Actors are among the most protected parts of film sets. Their deliveries bring the characters to life, and the resulting dynamics resonate with audiences worldwide. That appeal can carry a movie or TV series for years. The people onscreen become practically synonymous with the franchise and the joy it provides. That phenomenon makes it awkward when tragedy strikes.

In some cases, actors die while their series are ongoing. Rather than recast, the filmmakers kill the characters. This tactic can often stem from respect, or at least the perception of respect. The actors may define their roles to such an extent that their spark becomes impossible to match. Thus, rather than taint a beloved dynamic, the creators let the characters rest in peace with the performers. This strategy can affect the storytelling, but its success hinges on the skill of the writers. Because of that, an actor’s death can propel a franchise into uncharted waters.

Related: 10 Actors Who Turned Down Movie Roles and Regretted It

10 Marcus Brody

A university dean and all-around scholar, Marcus Brody is a close friend and mentor of Indiana Jones. Not only did he sanction many of the hero’s treasure-hunting journeys, but he even accompanied his buddy on several escapades. Of course, he then became a clumsy fish out of water but, regardless, remained an endearing sidekick, thanks in part to Denholm Elliot’s warmly aristocratic performance. The series would eventually outlive him, though.

By the time Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was released twenty-seven years after the original film, Elliot had long since passed away. The story explains that Marcus died between films, and his absence cemented Indy’s feelings of age and obsolescence. On the upside, the university sported a statue in Brody’s honor… which got beheaded in a chase scene. Talk about a mixed blessing.^[1]

9 Paul Hennessy

At first glance, 8 Simple Rules looked like your average family sitcom. Paul Hennessy was a typical father who struggled to raise his teenage children, but that goal became difficult in an increasingly chaotic household. John Ritter was an inspired choice for such a role. Not only was he convincing as a put-upon family man, but his relatable responses provided a funny contrast to the outrageous scenarios without devolving into shallow one-liners. The laughs came to an abrupt end, though, when Ritter unexpectedly died. The show reflected that sudden passing in its storytelling.

Early in the second season, the family received news that Paul collapsed in a grocery store. This loss left his wife to care for their children. Such unfortunate circumstances forced the characters to mature. In addition, new faces came in to fill the void. This new dynamic carried the series for another season. However, Ritter’s absence ultimately dampened the humor for the rest of its run. A comedy from a father’s perspective didn’t really work without the father.^[2]

8 Black Panther

One of the many superheroes introduced in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, T’Challa was the king of Wakanda and holder of the legendary Black Panther mantle. Members of his royal line have enhanced strength and agility due to their nation’s deity. T’Challa learned to use those gifts for the good of his people, putting others before himself and aiding the Avengers in their world-saving exploits. Though the formula was painfully familiar, Chadwick Boseman elevated the material with straight-faced passion. Tragically, the actor’s bright future halted due to his untimely death. Fans wondered how the franchise would continue without him.

They got their answer with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Here, T’Challa died of a disease, casting uncertainty on his kingdom. That shaky ground only grew worse with a Vibranium arms race bringing increased threats to Wakanda. It’s ultimately up to the hero’s sister, Shuri, to take up his mantle and protect their home. Sadly, she lacked confidence due to her failure to find a cure for her brother. That setup made the film both a rite of passage for her and a feature-length funeral for Boseman.^[3]

7 Spock

Who knew an impersonal alien could arouse such emotion? The most iconic character in Star Trek was Spock. The Vulcan operated on logic rather than emotion, and he used that gift to serve the USS Enterprise as the chief science officer. That expertise was invaluable in both the original TV series and the movies. During that time, he became a household name thanks to Leonard Nimoy’s quiet charisma. That understated humanity carried him all the way to the 2009 reboot films, which reset the universe and traveled back to the days of the original series. His presence wouldn’t last, though.

Nimoy’s passing informed the reboot’s third entry, Star Trek Beyond. Here, the elderly Spock served as an ambassador in the new timeline before finally dying of old age. His younger self already doubted his place in Starfleet, and his mentor’s death only compounded that feeling. Fortunately, Spock Prime’s final gift—a photograph of the original crew—strengthened the kid’s resolve to remain on the team. The Vulcan died as he lived, aiding his friends and ensuring they were the best of themselves.^[4]

6 Leia Organa

One of the storied heroes of Star Wars, Princess Leia Organa was a pivotal figure in the original trilogy. She aided the Rebel Alliance against the oppressive Galactic Empire, coordinating the most dangerous missions and giving the troops a path to victory. Carrie Fisher was infectiously feisty in portraying Leia, but she couldn’t sustain that energy forever.

After buying the IP, Disney commissioned a new trilogy with the old actors returning in supporting roles. The problem was that Fisher died shortly after shooting the trilogy’s middle entry, Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Rather than explain her death offscreen, the filmmakers used existing footage to splice Leia into the following flick, The Rise of Skywalker. However, this approach only got them so far, so Leia still died halfway through the tale. Specifically, she used the last of her energy to reach her son via the Force. Considering how marginalized she had become, this death was just the nail in the coffin of squandered potential.^[5]

5 Mr. Miyagi

The Karate Kid was a prototypical sports flick and underdog tale. Much of its success stemmed from its iconic mentor figure, Mr. Miyagi. The karate master trained young Daniel LaRusso in the art of combat. Moreover, he imbued the boy with the peaceful outlook garnered from a lifetime of hardship. You believed every word out of his mouth due to Pat Morita’s gravitas, but his popularity didn’t keep the franchise from fizzling out. Morita’s eventual death seemed to cement that end.

Against all odds, though, the Karate Kid returned with Cobra Kai, a TV series centered on Daniel’s rival, Johnny Lawrence. Both characters struggled with carrying on their predecessors’ legacy. That’s difficult for LaRusso due to Miyagi’s passing, but his teachings lived on. Not only did Daniel pass his karate knowledge to the next generation, but his master’s advice helped him grow closer to his family and make peace with his enemies. That’s the best way to honor the old veteran.^[6]

4 John Hammond

There would be no Jurassic Park without John Hammond. The CEO of a massive bioengineering company, he and his scientists found the breakthrough that brought dinosaurs back to life. It wasn’t long before these animals ran rampant, though, leaving Hammond in disgrace at his shattered dream. Richard Attenborough lent heartbreaking pathos to that downfall, letting you forgive the character’s hubris through his childlike innocence. Of course, he was still a young soul in an old body.

As such, both the actor and the character had passed by the time Jurassic World rolled around. New CEO Simon Masrani has resurrected and rebranded the dinosaur theme park, asserting that it was Hammond’s dying wish to continue his legacy. In addition, a holographic sculpture of the revolutionary founder decorated the park’s entrance. Whatever Hammond’s true intentions were, the films still remembered their roots—both the man who started it all and the actor who brought him to life.^[7]

3 Cy Tolliver

Deadwood was full of dregs and cutthroats, but one of the meanest mugs was the owner of a high-end saloon. Cyrus “Cy” Tolliver runs the Bella Union with equal parts cruelty and efficiency. He treated everyone under him with utter disdain, as the only way to get by was to look out for yourself. The only exception was Joannie Stubbs, a prostitute whom he genuinely cared for in the pinnacles of his black heart. Ably capturing that dichotomy was Powers Boothe, but his turn was cut short upon the show’s cancellation.

The town’s tale continued in Deadwood: The Movie, but Boothe died during the intervening years. The movie mirrored that passing by having Cy die during a ten-year time jump. Joannie took over his establishment, which feels natural due to their relationship and her search for purpose. It’s one of the many ways the movie wrapped up the show.^[8]

2 Polly Gray

Polly Gray was an essential member of the eponymous Peaky Blinders. She kept the family together and helped the business run smoothly. Even though her nieces and nephews made the decisions, they always deferred to her unfiltered judgment. Helen McCrory expertly mixed maternal love and underlying danger in playing Polly, but she sadly died just as season six began shooting.

As a result, her death becomes a driving force in the story. The season opened with her and several other characters being assassinated by members of the Irish Republican Army. Their deaths sent Tommy Shelby (and the show) down an ever-darker path as he led the Peaky Blinders. Thankfully, he and the rest of the family caught up with the people responsible, giving viewers some small satisfaction.^[9]

1 Egon Spengler

It’s hard to imagine Ghostbusters without Egon Spengler. The deranged genius helped form the paranormal exterminators in the original film, and he designed most of their specialized equipment. He took an amusing interest in the building blocks of both the living and the dead, particularly the less glamorous aspects like slimes and molds. This figure could have easily devolved into a cartoonish stereotype, but Harold Ramis made him oddly palatable through his hilariously dry delivery. His death would have naturally signaled the end of the old team. However, the spectral subject matter offered a convenient workaround.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife shifted the focus to Egon’s estranged daughter and grandchildren. Inheriting a rundown farm he spontaneously bought, they learned that everyone dismissed him as a loon. However, messages from beyond the grave revealed the depths of his determination. He was right about everything; buying the farm was his way of heading off the next ghostly invasion at its source. As they finish his work, both the old and new casts resolve their relationships with the late hero. Art imitated life in a satisfying sendoff.^[10]

When people with the notoriety and fortunes of celebrities and beloved icons die, it is expected that they have their ducks in a row and have a will to distribute their property and assets. However, this is not the case for many celebrities.

Whether they were young like Heath Ledger (and maybe felt as though he would handle it later in life) or older like Aretha Franklin (who recently died without a will), it has proven to be quite the affair for those left to sort out the details after the celebrity’s passing. When the dust settles, interesting and outright bizarre things may happen regarding the famous person’s legacy.

10 Kurt Cobain And The Muppets

When you are young, it is not usually at the forefront of the brain to create a will to protect your family, your assets, and your name after you die. Kurt Cobain was one of many young celebrities who died without a will and issues arose.

Courtney Love (Cobain’s widow) claimed “rape”—yes, that was the term she used—of Cobain’s legacy when the Muppets used the Nirvana song “Smells Like Teen Spirit” in their 2012 film, which catered to an audience of mostly children.

Love claimed that she did not give permission for the use of the song. However, it was not needed as Primary Wave Music, which had bought half of Love’s shares when she sold them years earlier, did grant permission, as did the remaining members of Nirvana. One member even appeared in the movie.^[1]

9 Bob Marley And The RICO Conspiracy

As Bob Marley was a Rastafarian, creating a will would have affirmed a belief in death which was contrary to the faith. When Marley died at age 36, his estate was distributed to his wife, mother, and 11 children according to Jamaican law.

