Celebrity Deaths Fit for Hollywood: Eerie Real-Life Endings in Tinseltown

While some celebrities died in obscure or horrific ways, others predicted their death with uncanny clarity. We’ve compiled a list of celebrity deaths that shocked us, that left us compelled, and were perhaps fit for a Hollywood film.

While real firearms are frequently used in production, they are meant to be loaded with blanks to give the appearance of gunfire. Director Joel Souza was also shot but survived the incident.

Wood’s death is shrouded in mystery, as the three had been drinking and arguing before her demise. Wood, who couldn’t swim, was said to have taken a rubber dinghy alone by herself sometime after midnight. The coroner thinks Wood died soon after entering the water.

Tate was stabbed 16 times. Her blood was used to write the word “Pig” on the wall of her home by the assailants. A month after the murders, members of the Manson Family were arrested on unrelated charges that led to solving Tate’s murder.

Rodas was driving at more than 100mph at the time of the crash, apparently losing control before striking a sidewalk, a tree, and finally a lamp post. Both died from traumatic injuries, while Walker also suffered burn injuries.

Rivera used her strength to get her son back on the boat before slipping underwater and drowning. She was not wearing a life jacket. Josey was found asleep on the raft, drifting alone hours later.

On September 30^th, 1955, Dean crashed head on with another vehicle, breaking his neck and taking his life. His passenger, Rolf Wuethrich, survived the crash.

Monteith was found dead in his room in Vancouver at 31 years old by a hotel staff member after he failed to check out after a seven day stay. Monteith died of an overdose, the coroner stated, with a lethal dose of both heroin and alcohol in his system.

Salling’s death came while he was facing serious legal trouble—he had plead guilty to possession of child pornography only three months before. Salling was facing up to 7 years in jail if convicted and a disgraced reputation.

Cobain had a heroin-fueled marriage with wife Courtney Love, which led many to speculate she had something to do with his death, though this has never been confirmed. Cobain joined the ever-growing list of celebrities who meet death at age 27. Many of his songs alluded to his mortality and unhappiness with himself and the world.

Marion “Suge” Knight who was also shot and survived the attack, stated a year later in an interview with ABC Primetime Live, that he didn’t know who shot Shakur but he wouldn’t tell even if he did.

Peg climbed 50 feet up the “H” of the Hollywood sign and jumped to her death, destitute that she would never amount to anything in Tinseltown. She is known infamously as the “Hollywood Sign Girl.” The one film she appeared in; Thirteen Women was released only after her death.

Bryant was traveling with eight other people to his daughter’s basketball game when a fire broke out aboard the chopper. The helicopter went down quickly, slamming onto the ground and killing everyone on board. Many speculated the fog of that day decreased the pilot’s ability to safely land.

His death was ruled a homicide and his personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, was thrust into the spotlight. Murray had apparently given the singer Propofol on several occasions, apparently leading to Jackson’s death.

The iconic vocalist had apparently suffered a drug overdose and may have fallen into the tub. She was discovered face down in extremely hot water and had minor face abrasions all indicating a possible fall, as she was not bathing at the time. Her coroner’s report stated that accidental drowning, heart disease, and cocaine were all contributing factors.

Doctors put Brown in a medically induced coma, but she died in hospice at the age of 22. The autopsy showed a mix of morphine, cocaine, prescription drugs, and alcohol in her system.

Omdahl had issues with anger and jealousy, as well as a substance abuse problem. Omdahl used the couple’s .38 Smith to shoot her sleeping husband several times in the head and chest. She took her own life in the bedroom beside her dead husband as the cops banged on the door.

Pilco was attempting to rob Shelly’s apartment when she entered. Pilco struck the actress and killed her. The construction worker then went on to stage her suicide.

Allegedly, Morrison predicted his death years prior, that he too would join the “27 Club,” behind Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin. He was correct. His girlfriend Pamela died three years after his death of a heroin overdose at the age of 27.

However, many conspiracies speculate that Monroe was killed due to her affair with then-president John F. Kennedy. Eunice Murray, Monroe’s housekeeper, announced two decades after her death that she had seen Robert Kennedy at the Monroe residence on the night of her death.

Todd’s throat showed signs of trauma, as though a hose or pipe had been forced into her mouth. In the weeks leading up to her death, she received threatening notes demanding $10,000 or to be killed. There is still great mystery around how Thelma Todd died and why.

