weeks before she turned 24. The shooter was her fan club President, Yolanda Saldívar.

22. John Lennon
Along with Paul, George and Ringo, John Lennon made music history with the Beatles. Tragically, while still only 40 years old, he was fatally shot on December 8, 1980 by Mark David Chapman. Imagine all the songs he could have written if he were still alive today.

23. James Dean
Actor James Dean was your classic Hollywood “bad boy.” During his brief film career, which lasted only 5 years, before a car accident took his life at a mere 24 years of age, Dean managed to star in such blockbuster films as East of Eden, Rebel Without a Cause, and Giant.

24. Jonathan Brandis
This talented young actor seemed destined for Hollywood stardom, yet fate threw him a curve and his career didn’t take off as many had expected. This may have lead to his depression and eventual suicide at age 27.

25. Corey Haim
Corey Haim was a rising young star when his career was abruptly cut short by a deadly bout with pneumonia at age 38. Many people believed an addiction to painkillers may have played a role in his death as well.

26. Tupac Shakur Tupac was already a famous rapper when he was fatally shot in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas on September 7, 1996. Six days later he was dead at age 25. To this day, his name and his legend carry on.

27. Christopher ‘Biggie’ Wallace
Known as Biggie, the Bad Boy Records rapper was also shot and killed in a drive-by shooting on March 9, 1997. He was just 24 years old when he died.

28. Michael Clarke Duncan
Most audiences will remember Michael Clarke Duncan for his Oscar-nominated role as John Coffey in The Green Mile. Starring opposite Tom Hanks, Duncan held his own with a performance that any actor could be proud of. He died of a heart attack on July 2012 at 54 years of age.

29. Philip Seymour Hoffman
This Academy Award winner was a brilliant actor. He was destined for greatness. Sadly, he died of a drug overdose at 46 years of age.

30. James Gandolfini
The Sopranos TV show made Gandolfini famous. His acting was dead on! This Emmy winner’s career was on a path to greatness when he died at 51 of a sudden heart attack while on vacation with his family in Italy.

31. Michael Jackson
His music career will never be matched. Michael Jackson was one of this century’s greatest entertainers. Tragically, Jackson was only 50 when he died from complications with prescribed drugs. A controversy continues to surround his death.

32. Marilyn Monroe
She redefined the classic blonde bombshell. There will never be another actress like her. And like so many other stars, Marilyn died of a drug overdose. She was only 36 when she died in 1962.

33. Chris Farley
Like John Belushi before him, comedian Chris Farley got his start on Saturday Night Live with his hugely popular SNL characters and as Tommy Callahan in the film Tommy Boy. Like so many other stars, he died of a drug overdose. He was only 33.

34. Matthew Garber
Known for his role as Michael Banks in “Mary Poppins,” Garber passed away at the age of 21 in 1977 from Hemorrhagic necrotizing pancreatitis, caused from contracting hepatitis in India the previous year.

35. Carl “Alfalfa” Switzer
The curse of the original Little Rascals cast runs deep, and the precocious Alfalfa was no stranger to untimely death. At 31, following an argument of $50, he was shot and killed.