Since his wife, Rita, was granted such a small portion, her attorneys recommended that she forge and predate documents transferring mass amounts of his estate to her that appeared to happen prior to his death.

She was exposed by one of Marley’s former managers. The attorney and accountant involved—along with Rita—were found guilty in court, and Rita was removed as an estate administrator.^[2]

8 Marvin Gaye And ‘Blurred Lines’

After Marvin Gaye’s death, the California Probate Code granted songwriting rights to be equally distributed among his children. The estate of Marvin Gaye took Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke to task when it was claimed that their song “Blurred Lines” sounded like Gaye’s “Got to Give it Up.”

The estate won the lawsuit of $7.4 million for copyright infringement and 50 percent of all royalties from the song. This set in motion a new awareness for artists who use other works for inspiration and the importance of granting credit when it’s due.

This is not the only lawsuit against another artist that Gaye’s legacy has brought on. In 2018, Structured Asset Sales, a company which owns one-third of the copyright to Gaye’s hit, “Let’s Get It On,” filed suit against Ed Sheeran for $100 million for allegedly using the same music in his song “Thinking out Loud.”^[3]

7 Jimi Hendrix And Marijuana

Jimi Hendrix is a name often associated with the 1960s, and he is arguably the greatest guitarist known to man. Fitting with the times, Hendrix participated in his share of drug and alcohol consumption. Since the guitarist’s death without a will, his siblings have been feuding.

Most recently, his brother, Leon, has established companies to sell Jimi Hendrix–branded marijuana. While Hendrix did partake in related activities, he was also a musical part of a cultural movement that stood against commercialism. His sister, Janie, who was named executor of the estate, has barred this attempt and several more by Leon to allegedly exploit Jimi’s name by branding liquor, speakers, and paraphernalia.^[4]

6 Howard Hughes And The Handwritten Will

Falling on the bizarre spectrum of the scale, Melvin Dummar claimed that Howard Hughes handwrote a will that was delivered to Dummar after Hughes’s death. It stated that Dummar was entitled to one-sixteenth of the fortune of Hughes, who was once believed to be the richest man in the world.

Dummar claimed that this gift was for helping an unkempt old man on the side of a rural Nevada road in 1967. The man had said he was Howard Hughes, but Dummar hadn’t believed it at the time.

Initially, the court denied Dummar’s claim. He went back to court in 2006 with new evidence to corroborate his story and to argue that the executors of Hughes’s estate prevented him from getting a fair hearing. Ultimately, Dummar never received any of the inheritance.^[5]

5 Sonny Bono And His ‘Love Child’

Many have probably heard about this one. Sonny Bono had no will upon his death. While his family was trying to claim the estate, a man named Sean Machu came forward and announced that he was Bono’s love child.

Although Bono had admitted in his autobiography to an affair with Machu’s mother and his name was on the birth certificate, the court ordered that a blood sample containing Bono’s DNA be retrieved from the coroner for testing. Machu withdrew the lawsuit when DNA tests were ordered.^[6]

4 Princess Diana And The Godchildren

Princess Diana had a will, but it was improperly executed. She had a will made during her marriage to Prince Charles and modified it after her divorce. However, she also had a separate “Letter of Wishes” that was not considered part of the will upon her death.

The “letter” allotted a generous amount of money to her godchildren. Twenty-five percent of her estate was to be divided among 17 godchildren. The estate’s executors—Di’s mother and sister—obtained a “variation order” from the court to change what the godchildren received.

Instead of splitting the 25 percent, each godchild received one of Di’s possessions (of the executors’ choosing). These gifts were not given until Prince Harry, Di’s youngest son, turned 30.^[7]

3 Prince And The Cybersquatter

Prince’s estate has had its time with lawsuits over the past few years. A recent one is against Domain Capital. The company buys domains from owners and leases them back so that the owner can use the domain anonymously while maintaining privacy.

The company claimed to own Prince.com, allegedly to get a cut from the wealth of the estate. However, Prince’s estate asserts that the company has never used that domain name and that this isn’t the first time that Domain Capital has cybersquatted. Prince’s estate is honoring the celebrity’s persistence in protecting his intellectual property as he did during his life.^[8]

2 James Brown And The Missing Heirs

James Brown also had a will that was not updated and failed to include his most recent marriage and child. This has led to over 10 years of legal battles over his estate.

There was a dispute as to whether Tommie Rae Brown was a true widow of James Brown as she was still wedded to someone else when she married him. There was also an inconclusive DNA test of Daryl Brown, James Brown’s son and right-hand man. This led to further disputes and ultimately drained the estate of any remaining money.^[9]

1 Steve McNair And The Apartment

At age 36, NFL quarterback Steve McNair was shot and killed by his mistress. He didn’t have a will. As a result, the estate entered what’s known as probate. Probate is public, and creditors come forward to make claims for their cut of the estate before it gets distributed.

One of McNair’s creditors was an apartment building owner who claimed that there was unpaid rent. The person who lived in that apartment was a young woman, though not the same woman who had killed McNair. This brought to light that the married McNair had multiple girlfriends. If he had died with a will, this would have been dealt with more privately.^[10]

I work at a law firm and enjoy learning new interesting things.

Nowadays, we have a decent understanding of mental health and many who need help can find it in psychiatric hospitals.

That was not always the case, though. In the past, people with mental issues were sent to lunatic asylums; not to get treatment, but to keep them out of the way of the general population. Many historical figures finished their days in such an institution, long forgotten by the world around them.

10. The Savior of Mothers

Nowadays, Hungarian doctor Ignaz Semmelweis is remembered as the “savior of mothers” for his efforts to get maternity doctors to wash their hands to limit the spread of childbed fever. And the reward for his work was getting locked up in an asylum where he was abused and beaten by the guards, dying a short while later from an untreated gangrenous wound.

Semmelweis began his medical career in 1846 as an obstetrical assistant at the Vienna General Hospital. The institution had two maternity wards for underprivileged women, and Semmelweis noticed that the one where he worked had a much higher maternal mortality rate caused by childbed fever – almost five times higher, in fact. 

What was the source of this huge discrepancy? Semmelweis eliminated each possible motive one by one until he concluded. His ward was staffed by doctors, the other by midwives. What did they do differently? The midwives washed their hands, that’s what. Semmelweis told his students to start washing their hands before working with patients and he saw the mortality rate plummet. He then published his findings, hoping to start a medical revolution.

The medical world, however, was not ready to listen because Semmelweis’s ideas went against established opinion. Instead, he was ridiculed and criticized by his colleagues and spent the next two decades screaming into the void uselessly. Semmelweis became a pariah. He took to drinking and openly bashing his critics with vitriol and desperation. 

Eventually, Semmelweis had a mental breakdown and was committed to an asylum in 1865. He died of sepsis just a few weeks later and his passing was barely acknowledged by the medical community.

9. The Woman Who Joined the Army

Hannah Snell was an 18th-century British woman who became rather notorious for disguising herself as a man and joining the military. 

Snell’s unusual career path started in 1745 when she decided to assume the identity of her brother-in-law, James Gray, and head out into the world alone to find her husband who had left her a few years earlier. After discovering that he was dead, she enlisted in the army as James Gray. She kept her secret for a while but deserted after spotting an old neighbor and fearing that he might recognize her. Instead of going home, though, Hannah simply traded the army for the Royal Marines, thus likely becoming the first woman to join this fighting arm of the British military. 

She served for several years, sailing first to Lisbon and then to India where she took a bullet to the groin in battle and enlisted the help of a local woman to remove the bullet to maintain her secret identity. Snell finished her tour of duty in 1750 and returned home to her sister. According to legend, she revealed her deception in a pub full of soldiers. Hannah later sold her story to a London publisher and even received a lifetime pension for her service. She lived a long life, but her mental condition deteriorated towards the end, and she was committed to the infamous Bedlam asylum where she died in 1792.

8. The Northamptonshire Peasant Poet

Described as England’s finest rural poet, John Clare had an unrivaled knack for writing poetry that vividly depicted the natural beauty of the English countryside. 

Born in 1793 in the East Midlands, Clare’s working-class credentials were unimpeachable – he was the son of a farm laborer, who had to work the fields himself from a young age to help support his family. He published his first book, Poems Descriptive of Rural Live and Scenery in 1820, but despite his writing receiving lots of praise, he struggled financially all his life and had to keep working manual labor jobs to make ends meet.

This took a toll on Clare, both physically and mentally, and in 1836 his doctor recommended he stay at High Beech asylum in Essex to recuperate. He spent five years there before simply walking out one day and making the 80-mile journey home on foot. However, his respite was brief, and five months later, he was back inside, this time at the Northampton Lunatic Asylum where Clare lived out the last 23 years of his life. He described the place as “the purgatorial hell and French bastille of English liberty, where harmless people are trapped and tortured until they die.”

7. The Man Who Drew Cats

From an English poet, we move on to an English painter – specifically, Louis Wain, a 19th-century London outsider artist who became best known for his pictures of cats. It’s a shame he didn’t live in the Internet age, he would be the most famous artist in the world. Instead, he ended up penniless in a pauper’s asylum.

Unfortunately, his career had a tragic start. Married at 23, Wain’s wife was soon diagnosed with terminal breast cancer. To cheer her up, Wain would draw caricatures of their family cat, Peter. These were meant to be private, but an editor for the Illustrated London News saw them and liked them and commissioned Wain to draw more for his newspaper. Before you knew it, all of London knew Wain as “the man who drew cats.”

Compared to other entries, Louis Wain ended up in an asylum at an advanced age. He was always a bit on the eccentric side, but in his later years, his eccentricity turned to abuse and violence towards his sisters who lived with him. Therefore, in 1924, the 64-year-old Wain was committed to Springfield Hospital in Tooting. He was later moved to nicer accommodations in Bethlem Hospital following a public campaign backed by the Prime Minister at the time, Ramsay MacDonald, and he was allowed to quietly work on his art for the rest of his life. 

6. The Murderous Mathematician

In the mathematical world, André Bloch is remembered for his work in complex analysis, and for having a theorem and a constant named after him. However, his achievements sit under a dark cloud, as Bloch did all his work inside a mental asylum, where he spent most of his adult life after killing three people.

Born in 1893 in Besançon, France, André and his brother Georges were drafted into the army during World War I and both were injured during service. Georges, after losing an eye, was released from service. André, meanwhile, although he was allowed to return home to recuperate, was expected back. This never happened, though, because while on leave, André Bloch murdered his brother, his aunt, and his uncle. 