Phoenix was escorted out by a bouncer. Once outside he dropped to the ground in convulsions and died quickly thereafter.

Winehouse struggled publicly with alcohol and drug abuse that resulted in many arrests and hospitalizations. Before her death, Winehouse was regarded for her signature beehive hairdo and soulful and jazzy singing voice that was at once timeless and fresh.

However, retired LAPD officer Greg Kading alleged that Marion “Suge” Knight, the head of Death Row Records, was responsible, coordinating the murder in revenge for the shooting death of Tupac Shakur the year prior.

It is believed the stingray may have believed Irwin’s shadow to be a predator, and thus attacked him. The stingray’s barb went through Irwin’s heart. He died shortly thereafter, with the famed animal-lover’s last words being: “I’m dying.”

Aaliyah was found 20 feet from the demolished plane, still strapped to her chair, her body badly burned. All other passengers aboard the plane perished in the crash.

Diana was conscious after the initial crash and sustained no visible injuries; however, Diana’s heart had been displaced to the right side of her body. She was 36 at the time of her death. There are many conspiracies surrounding her death, involving the Royal Family, though no evidence has been verified.

As he predicted, Welsh was found dead in his Chicago hotel room in October 2011 from a suspected heroin overdose that led to a heart attack. He was 40 years old.

Marley had predicted that he would die at the age of 36 earlier on in his career. When asked why he thought this, he replied that it was because it was the same age as Jesus Christ when he died. Ultimately, Bob Marley was correct. He refused treatment due to religious purposes and passed away at 36.

Misty disappeared on October 5^th, 2014. When her body was found, the medical examiner concluded she had died on the day of her disappearance from blunt force injuries to her head and torso. After her death, Upham’s father went public with rape allegations against the Harvey Weinstein team, citing one of the disgraced mogul’s teammates as Upham’s alleged rapist. Her death remains unsolved.

Chapman claimed he had murdered Lennon for “the glory.” Chapman shot Lennon four times in the back. Three of the bullets passed completely through his body, while the fourth lodged itself near his heart.

Richardson was on the beginners’ slopes in Quebec, Canada when she fell and hit her head, which was not protected by a helmet. After the fall, she got up in good spirits and continued, until two days later when she became disoriented and suffered a headache. She became brain-dead and was taken off life-support by her husband.

He had been on location filming Parts Unknown and missed breakfast and dinner with his colleague, who became worried and went to check on him. Eric Ripert discovered Bourdain hanging in his room. It was not immediately clear if drugs or alcohol were involved in Bourdain’s state of mind at the time of his death.

It is alleged that the actor died from auto-erotic asphyxiation, a practice of cutting off air supply to heighten sexual pleasure.

Conspiracies surrounding Lee’s death began to circulate, including that he was targeted by Chinese gangsters or that the actor was as victim to a family curse. The idea of a curse resurfaced when Lee’s son was killed on an accidental shooting on set of the movie The Crow in 1993.

Her corpse was mutilated, and she was bisected at the waist. She became known as “Black Dahlia” due to the film Blue Dahlia out at the time. She was 22 at the time of her horrific death. Her murder has never been solved.

While waiting, Buckley decided to go for a swim in the Mississippi River. A boat went by the musician, sweeping him up in its wake. His body was only discovered six days later. His toxicology report indicated there were no drugs or alcohol in his system ruling out any belief that he died by suicide.

Bardo used a private investigator to obtain Schaeffer’s address where he knocked and shot her once in the heart. Schaeffer’s death created a domino-effect of anti-stalking laws in every state. The L.A. police force created the nation’s first specialized team to handle stalking investigations.

An embittered Patrizia made it her life’s mission to take out her ex-husband. Patrizia and her friend Pina Auriemma paid $375,000 for the assassination. She was sentenced to 26 years on appeal. A movie, House of Gucci was made, chronicling the murder.

His ex-wife had to make the decision to end his life support, which in turn fueled conspiracy theories. People claimed she had pushed him herself, but police ruled out this theory and listed his cause of death as accidental.

Yolanda Saldivar was Selena’s manager and ran the Selena fan club until it was discovered that she was embezzling money. Saldivar was confronted by the Quintanilla family which led to her murdering Selena. She shot the singer in the back with a .38 revolver. Selena suffered from cardiac arrest and hypovolemic shock. She was 23 when she died.