Afterward, Bloch was committed to the Charenton asylum in the suburbs of Paris, where he spent the next 31 years of his life. The motive behind his crimes remains unclear, but Bloch described it to his psychiatrist as a simple matter of eugenics. He said that mental illness ran in his family on his mother’s side, so he wanted to wipe out that entire branch and only lamented that he didn’t get to finish the job. When his doctor told him that this was a terrifying approach to life, Bloch simply responded:

“You are using emotional language. Above all there is mathematics and its laws.”

5. The Minister of Murder

Born in England in 1880, Thomas Ley moved to Australia in 1886 where he later served as the Minister of Justice for New South Wales and then a Member of Parliament. His career, however, was fraught with controversies and accusations, the most serious of which was the fact that several of his opponents and detractors ended up dead under mysterious circumstances. 

Eventually, the dark clouds surrounding Ley cost him his political career, so he moved back to England with his mistress, Maggie Brook, where he continued his dubious shenanigans. These included some shady real estate deals, promoting a bogus sweepstakes, and acting as a black market dealer during World War II. 

Thomas Ley reached the end of the line in 1947 when he was accused, charged, and convicted in a sensational crime dubbed by the British press as the “Chalkpit murder.” He arranged the death of a man named John McBain Mudie whom he believed was having an affair with Brook. He was due to hang but had his sentence commuted to life in prison at the Broadmoor Asylum for the Criminally Insane. Ultimately, it didn’t matter, since Ley had a cerebral hemorrhage and died soon after being imprisoned.

4. The Mad Archer

Despite what the title might suggest, this story is not about a deranged hunter, but rather a man named Archer – specifically, a 19th-century Scottish actor named Richard Archer Prince. Born near Dundee in 1858, Prince began working in theater from an early age and around 1875 moved to London to make it big.

He didn’t. He mostly had bit parts and always struggled financially, sometimes having to rely on a charity known as the Actor’s Benevolent Fund for assistance. He began drinking heavily and exhibiting odd behavior, which earned him the moniker of “the Mad Archer” from his fellow thespians.

At the exact opposite end of the spectrum sat William Terriss. He was one of the most popular actors of his day. He knew Prince and occasionally tried to find him work, but this did not stop the latter from resenting him due to his success. Eventually, Prince was denied assistance from the Actor’s Benevolent Fund and he, somehow, got it into his head that this was Terriss’s doing. He got his revenge one night by waiting for Terriss outside the Adelphi Theater and stabbing him to death when he arrived.

Prince showed no remorse for his crime. He was obviously found guilty, but judged insane and was sent to Broadmoor. He spent the next 40 years of his life there and became involved with the local entertainment, finally finding a captive audience.

3. America’s First Supermodel

That is just one of the monikers of New York beauty Audrey Munson. She was also dubbed the “American Venus,” “Miss Manhattan,” and many others. She was the model for the Walking Liberty Half Dollar and statues of her still stand proudly at American landmarks such as the Manhattan Bridge, the Pulitzer Fountain, and the Sleepy Hollow cemetery. And yet, she died forgotten in an insane asylum and was buried in an unmarked grave. 

Her troubles began in 1919. The man who owned the boarding house Audrey lived in with her mother, a doctor named Walter Wilkins, had become dangerously obsessed with her to the point that he murdered his wife so the two of them could be together. Although Audrey had no role in the killing, the scandal torpedoed her career and, unable to find any more work, she moved to Syracuse with her mother. Despite her fame, she never earned that much as a model, and what she did earn she spent, so the pair was broke and Audrey’s mother had to sell kitchen utensils door-to-door to make ends meet.

This drastic lifestyle change caused Munson to attempt suicide in 1922. In the years that followed, she became more unstable, so on her 40th birthday, her mother had her committed to the St. Lawrence State Hospital for the Insane. She was briefly moved to a nursing home, but Audrey kept running away from there, so she was moved back to the mental institution. She died in 1996, at the age of 104.

2. The Marquis de Sade

Donatien Alphonse François de Sade might be the most notorious French author in history, although everyone knows him better under the name of the Marquis de Sade. His novels outraged 18th-century France due to their depictions of sex, violence, blasphemy, and sadism, a word which, you guessed it, is named after him. 

It seems that the Marquis enjoyed at least some of the topics he wrote about in his own life, which led to his arrest and imprisonment on multiple occasions. Usually, he was let off with a fine or his family used its influence to secure his release following a brief stay in custody. 

This worked until it didn’t. Specifically, until the French Revolution which ended the monarchy and brought Napoleon to power. He absolutely loathed de Sade’s work, calling it “abominable” and the writings of “a depraved imagination.” Napoleon had the Marquis arrested again in 1801 and, this time, there was no reprieve. De Sade was diagnosed with “libertine dementia” and committed to an insane asylum for the last 11 years of his life. He spent that time writing and putting on plays. At least, until 1809 when he was sent to solitary confinement, had all pens and paper confiscated, and was denied any more visitors. 

1. The Great Composer

As one of the greatest German composers of the Romantic era, Robert Schumann needs no introduction. Born in 1810 in the Kingdom of Saxony, Schuman began studying music at age seven and, not long after, was working on his own compositions. Despite dying at the age of 46, Schumann composed almost 150 works. 

He might have been even more prolific if he hadn’t struggled with mental illness throughout his life. In 1854, his delusions became strong enough that he feared he might harm his family. After attempting suicide by jumping off the Rhine Bridge, Schumann requested that he be committed to an insane asylum where he spent another two years before his death.

What exactly was the cause of his psychosis has been hotly debated ever since and there is still no concrete answer. His doctor at the asylum claimed Schumann’s condition was brought on by overwork and exhaustion. Others believe that the composer suffered from schizophrenia or manic-depressive disorder, and even studied his works to see if any symptoms were reflected in his music. It’s possible it ran in the family, since Robert’s mother had bouts of depression, his father once suffered a nervous breakdown, and his sister committed suicide. 

Even the Nazis tried their hand at diagnosing Schumann, although they quickly concluded that he suffered from vascular dementia – a physiological condition. After all, to them, Robert Schumann was a hero of German music, and they couldn’t promote anyone with psychiatric problems like that.

As the old saying goes, “Nothing is certain but death and taxes.” Most of us hope to live long, healthy, and happy lives before succumbing to the inevitable. In a perfect world, there would be no illnesses or accidents. We’d just close our eyes one night and simply not wake up.

Unfortunately, it is not a perfect world—far from it actually. Terrible illnesses and accidents do occur every day. Below is small example of some horribly unconventional ways that real people have died.

10 Death By Dog Food

Sometimes, our love of and obsession with animals can come back to bite us in the rear. In the end, these two ladies would have been far better off just saying no to pet ownership.

Melany Paula Campos’s sister came home one day and immediately knew that something was amiss. The neighbors met her upon her return to complain that her dogs had been barking wildly for hours and just wouldn’t shut up.

After investigating to see what was wrong, she found her sister buried beneath four large bags of dog food. Apparently, when her sister was attempting to feed the 40 dogs that they had taken in, the bags fell on her and she suffocated under their weight.

In another sad tale of dog feeding gone wrong, Carol Williams tried to feed her pet dog after having too many cocktails. While leaning down to fill Fido’s bowl, she apparently was overcome from her intoxication and fell face-first into the dog’s bowl.

As if smothering in dog food wasn’t bad enough, the edge of the bowl dug into her neck and she eventually passed away. Once she was discovered, she was found to be three times over the legal limit.^[1]

9 Death By Pecking

In another disturbing story of people “done wrong” by their own animals, a farmer by the name of Frans Jaumotte was found dead on his farm. Police were anxious to discover the reason behind his apparent mutilation and death.

During their investigation, they found that there was no chicken feed anywhere on the farm. His 200 chickens apparently didn’t take this very well.

Since the will to live is great in all living beings, they did what they had to do to survive. They descended upon Jaumotte and pecked out his eyes and heart. All in the name of survival. It was him or them, and he was vastly outnumbered.^[2]

8 Death By Boiling

David Allen Kirwan and his friend Ronald Ratliff set out to enjoy a beautiful day of nature in Yellowstone National Park. After parking their vehicle to take a quick look at one of the springs, Ratliff’s dog decided to join them and escaped from the car.

Inexplicably, in his excitement, the pooch proceeded to dive into the spring that they were viewing. The water temperature would later be determined to be 94 degrees Celsius (202 °F).

The poor dog quickly began to yelp as the pain set in. Ignoring the pleas of other visitors to stay out of the hot spring, Kirwan acted without thought and dove in headfirst to save the dog. He was able to grab the dog and tried his best to save him. But ultimately, Kirwan had to release the animal and try to pull himself out of the spring.

His friend Ratliff pulled him from the spring while sustaining second-degree burns on the bottom of his feet by doing so. Another visitor helped Kirwan to the sidewalk.

He reportedly said, “That was stupid. How bad am I?” Then he added, “That was a stupid thing I did.”

He was so badly burned all over his body that he was blinded and most of his skin was coming off. Another well-meaning visitor tried to comfort him by removing his shoes but had to stop when his skin was coming off with it. Rangers reported that they found two large pieces of skin by the spring in the shape of hands.

Kirwan was rushed to a clinic and attended to by a burn specialist. Although Kirwan was conscious and seemingly in no pain, he eventually succumbed to his injuries. The burns were just too severe. Ironically, there were pamphlets in their vehicle warning about the dangers of the park. They had not read them.

The dog was never able to be rescued and died in the spring.^[3]

7 Death By Consumption

Humans arrogantly claim to be at the top of the food chain, but sometimes, nature has a way of correcting that assumption for us.

In 1984, a young woman named Brigitta Claudia Fredenhagen would learn that the hard way. Despite being warned about bears and the dangers of hiking and camping alone in Yellowstone National Park, she still chose to set out on her adventure. When she failed to meet her brother at the designated time and day, he reported her missing to the local rangers.

Upon finding her campsite, they made some grisly discoveries. The tent was ripped, and they found pieces of hair, scalp, muscle, bone, and tissue. As the search continued, they found a piece of her lip, more tissue, and bloody clothing. Upon locating her body, they discovered that quite a lot of her body had been consumed by a bear.

They theorized that the bear had ripped the tent and pulled her out either by the side of her neck or the top of her head while she was sleeping. There didn’t appear to be a struggle, so they believe that she died quickly.

Eerily, she had written in a journal at her campsite that she had taken “all precautions” to be safe.^[4]

6 Death By Radio Contest

Determined to win a contest for her kids, Jennifer Strange participated in “Hold Your Wee for a Wii” at a local radio station. While it should have been a funny and lighthearted event, it inexplicably ended in disaster.

The goal was to see who could drink the most water without going to the bathroom. The victor would take home a Wii game system. Sounds simple enough, right?

After the contest, Jennifer called her office in tears to let them know that she wouldn’t be back to work and was going home with a horrible headache. Hours later, her mother discovered Jennifer dead at her home.

The coroner found that her death was likely caused by “water intoxication” or hyponatremia that is defined by the body’s sodium level falling below normal, causing the brain to swell and push against the skull. As you can imagine, this would be brutally painful and cause nausea, vomiting, and weakness. In more severe cases, it results in seizures, coma, and even death.^[5]

5 Death By Flying Lawnmower

Probably one of the last things you would expect to happen at a New York Jets football game would be having a flying lawnmower crash into your head. Unfortunately for John Bowen, this oddity became a reality in 1979.

During the game’s halftime show, model plane enthusiasts were putting on a show for the crowd. It was said to have included aerial dogfights featuring planes made in “novel” shapes. This particular model plane was called the “Flying Lawnmower.” It was described as 0.61 meters (2 ft) long and made mostly from metal.

Tragically, the plane crashed into the stands, striking John Bowen and Kevin Rourke in their heads. Bowen underwent surgery on a terrible gash and later died from his injuries. Rourke suffered a concussion, but fortunately, he recovered.

Ironically, the halftime show was being put on by the Electronic Eagles of the Radio Controlled Association of Greater New York to promote the safety of the sport.^[6]

4 Death By Baseball

Generally speaking, you would think that baseball is less of a “contact sport” and less violent than a lot of other sports. But that is not entirely true.

There have been a large number of fatalities connected to the game over the years—whether it is a player being beaned in the head by a ball or getting hit in the chest over the heart. Some fans have also been injured or killed by falling from the stands.

In one sad story, the Goldblooms, an elderly couple who regularly attended Dodgers games, went to the stadium to simultaneously celebrate her 79th birthday and the couple’s 59th wedding anniversary. As they were enjoying the game from the stands, a ball flew just above the protective netting and tragically hit Linda Goldbloom in the head.

Ushers immediately raced to her side to see if she was okay. When she indicated that she was not, she was placed in an ambulance, where she began to vomit, and rushed to the hospital.

After undergoing emergency surgery, she was placed on a ventilator. Mrs. Goldbloom remained unresponsive for three days before she died from her injuries. She was buried about 16 kilometers (10 mi) from the stadium and team that she had loved so much.^[7]

3 Death By Toilet

Convicted murderer Michael Anderson Godwin unwittingly saved taxpayers a great deal of money at a Columbia, South Carolina, correctional facility in 1989.

After having his death sentence overturned on appeal, he settled into his new reality as a “lifer.” As he was only 28 at the time, he would more than likely have been there for many years to come.

One fateful day, he attempted to repair a set of earphones that was connected to his television. He bit down on one of the earphone’s wires while sitting on the steel toilet in his prison cell. This turned out to be a deadly combination.

The same prisoner who initially escaped the electric chair unintentionally carried out his own death sentence by electrocution. How ironic.^[8]

2 Death By Explosion

It is usually not a good idea to cross a rival motorcycle gang. Depending upon the severity of the issue, it is likely that retaliation will soon come your way. Two gang members were on their way to do just that when their carelessness cost them their lives.

Apparently, the homemade bomb that they were going to use to kill the rival gang member was stored in the car’s center console. Nobody knows exactly what happened, but the bomb exploded in transit and they were both killed.

The blast was so strong that it ripped open the roof and blew out the front doors of the car. The driver’s body was blown into the gutter of an elderly woman’s house, and debris was scattered over a 35-meter (115 ft) radius. Somehow, the other member was found slumped over and still strapped into his seat inside the vehicle.^[9]

1 Death By Wood Chipper

One of the most horrifying and gruesome ways to die has to be by falling into a wood chipper while fully conscious and aware of what is about to happen to you.

There have been numerous reports of this happening. Some individuals were severely injured, and some were killed. In one instance, a landscaper somehow fell into the teeth of the wood chipper that he had been using at work that day. It was reported that his entire body was pulled through, leaving a gory scene.

Rescue workers had to “delicately clean the scene” to reclaim all of the victim’s remains. As you can imagine, bearing witness to something like this would tend to stay with you forever.^[10]

It’s not uncommon to hear someone passionnante about a cause or goal say they would give their life for it. But for some people put their money where their mouth is by making their death a part of the plan. The following are ten examples of people who achieved their goals with their own demise.

SEE ALSO: 10 Horribly Unconventional Ways That People Have Died

10 Charles Vance Millar

A wise man once said that some men just want to watch the world burn. Charles Vance Millar may not have been a villain, but he was certainly a joker. The Canadian lawyer loved to play practical jokes, especially ones that played on the greed of his victims. Given how dedicated he was to his own amusement, it should come as no surprise that he would use his death to pull off a few last pranks.

Millar died of a stroke on October 31, 1926. During the reading of his will, a number of strange requests were made. For instance, he left a vacation home in Jamaica to three men who hated each other, and granting shares in a horse racing club to two anti horse racing advocates. But the most well known tenet of his will is undoubtedly the Great Stork Derby.

In his will, Millar stipulated that a portion of his estate would be given to whichever woman in Toronto had the most babies in the decade following his death. Ten years and a supreme court case later, four women were each awarded $110,000.^[1]

9 Codrus

Most examples of this particular phenomenon aren’t as amusing as the above example; but some are still pretty noble.

Codrus was the last King of Athens, ruling from 1089- 1068 BC. During the last year of his reign, the Dorians launched an invasion of the south of Greece. Before doing so they had consulted with the Oracle of Delphi, who prophesied that their campaign would succeed so long as no harm came to the king. At this point it’s important to remember that in those times, prophecy was taken very seriously.

Having learned of this prophecy and wishing to spare his citizens from a war, Codrus hatched a plan. Dressed as a peasant, he made his way to the Dorian camp and instigated a fight with a group of soldiers, during which the King was slain. Once they realized what had happened, the Dorians called off the invasion, fearing their prophesied defeat.

In light of his bravery, it was decided that there was no one worthy to succeed Codrus as King, and the monarchy was abolished.^[2]

8 Giles Corey

The Salem Witch Trials are remembered today as one of the greatest cases of mass hysteria in history, and with good reason. Between February 1692 and May 1693, more than 200 people were accused of witchcraft. Nineteen of those accused were found guilty and executed, including one Giles Corey.

In March of 1692, Corey’s wife was arrested and accused of witchcraft. While he initially testified against his spouse, he later tried to recant his testimony. He was arrested in April of that year, at which point the authorities attempted to try him. Giles refused to plead, and under the law at the time, a person who did not plead could not be tried. In an attempt to get him to plead, the sheriff tortured Corey by pressing.

While some historians disagree, it is widely believed that Corey feared his property would be illegally seized if he pleaded. During the torture, he would only say, “More weight.” After several days of torture, Giles Corey finally died.

Though he had protected his estate, the Sheriff would later attempt to extort money from his surviving family.^[3]

7 R. Budd Dwyer

Sadly, it is not uncommon for individuals to choose death as a way to see their families financially taken care of.

Robert Budd Dwyer was the State Treasurer of Pennsylvania from 1981 to 1987. He was charged with accepting bribes in return for awarding a government contract to a California firm. In December of 1986, he was found guilty, and was scheduled to be sentenced in January the following year. Dwyer protested his innocence to his dying day, which would sadly come very soon.

On January 22, 1987, Dywer held a press conference; during which he professed his innocence one last time. Upon completing his statement, he pulled a revolver from a manila envelope, and proceeded to shoot himself in the head on live television.

Had Dwyer been sentenced before his suicide, state law would have prohibited the payout of his survivor benefits to his wife. Multiple sources close to Dwyer have gone on record as saying that the motivation for his suicide was to enusre his family would receive his full benefits.^[4]

6 Thomas G. Doty

Hopefully this article isn’t making its premise seem like something to be emulated. But just in case, the following two examples are presented as a reminder that this tactic is just as likely to fail as succeed.

Like Dwyer, Thomas Doty also desired to use his death to financially provide for his family. However, unlike Dwyer, he caused far more deaths than simply his own. On May 22, 1962, Doty boarded Continental Airlines Flight 11. The flight, originating from Chicago would never arrive at its Kansas City destination. During the flight, he went into the plane’s bathroom, and detonated six sticks of dynamite he had smuggled onboard. The resulting crash would kill all 45 souls aboard.

Prior to boarding the flight, Doty had purchased $300,000 in life insurance. However, when his death was ruled a suicide, the policies were voided, and his widow was only awarded a three dollar refund.^[5]

5 Charles Joeseph Gliniewicz

Charles Joeseph “Joe” Gliniewicz was a police lieutenant in Fox Lake, Illinois. On September 1, 2015, he radioed that he was pursuing three armed suspects. He would later be found dead, and a manhunt was launched to find the suspects.

It wasn’t long after his funeral that allegations surfaced that Gliniewicz’s death was a suicide. An investigation would reveal that he had been embezzling from a youth mentorship program for several years. Upon realizing that an upcoming audit would expose his him, he did the only sensible thing. He tried to have the person conducting the audit killed.

When that didn’t pan out, he orchestrated his elaborate suicide attempt in the hopes of covering up the crime.^[6]

4 Lasantha Wickrematunge

Being a journalist in Sri Lanka can be a dangerous profession, and no one knew this better than Lasantha Wickrematunge. He had faced threats and harassment practically from the beginning of his career. During one memorable incident, he and his wife were pulled from their car and beaten with clubs. Things got so bad that his wife took their three children to live in Australia for their own safety. Shortly before his death he stated, “When finally I am killed, it will be the government that kills me.”

On January 8, 2009, Wickrematunge was gunned down on his way to work. But he had anticipated his assassination, and had penned a final editorial to be published posthumously. In it, he accused the Government of using assassination as its “Primary Tool,” for controlling journalists.

Whether this will lead to any change in Sri Lanka remains to be seen. However, his death has prompted the international community to take a harder look at press freedom.^[7]

3 Dave Duerson

Dave Duerson had enjoyed a long football career dating back to his college years. In the course of his eleven seasons with the NFL, he played for the Chicago Bears, New York Giants, and Phoenix Cardinals. He had been selected for the Pro Bowl four consecutive times. But all this was not without cost; as by his families reckoning he suffered at least ten concussions throughout his career.

Duerson was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest on February 17, 2011. In a note he requested that his brain be sent to the Boston University School of Medicine to be used in research into chronic traumatic encephalopathy. It was later stated by Dr. Ann Mckee that it was, “Indisputable,” that he had suffered from the disease.

Duerson’s death brought renewed public attention to the long term damage that football can have on its players.^[8]

2 Mishima Yukio

If there were two things Mishima Yukio was passionate about, they were writing, and hardcore nationalism. A misdiagnosis of tuberculosis that prevented him from serving during World War Two did nothing to stop his longing for Imperial Japan after the country’s defeat. He denounced Emperor Hirohito for renouncing his claim of divinity. In his eyes, this made the sacrifice of the millions of Japanese who died during the war meaningless. He founded the Tatenokai, or Shield Society; a private militia dedicated to restoring the power of the Emperor.

On November 25, 1970, Mishima and four other members of the Tatenokai seized an office at the Tokyo headquarters of the Eastern Command of the Japanese Self Defense Force. From a balcony, the author gave a ten minute speech during which he urged an assembly of soldiers to rise up in a coup. When his plea was met with mocking and derision, he retreated back into the office, and committed seppuku with the help of his followers.

It is widely believed that Mishima never expected his Coup to succeed, and that it was simply a pretext for his suicide. He had planned his death months in advance, and even arranged for money to be left for the legal defense of his followers.^[9]

1 Alexander Hamilton

Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr had a long history or enmity leading up to their fateful duel. The federalist first came to dislike Burr when he defeated his father-in-law for a seat in the U.S. Senate. He would use his influence to thwart Burr’s political aspirations on several more occasions, further deepening the grudge between the two. The relationship would worsen until one day Burr challenged Hamilton to a duel.

The two combatants met on the morning of July 11, 1804. Hamilton shot first, but missed. Burr then took his shot, and hit his opponent, inflicting a fatal wound. It is speculated that Hamilton intentionally missed his shot with the hope of ruining Burr. If this was his aim, then he achieved it, as the duel effectively ended the man’s political career.^[10]

About The Author: Dan Cayce is a writer who occasionally has interesting thoughts. You can read some of them here @WriteAtRandom.

Most of us have heard that the comedian Tommy Cooper collapsed and died during a performance on stage. Most of us know about Brandon Lee and the tragic accident that saw him shot to death while filming The Crow. However, the fact is that multiple people have died during or as a result of a performance. And they stretch back over the centuries.

From people who have simply had heart attacks to being mauled by lions and even being shot by crazed fans as they performed blissfully unaware of such danger, all are morbidly intriguing. And all are a reminder that the curtain call of life could happen at any moment.

Related: 10 Sporting Events That Ended in Tragic Deaths of Athletes

10 “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott

Without a doubt, one of the most horrific deaths to occur during a performance was that of heavy metal guitarist “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott. Less than two minutes into a show with the band Damageplan in Columbus, Ohio, on December 8, 2004, Abbott was fatally shot in the head by a crazed “fan,” Nathan Gale.

Gale had entered the building through a side door and went straight to the stage, where he fired directly at the guitarist. In the mayhem that followed, a member of the road crew, an employee of the club, and a fan in the audience were also killed by Gale.

A police officer was soon at the scene and ultimately shot Gale dead when he raised his weapon to the head of a hostage he had taken on the stage. It would come to light that Gale had a history of mental problems. He had even written that the band had “stolen his songs.”^[1]

9 Colonel Bruce Hampton

Although his death was not as bloodthirsty as the one above, the death of Colonel Bruce Hampton was equally as harrowing for those in the audience who witnessed it. The show in question was a 70th birthday celebration for Hampton himself at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta on the evening of April 30, 2017.

Perhaps what made the situation even worse is that when Hampton “toppled over” while playing the song “Turn on Your Lovelight,” the rest of the musicians on stage continued to play. They would later reveal that they believed it was a stunt for the audience’s amusement. Many even laughed. However, when Hampton stopped moving and didn’t get up to continue to play, they realized something had gone tragically wrong. It would come to light that a massive heart attack had struck the veteran musician.

One person in attendance, photographer Michael Weintrob, would later state that “at first everyone thought he was messing around. But he was dying while everyone else was playing.”^[2]

8 Jon Erik-Hexum

The death of actor Jon Erik-Hexum is perhaps particularly distressing as not only was it a tragic accident, but it also ultimately arose out of boredom on set. The actor—only 26 years old—was shooting a scene for a CBS show, Cover Up, in 1984. As part of the scene, he had a .44 Magnum loaded with one blank bullet.

Due to delays with the filming, Hexum quickly grew bored and began spinning the chamber around in the gun—as if playing Russian roulette. Although he spun the chamber, the only blank bullet was not ready to fire. Unbeknown to Hexum, though, a “wad of paper” was. When he placed the gun to his head and pulled the trigger, the paper smashed through his skull. This, in turn, sent a coin-sized piece of bone fragment directly into his brain. He was ultimately kept alive on life-support but was officially declared “brain dead” less than a week later.^[3]

7 Joe E. Ross

Joe E. Ross is perhaps best known for his role in Car 54, Where Are You?—a popular TV show in the early 1960s. However, it would be while performing a low-key show at a clubhouse in the apartment building where he lived in the Van Nuys suburb of Los Angeles that he would collapse and suffer a fatal heart attack during the performance in August 1982. By the time the 67-year-old had been removed from the stage and taken to hospital for treatment, he was pronounced dead.

Although he had remained active on television throughout the years, he had become a regular on the club scene in the years before his death. Despite his age, he was thought to be in relatively good health, which only served to make his death that much more shocking for his family and friends, many of whom were in attendance.^[4]

6 Karl Wallenda

As an acrobatic tightrope walker, Karl Wallenda’s death was not only filmed by a local news film crew in San Juan, Puerto Rico, but was also witnessed by 200 people at the scene. During an attempt to walk a tightrope over 120 feet (60 meters) from the ground between two of the towers of the Condado Plaza Hotel in 1978, the 73-year-old lost his balance and tumbled to his death. He would hit a parked taxi on his way to the ground, which is thought to have been the fatal blow. In reality, though, he would likely have met the same fate if he had landed squarely on the ground.

It is thought that the wires were incorrectly secured. This, combined with particularly high winds on the afternoon of the stunt attempt, caused the veteran acrobat to lose his balance. Although the footage filmed did not circulate widely among the world’s media, it was shown on several media outlets and is particularly disturbing to watch.^[5]

5 Leonard Warren

What perhaps made the sudden death of opera star Leonard Warren all the more grim is the line he was singing in the moments before his death. While performing La Forza Del Destino—an Italian opera by Giuseppe Verdi—in March 1960, Warren sang the line “… to die, a momentous thing.” He was then supposed to continue with the rest of the performance along with the other cast members.

Some cast members would claim that the opera star began to say, “Help me, help me!” before he collapsed on the stage of the sold-out performance. Others, however, state that he remained silent aside from a gasping sound as he tried to catch his breath.

Cast members quickly went to administer aid when they realized something was wrong. Warren, however, was already dead. It was eventually revealed he had suffered a fatal heart attack. Incidentally, he had been cast in performances for several years, something which caused numerous problems for those who had to recast for their respective shows.^[6]

4 Gilbert Genesta

All magicians and illusionists accept the risk of death during their performances. However, when considering the sheer number of such shows over the years, this is a rare occurrence. However, in November 1930, American escape artist Gilbert Genesta attempted to perform an escape from a water-filled barrel. And it would go tragically wrong. He had witnessed the great Houdini perform the stunt and wished to do so himself.

By the time he was performing the stunt in Frankfort, Kentucky, he had already successfully escaped on numerous occasions. However, unbeknown to the performer, the barrel he was using on this night (a metal milk barrel that contained milk instead of water) had a small dent in it. This was more than enough to limit the escape artist’s movements, meaning he failed to escape in time.

When stage assistants realized something was wrong, they quickly rushed on stage and dropped the curtain in front of the audience. When they pulled Genesta out, he was unconscious but still barely alive. However, despite an initial successful revival, he died a short time later. Perhaps ironically, his death only served to make such escape tricks more popular with both audiences and performers.^[7]

3 Thomas Macarte

Rightly or wrongly, there might be many people who have little sympathy regarding the death of Thomas Macarte. In January 1872, he was doing what he did best: lion taming. On this occasion, in Bolton in the United Kingdom, he was inside a cage with five large lions. There were approximately 500 people in attendance. All were horrified when not one but each of the lions in the cage suddenly turned on the veteran lion tamer and ultimately mauled him to death.

It is thought, according to Macarte’s wife, that one of the lions had bitten his hand several days previously. He had allegedly confessed to his wife that he was “afraid” of this lion despite his ample experience. It is also thought that before the show, he had consumed several alcoholic drinks in order to settle his nerves because of this. Whether this contributed to his death or whether the lions in question merely “snapped” after years of such treatment is open to debate.^[8]

2 Molière

Perhaps the earliest person who died while performing on our list goes back to the seventeenth century when Molière (Jean-Baptiste Poquelin), the French writer and actor, died while onstage in February 1673.

In fact, Molière actually collapsed twice on the night in question. He would insist after his coughing fits and breathlessness that he continue with the play. However, a short time later, he would collapse again, this time with severe bleeding. He was accompanied home, where he passed away shortly after. He was waiting to receive the last rites at the time of his death. However, while two priests had arrived at this home, a third hadn’t, prompting the first two priests to insist they must wait. By the time the late priest arrived, the Frenchman was dead.

Incidentally, Molière was wearing green at the time of his fatal performance. It is said that the belief that the color is bad luck for actors stems from his death.^[9]

1 “Mr. Cummins”

Although there is little known about the person himself or the aftermath, the 1817 death of an actor known only as “Mr. Cummins” at Leeds Theatre in Hunslet is still spoken of today. At least by actors in the United Kingdom theatre scene.

The play in question was named The Tragedy of Jane Shore. The plot of the play revolves around a husband (played by Cummins) who forgives his wife of a life of sin following her repentance. However, after he had shouted out his last line of the performance, the unfortunate actor simply fell to the stage and died. It is thought he died from heart failure.

Whether the heart attack was a sudden one or whether he had felt unwell before and during the performance is not known. However, Cummins, like actors since the beginning of the craft, was very much a believer in the “show must go on.”^[10]

For most performers, the idea that an actor must always keep going, is so deeply ingrained that it becomes a reflex response. For many professionals, the thought of stopping mid-performance, for any reason, seems unthinkable.

See Also: 10 Heartbreaking Backstories Of Famous Sideshow Freaks

While this may, ordinarily, be an admirable sentiment, it can cause performers to keep going when they know they are unwell, or prevent others from calling for help, if they think that a colleague is in difficulty. And while death is usually something that usually interrupts the normal activities of those who witness it, and rightly so, many performers will carry on regardless even if death occurs in front of them, not out of callous disregard, but because of the unbreakable doctrine of ‘the show must go on’

Here are 10 performers for whom the show went on too long.

10Edith Webster

In 1986, Edith Webster was performing in The Drunkard in a community theater in Maryland. She had played the role for 8 years, and had just finished singing her big number, ‘Please Don’t Talk About Me When I’m Gone’, when she collapsed on the stage.

As her character was supposed to die during the musical comedy, the 200 strong audience roared with laughter and burst into applause. Even when other cast members called for someone to phone emergency services, they still believed that what they were watching was part of the play.

Webster had previously suffered a heart attack while performing and had on that occasion carried on with the show, and perhaps she thought she could make it through again. Unfortunately, she didn’t, and when the emergency services arrived and the curtain was brought down, the audience finally began to realize that she was dead.^[1]

9 Tommy Cooper

Tommy Cooper was a comedian and magician who specialized in messing up his magic tricks. In 1984, he was at the pinnacle of his career and he headlined a variety show, which, on that night, was also being broadcast on live TV. The theater was packed.

As any magician might, Cooper began pulling objects from beneath his cloak (although his objects were being, very obviously, passed to him by the other acts waiting in the wings), when he suddenly fell to the floor, gasping for air.

The audience laughed uproariously, believing the comedian to be faking a heart attack as part of his act. Those in the wings, however, realized that something was wrong, and tried to pull him back through the curtain. While the TV broadcast went to an unscheduled break, the audience in the theater were left wondering what was going on.

They were probably a little reassured when the variety programme continued, though without its headline act.

While the other acts joked around on the stage, emergency services were working behind the curtain to try to save him. Despite their efforts, however, he could not be revived, and, during a second commercial break, he was taken from the stage and was officially pronounced dead on his arrival at the hospital.^[2]

8Owen Hart

In May 1999 thousands of people were packed into a stadium in St Louis, and millions more were watching on live TV, to watch Raw is War, the World Wrestling Federation’s massive pay-per-view extravaganza.

As Owen Hart was preparing to make his entrance onto the stage from a catwalk near the roof of the stadium, 78 feet above the ring, the quick release catch on his harness accidentally opened and he fell, hitting the ropes, before landing in the ring. While many audience members thought that it was part of the show, the announcer was forced to tell the cheering audience, that an accident had occurred.

They cut to a video while Hart was stretchered from the stage, but the show went on, with wrestlers having to fight on the blood-stained mat on which their friend had just lost his life. Official reports estimated that Owen Hart had died within minutes of hitting the ring, which severed his aorta and caused his lungs to fill with blood.

The show proceeded as planned, and the live audience, reassured, continued to cheer and yell and enjoy themselves through successive matches. They were only informed at the end of the night, after the last match, that Hart had, in fact, died within minutes of the fall.^[3]

7 Redd Foxx

Redd Foxx was a comedian and actor, best known for his portrayal of the grumpy junkyard owner in Sandford and Son. He was rehearsing a new show, The Royal Family, at Paramount Studios, when, in 1991, he suddenly collapsed.

Although there was no audience present at the rehearsal, cast and crew initially thought that Foxx, who had been clowning around on the set, was faking, and it was some time before they realized he was in trouble, and called paramedics for assistance.

Although Redd Foxx was still alive when he arrived at the hospital, he died a few hours later.

He had already recorded 7 episodes of The Royal Family, and, after taking a short break, the producers tried to carry on, introducing a new character to replace him. However, the show was not the same without him and was soon cancelled.^[4]

6Renato Di Paolo

Renato Di Paolo was probably pleased when he was given the part of Judas Iscariot in a traditional Passion Play. After all, Judas was an interesting, complex, character, who betrays Jesus with a kiss for 30 pieces of silver, before hanging himself in remorse when he realizes what he has done.

The play was being performed outdoors, in a small village near Rome, and the natural features of the village were used as part of the set. The play had already been performed several times without incident, but on Easter Saturday, when Di Paolo put the noose around his neck and stepped over the rock placed beneath it, the noose unexpectedly began to tighten, and he was hanged.

Unfortunately, as this was entirely in accordance with the script, no one noticed. The play continued for another 30 minutes before another actor realized Di Paolo wasn’t breathing. The audience, which included Di Paolo’s parents, began to scream, but the cameraman kept on rolling, and the entire production was broadcast, as planned, across Italy on Easter Sunday.

Incredibly, Renato Di Paolo is not the only actor to die playing Judas Iscariot. In 2012, Tiago Klimeck, died while playing the disgraced apostle, in Brazil. He, too, was hanged, after the safety harness he was wearing malfunctioned. Despite being placed in a medically induced coma for several weeks, the extent of Klimeck’s brain injuries were so great that, after two weeks, his life support was turned off.^[5]

5 Dick Shawn

Dick Shawn was an actor and stand-up comedian who was known for his manic and unpredictable physical comedy. He often pranked his audience, and would hide beneath what looked like a pile of brick as the audience filed into the theater, only to leap out, yelling, and frighten the life out of them. And during the interval he would often do it again.

On April 17, 1987, he addressed his audience as if they were the only survivors of a nuclear war. “We could re-create civilization, right here in this room, and I will be your leader,” he said. Then Shawn dropped down on one knee, in a dramatic fashion, before falling silently to the floor.

A stage hand came out several times, looked at Shawn, did nothing, and went away again, and the giggling audience thought that it was part of the act. It was 5 full minutes before a doctor in the audience dared to check that he was actually breathing.

He wasn’t.

Even after he was found to have no pulse, and the audience were asked to leave, many believed that they were being pranked and hung around waiting for Shawn to leap up from the scrum of people now delivering CPR on the stage.

Unfortunately, they were disappointed. Instead, he had died of a massive heart attack right in front of them.^[6]

4Gareth Jones

In 1958, a series called Armchair Theater was broadcast on live British TV. It consisted of a number of individual plays. Most of the plays were fairly forgettable, but the broadcast of 30th November 1958, entitled Underground, is unlikely to be forgotten by those who were there.

Gareth Jones was a moderately successful British actor, who had already appeared in several Armchair Theater productions, when he agreed to appear in Underground, the story of a group of people trapped in a subway after an explosion. His character was that of man with a weak heart, which, appears to have been somewhat prophetic.

The actors had had several rehearsals before the live broadcast, and another actor reported that Jones did not look well as transmission time approached, but that he appeared to be concentrating on his lines.

Part way through the show, Jones mentioned to a make-up girl, during a quick change, that he was feeling sick. He then collapsed into her makeup station, and, while the other actors were continuing with the play, his body was carried across the set to a waiting doctor.

The other actors, not knowing what had happened, ad-libbed around the lines that Gareth Jones was meant to deliver. During the interval for an ad-break, the director was informed that Jones was dead. He chose not to mention this to the cast, who went on with the performance, under the impression that Jones had merely been taken ill.

The cast ad-libbed like mad, and the camera shots that had previously laid down were abandoned and redone on the fly, while the writers tried to re-assign the rest of Jones’ lines and somehow pass it on to the actors on the stage.

The performance had been watched by Jones’ fiance at home, and she was puzzled at his sudden disappearance from the screen. She, like the cast, was only informed of his death after the play had ended.^[7]

3 César Cuauhtémoc González Barrón

César Cuauhtémoc González Barrón was a lucha libre wrestler (a kind of free style wrestling) who fought under the name Silver King. He was also known for playing the bad guy in the film Nacho Libre. In May 2019, Silver King was scheduled to fight, and win, a match against Youth Warrior (aka Juventud Guerrera), in London.

When Youth Warrior managed to knock Silver King to the floor, the referee was left in a quandary. Knowing that Silver King was meant to win the match, instead of counting him out, he spent 30 seconds urging him to get up, which he eventually did.

Youth Warrior, unaware that his opponent was in trouble, kicked him again. Silver King fell face forwards onto the mat and Youth Warrior spent some time trying to turn him over before finally pinning him and holding his leg, while the referee reluctantly, and very slowly, counted him out.

César Barrón was, at this point, completely unconscious, but it was several more minutes before medical attention was sought. Eventually, other wrestlers came out and started to deliver CPR while Barrón was still wearing his Silver King mask.

It was only then that the ring announcer dimmed the lights, and some minutes later told the audience that the show was cancelled and asked them to leave.
There were still no medical professionals in the ring. By the time an ambulance was arrived, César Barrón was pronounced dead at the scene. The cause of death was a suspected heart attack.^[8]

2 Alexander Woollcott

Alexander Woollcott was not an actor, but a drama critic of some renown in the years between the two World Wars. Some of his reviews were so vicious that he was banned by some Broadway theaters.

Not only did his reviews appear in print, but Woollcott also became something of a radio star, for his broadcast reviews and participation in discussion programmes. In 1943, he appeared on a radio panel show, The People’s Platform. The topic for discussion was Hitler, and the question of the night was, ‘Is Germany Incurable?’

The format of the programme was as a dinner party, with the guests seated around a dining table, with a microphone, rather than a plate, in front of them. Each panelist made an opening statement, and then contributed to the ongoing discussion.

Woollcott managed to make his opening statement, “The German people are just as responsible for Hitler as the people of Chicago are for the Chicago Tribune,” and he sounded his usual self, although some panelists later stated that he had seemed to be in physical distress. Ten minutes later, he made another contribution, saying “It’s a fallacy to think that Hitler was the cause of the world’s present woes,” and adding that he wasn’t feeling too good.

It was his last contribution to that, or any, discussion. He is reported to have written the words ‘I am sick’ on a napkin and shown it to the producer, and the discussion continued without him.

However, it was some time before he could be taken from the room, and the radio audience were left wondering why the opinionated Mr Woollcott was suddenly so very quiet.

He died of a cerebral hemorrhage a few hours later.^[9]

1Sid James

Sid James was a very popular British actor and comedian. He had starred in the successful series of Carry On comedy films, and had worked with Tony Hancock on Hancock’s Half Hour, before Hancock him fired for being too funny.

James had already had a severe heart attack in 1967, after which he tried to clean up his lifestyle. He ate better, lost weight, gave up smoking and cut down on his drinking. He did not give up his womanizing, for which he was famous, despite his, shall we say, lived-in appearance.

In 1976, he was touring in The Mating Season and was on stage when his co-star, Olga Lowe, said her line, and James didn’t respond. His head had slumped to one side, and his eyes rolled up into his head, but, because he was known as a prankster, Lowe did not suspect anything was wrong. She carried on the performance, ad-libbing for several minutes, before finally realizing that something was wrong, and calling for the curtain to be brought down.

The show’s producer stepped out onto the stage and asked if there was a doctor in the house, whereupon the audience began to laugh. Even the doctor who raised his hand and was led backstage, thought it was a gag.

Unfortunately, it was not.

Sid James had lapsed into a coma, and he died on his way to hospital.^[10]

About The Author: Ward Hazell is a freelance writer, travel writer and a PhD student of English Literature.

Inspired by some other lists on The List Universe involving deaths of famous people I thought it might be interesting to write a list of well known people that lost their lives by drowning. I tried to make the list as entertaining as possible with pictures, clips and interesting facts about the drowning. It’s amazing how much one learns when you write a list!

Just a reminder to all: With summer right around the corner please be careful in the water.

Profession: Actress
Date of Birth: 09/06/1942
Date of Drowning: 01/13/1985
Age at Death: 42

Anyone who is a Johnny Carson fan is familiar with Carol Wayne. She, of course, played the funny and sexy matinee lady in the tea time movie skits. She was also in many TV shows throughout her career.

This is one item where the more I learned about the circumstances surrounding her drowning; the more suspicious it seemed. Carol Wayne and her companion, Edward Durston, were vacationing in Mexico and apparently she had an argument with him. It was reported that she left to take a walk on the beach. Her body was found three days later by a local fisherman. After the discovery of Wayne’s body, authorities discovered that Durston had checked out of the resort the day the couple argued, leaving Wayne’s luggage at the airport. An autopsy performed in Mexico later revealed no signs of drugs or alcohol in Wayne’s body.

But wait, there’s more… Edward Durston was also the friend and only person with Diane Linkletter (daughter of Art Linkletter) when she jumped to her death on 10-4-1969 from the kitchen window of her high rise apartment.

Maybe this is one of those series of unfortunate events but it just sounds kind of fishy to me.

Profession: Football player, Kansas City Chiefs running back
Date of Birth: 10/03/1958
Date of Drowning: 06/29/1983
Age at Death: 24

Of all the drownings on this list this is certainly the most heroic. Delaney dived into a pond in Louisiana and tried to save three children who were screaming for help. The children were in a water hole left by recent construction work. Delaney did not know how to swim very well but dove in anyway. He managed to save one child while two of the other children and Delaney died by drowning. Delaney always had a history of helping others. Three thousand people attended his memorial service.

Profession: British media mogul
Date of Birth: 06/10/1923
Date of Drowning: 11/05/1991
Age at Death: 68

Maxwell is presumed to have fallen overboard from his luxury yacht while cruising off the Canary Islands. His body was found floating in the Atlantic Ocean. The official verdict was accidental drowning. It came to light in early 2006 that, before his death, Maxwell was being investigated for possible war crimes in Germany in 1945. This led to renewed speculation that his death was a suicide.

Maxwell’s death triggered a flood of revelations about his business dealings and activities. It was discovered that, without prior authorization, he had used hundreds of millions of pounds from his companies’ pension funds to finance his corporate debt and his lavish lifestyle. Thousands of Maxwell employees lost their pensions.

Profession: Actor
Date of Birth: 11/08/1924
Date of Drowning: 07/19/1974
Age at Death: 49

Anyone who watches “McHale’s Navy” will know who Joe Flynn is. He also appeared in a bunch of Disney films.

This is another drowning under odd circumstances. Shortly after completing voiceover work for the Disney animated feature, The Rescuers (1977) the 49-year-old Flynn was discovered by family members in the swimming pool of his Beverly Hills home. Apparently, he had gone into the pool with a cast on his broken leg. His body was found at the pool’s bottom, held down by the weight of the cast. Some celebrity friends including Merv Griffith expressed concern about the unusual circumstances surrounding Flynn’s death, though authorities found no evidence of foul play. Many believe Flynn suffered a heart attack while swimming.

Profession: Singer-Songwriter and Guitarist, Son of singer/songwriter Tim Buckley
Date of Birth: 11/17/1966
Date of Drowning: 5/29/1997
Age at Death: 30

On the day he was scheduled to reunite with his band members to resume work on an album, Buckley spontaneously decided to take a swim, fully-clothed, in the Mississippi river; he was caught in the wake of a passing boat and disappeared. Despite a determined rescue effort that night, Buckley remained missing. On June 4, his body was discovered. An album was released posthumously in 1998 under the title Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk; 2007 marked the 10th anniversary of Jeff Buckley’s death. His life and music were celebrated in May and June 2007. There were tributes in Australia, Belgium, Canada, United Kingdom, Iceland, Ireland, Macedonia, France and the USA.

Profession: Jazz Saxophonist, Son of legendary jazz musician Art Porter, Sr.,
Date of Birth: 08/03/1961
Date of Drowning: 11/23/1996
Age at Death: 35

Porter traveled to Thailand to appear at the Thailand International Jazz Festival. After the festival he went boating on the Kratha Taek reservoir. Tragically, the boat Porter was traveling on overturned, and Porter, along with several others, drowned. Porter was survived by his wife and two sons. In 1998, the album For Art’s Sake was posthumously released in his honor.
Porter’s charisma and great talent are evident in the clip above.

Profession: News correspondent and anchorwoman
Date of Birth: 02/01/1947
Date of Drowning:10/23/1983
Age at Death: 36

For those who are not from the States or are too young to remember, Jessica Savitch was a very skilled reporter and anchorwoman with a great future ahead of her. I remember hearing about her tragic death. What made it worse is the way she died.

Savitch had dinner with Martin Fischbein, vice-president of the New York Post, in New Hope, Pennsylvania. After the meal, they began to drive home (around 7:15 PM). Fischbein was behind the wheel and Savitch was in the back seat with her dog, Chewy. Apparently Fischbein missed posted warning signs in a heavy rainfall, and he drove out of the wrong exit from the restaurant and up the towpath of the Pennsylvania Canal on the side of the Delaware River. The car veered over the edge into the shallow water of the canal. The car landed upside down, and sank into deep mud that sealed the doors shut. Savitch and Fischbein were trapped inside as water poured in. When the car was discovered Fischbein’s body was still strapped behind the wheel, with Savitch and her dog in the rear. After the subsequent autopsies, the coroner ruled that both had died from asphyxiation (by drowning). He noted that Fischbein was apparently knocked unconscious in the wreck but Savitch had struggled to escape. There was no finding that drugs or alcohol had played any part in the crash.

Profession: Nazi Camp Doctor at Auschwitz
Date of Birth: 3/16/1911
Date of Drowning 02/07/1979
Age at Death: 67

If there were a list of people you would most like to drown, Mengele would be on it. He is on this list because he really did but most would say not soon enough. While swimming in the sea, Mengela accidentally drowned possibly from a stroke in Bertioga, Brazil, where he was in hiding and going by the name of “Wolfgang Gerhard.”

Profession: Businessman, Inventor, Writer
Date of Birth: 7/13/1864
Date of Drowning: 4/15/1912
Age at Death: 49

This is obviously the most famous of circumstances on this list surrounding a notable person drowning. John Jacob Astor IV was the wealthiest passenger on board the Titanic and came from one of the richest families in the United States.

After the accident Astor left his suite to investigate, he quickly returned and reported to his wife who was pregnant at the time that the ship had struck ice. He reassured her that the damage did not appear serious. Even as the boats were loaded Astor appeared unbothered; he ridiculed the idea of trading the solid decks of the Titanic for a small lifeboat. He changed his mind by 1:45AM when Second Officer Charles Lightoller arrived on A deck to finish loading Lifeboat 4. Astor helped his wife to climb onto the lifeboat and then asked if he might join her, as she was in ‘a delicate condition’. Lightoller told him that no men could enter until all the women & children had been loaded.

Astor’s body was recovered on Monday April 22 by the cable ship McKay-Bennett. Reports say his body was covered in soot and blood, thus it is assumed he was struck by the first funnel when it collapsed as the Titanic made its final plunge.

Below is the official list of items found on body number 124

CLOTHING – Blue serge suit; blue handkerchief with “A.V.”; belt with gold buckle; brown boots with red rubber soles; brown flannel shirt; “J.J.A.” on back of collar.
EFFECTS – Gold watch; cuff links, gold with diamond; diamond ring with three stones; £225 in English notes; $2440 in notes; £5 in gold; 7s. in silver; 5 ten franc pieces; gold pencil; pocketbook.

Profession: Musician one-time Rolling Stone
Date of Birth: 2/28/1942
Date of Drowning: 7/3/1969
Age at Death: 27

This is another drowning under suspicious circumstances. At around midnight, Jones was discovered motionless at the bottom of his swimming pool at his home in Hartfield, Sussex, England. His girlfriend, Anna Wohlin, said he was alive when they took him out of the pool, insisting he still had a pulse. However, when the doctors arrived, it was too late and he was pronounced dead. The coroner’s report noted his liver and heart were heavily enlarged by drug and alcohol abuse. Some felt it was suicide, blaming Jagger and Richards for his mental state. His girlfriend Wohlin claimed in 1999 that Jones had been murdered by a builder who had been renovating the house the couple shared. The builder, Frank Thorogood, allegedly confessed to the murder on his deathbed to the Rolling Stones’ driver, Tom Keylock; however, there were no other witnesses.

Profession: Musician, Drummer for the Beach Boys
Date of Birth: 12/04/1944
Date of Drowning: 12/28/1983
Age at Death: 39

Wilson was on a friend’s yacht and after several drinks announced he was going for a swim. His friends thought he was nuts, because the water was so cold, he dove in, and decided to swim near the spot where his old yacht used to be docked. He emerged from the water holding a picture of his ex wife that he threw from his yacht years before. Wilson dove in again for more treasures but this time he didn’t resurface. Wilson was known for practical jokes so his friends thought he was playing around. They even checked the local bars to see if Wilson was hiding there. It took four divers working in the dark with a pole, probing the ocean floor, 45 minutes to find Wilson’s body in 13 feet of water.

Profession: Actress
Date of Birth: 07/20/1938
Date of Drowning: 11/29/1981
Age at Death: 43

If you ask people if they can name a well known person who drowned, Natalie Wood’s name would probably come up first 9 out of 10 times.

She would also be at the top or near the top of any most beautiful women in Hollywood list. I had a boyhood crush on her growing up and I remember how sad I felt when I first heard of her death. It’s hard to believe she has been gone for over 26 years. The circumstances concerning her drowning are still puzzling to this day.

After Thanksgiving, she and her husband Robert Wagner and Christopher Walken, whom she was working with on a film, went on to Catalina Island for the weekend. Apparently Natalie Wood tried to either leave the yacht or secure a dinghy from banging against the hull when she accidentally slipped and fell overboard. Later it was discovered a witness nearby heard calls for help at around midnight. She said the cries lasted for about 15 minutes and were answered by someone else who said, “Take it easy. We’ll be over to get you. “It was laid back,” the witness recalled. “There was no urgency or immediacy.” An investigation by Los Angeles County coroner Thomas Noguchi resulted in an official verdict of accidental drowning. Noguchi concluded Wood had drunk several glasses of wine and was intoxicated when she died. There were marks and bruises on her body that could have been received as a result of her fall.

Contributor: Blogball

The demands of working in a kitchen can be physically strenuous and mentally exhausting. Every now and then, that pressure can boil over, causing unthinkable tragedy. Other times, there are things that occur in life that just can’t be explained. The following is a list of 10 chefs who died tragically on the job.

10 A Bloody Mess

In September 2012, 46-year-old Stephan Stolze, a chef at Steamer’s Restaurant in Key Largo, grabbed a knife from the kitchen and walked into the dining area. In front of his coworkers, Stolze raised the knife to the right side of his neck and slashed his throat.

Bleeding profusely, Stolze ran to his apartment, which was located above the restaurant. Meanwhile, the restaurant’s employees—frantic and confused—mopped up the bloody scene as guests began to arrive for dinner.

Robin Schaupp, the restaurant’s manager, was in a meeting when the incident occurred. As soon as she was notified, she raced upstairs to find Stolze lying dead on the ground.

Stolze’s coworkers claimed that he had become depressed after breaking up with his girlfriend and that he wanted to move back to his home country of Germany. However, on the advice of his father, Stolze remained in Key Largo because Germany didn’t have many job opportunities.

9 Dry Ice

In 2012, 47-year-old Jay Luther, a popular chef and owner of Germantown Cafe East in Nashville, closed the cafe’s doors on a Friday night following a power outage. In order to preserve the food, dry ice was stored in the walk-in freezer.

When the power came back Sunday evening, Luther decided to check on the food. Once inside the freezer, he became trapped when the door closed behind him. He did not have a cell phone, and the button to open the freezer door from the inside was not working. However, Luther was able to set off the robbery alarm within the freezer to alert authorities.

Four cops showed up. But they decided that it was a false alarm because the doors were locked and there was no sign of a break-in. Thirteen hours later, Luther’s lifeless body was found inside the freezer by coworkers. It was speculated that the cause of death was carbon monoxide inhalation from the dry ice.

8 Suspicious Circumstances

In July 2015, a man identified only as Rohit was working as a chef at Fidahh Restaurant, which is located at the Epicura Mall in New Delhi, India. On July 10, Rohit informed his family that he had decided to quit his job and was going to collect his money from Navdeep Singh, the restaurant’s owner.

The following day, Rohit’s dead body was discovered in the restaurant’s kitchen. According to reports, Rohit had slept in the kitchen overnight with two other employees. The report goes on to state that Rohit and the other two men had been drinking the night before and that Rohit had passed out in an inebriated state.

However, officials stated that the death of the man was suspicious. A New Delhi court charged the owner with murder. He was also charged with causing the disappearance of evidence that was connected to the death of the chef.

7 Financial Problems

Homaro Cantu seemed to have everything going for him. At 38 years old, he was a Michelin star chef who owned two successful, Chicago-based restaurants. He was also the author of two cookbooks and was on the verge of opening an innovative brewery.

Then it all came crashing down. In April 2015, Cantu was found dead in his brewery from an apparent suicide by hanging. Those who knew him were completely dumbfounded because they had noticed no signs of despair.

Unfortunately, not everything was as it seemed. Cantu, who was known for his unique cuisine, was experiencing enormous financial pressure. Alexander Espalin, his former partner and investor in two of his restaurants, had accused Cantu of misappropriating company funds.

Espalin sued Cantu for using those funds for personal expenses such as fine dining, personal expenditures, and trips. Apparently, Cantu dug a hole so deep that he felt death was his only way out.

6 Decapitated Cobra

In August 2014, Chinese chef Peng Fan was preparing a meal for diners in his restaurant. The specialty for the day was snake soup with an Indochinese spitting cobra as the main ingredient.

Fan chopped the head off the cobra, cut up the meat, and began the stew. Twenty minutes later, he went to discard the head. As Fan picked up the cobra’s decapitated head, it bit him on the hand.

Suddenly, screams began echoing from the kitchen, causing commotion in the restaurant and diners to discard their food. The venom that entered Fan’s hand killed him before emergency personnel arrived.

But how could such a thing happen when the reptile has been killed?

Dr. Matthew Lewin, director of California Academy of Sciences’ Center for Exploration and Travel Health, explained, “Unlike humans, snake tissue can withstand long periods without circulating blood. The tissue doesn’t lose function as quickly as a mammal and the reflexes remain intact.”

5 Toxic Fumes

In the recent years, China has waged war against corporations that illegally dump hazardous toxins into the environment, causing “cancer villages” throughout the country.

Police in China discovered that factories were dumping their waste into drainpipes under the supervision of a parking lot operator. Records show that more than 3,400 tons of toxic waste had been dumped in a particular area within a nine-month period.

Unfortunately, the region of the dumping was located next to a Chinese restaurant. This led to the release of poisonous gases from the restaurant’s kitchen drain, ultimately killing the restaurant’s owner and chef. The death sparked an investigation. Ultimately, 27 suspects and 20 factories were implicated in the illegal dumping.

4 Scott McLeod

Scott McLeod, 41, was a successful top chef who had worked in some of the finest Latin restaurants in Philadelphia. He had received numerous accolades for his spin on Latin cuisine, including two bells from The Inquirer’s Craig LaBan. On a personal level, McLeod was described as being very friendly. He was also a workout fanatic who was covered in tattoos.

On a Sunday evening in March 2015, McLeod was working as the executive chef at Alma de Cuba in Philadelphia’s old city neighborhood. That night during dinner service hours, McLeod was found unresponsive in a locked bathroom of the restaurant.

Emergency personnel were called by frantic coworkers, and McLeod was taken to the hospital. Unfortunately, the executive chef could not be revived and was pronounced dead a short time later.

Following an autopsy, the coroner reported that the 41-year-old had succumbed to heart disease, a condition perhaps overlooked in a physically active man in his early forties.

3 P.F. Chang’s

In 2002, 38-year-old Elivelton Dias moved to Peabody, Massachusetts, to escape the growing violence in his home country of Brazil. He became employed as a sous-chef at P.F. Chang’s and happily worked for the restaurant chain for many years.

In 2015, his wife had just given birth to their first child. However, everything came crashing down when the police were called to the restaurant during the dinner rush hour. They found Dias lying on the kitchen floor. He had literally been stabbed in the back.

Dias was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. The culprit was a 23-year-old fellow chef, Jaquan Huston. The two men had gotten into an altercation. Then Huston grabbed a knife and stabbed Dias. Huston fled from the scene but was arrested later at his home. Huston has been charged with first-degree murder.

2 Terrifying Discovery

In March 2016, the owner of Lee’s Cafe and Bistro, a Vietnamese restaurant in Philadelphia, went to the kitchen in the basement to check on the chef. A food order had been placed 10 minutes earlier but had never arrived.

The owner found Thuong Nguyen, the 54-year-old chef, lying on the kitchen floor in a pool of blood with her throat slashed. Moments later, frantic coworkers flagged down a patrol officer outside the restaurant. But Nguyen was already dead.

Police stated that the scene of the crime showed signs of a struggle. At the time of the murder, there were five customers and four employees inside the restaurant.

Later, police stated that a fellow employee—identified only as Noelle—was a suspect in the horrendous crime. The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with knowledge of the suspect’s whereabouts is asked to contact the police. A $20,000 reward for information leading to his arrest has been offered.

1 Brown’s Chicken And Pasta Massacre

To pursue the American dream, 46-year-old Guadalupe Maldonado moved his wife and three children to Chicago from Mexico. In Chicago, he worked as a cook at Brown’s Chicken & Pasta restaurant.

Although he wasn’t making a lot of money, he loved his job and the opportunity to give his family a better life. Like clockwork, Maldonado was always home by 10:00 PM. So when 1:30 AM rolled around one day with no word from him, his family became extremely concerned.

On that cold January night in 1993, two men had walked into the restaurant shortly before closing time at 9:00 PM. Moments later, a robbery ensued. Lynn Ehlenfeldt, 49, was ordered to open the safe.

After doing so, she was told to turn around. Then her throat was slashed. Another employee tried to make a run for it but was shot in the back and killed. The remaining five employees, including Maldonado, were ordered into the freezer and executed.

The case went unsolved for nine years until police arrested Juan Luna and James Degorski with the help of DNA evidence. Luna and Degorski were convicted and sentenced to life in prison.

Adam is just a hubcap trying to hold on in the fast lane.

Famous people seem to have it all, the reputation, the money, and the glamorous lifestyle. Of course, on top of this is that they get to call Hollywood home. For most fans, the lives of these celebrities are so interesting because they can do whatever they want and still manage to look fancy. But, while the grass always seems greener for famous people, the sad reality is that they are still human. Beneath all the glamour, flashlights, and record-breaking paychecks, things can still go asunder.

Just like the rest of us, famed people make costly mistakes that rob them of their hard-earned wealth. It only goes to show us that stars can also suffer from debt, drugs, and bad luck. These are the top 10 famous people who died broke.  

10 Marvin Gaye

In the world of classic R&B, Marvin Gaye is not just a legend; he is a god. Each time he went into the studio, he churned out one chart-topper after another. As a pro singer, Gaye recorded hits like “Sexual Healing,” “I Heard It Through The Grapevine,” and “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You).” These tracks are timeless for old and young fans alike, and new artists can’t resist sampling them. Yet, despite being a musical genius, the Grammy winner’s story is completely different where money is involved.

By the end of his life, Gaye was at least $9.2 million in debt. Before that, he had escaped to Europe to avoid paying the IRS at least $4.5 million in back taxes. The main causes of Gaye’s financial troubles were the settlements from his two divorces, alimony, and an unfortunate cycle of drug abuse. Tired of running from his life, Gaye moved back with his parents in the end, a decision that led to his death. On a fateful night, his father, Marvin Gay Sr., a Pentecostal minister, shot him to death.

While he was never able to personally pay his debts, Gaye’s lawyers turned the royalties to his songs, image, and story rights into profit after his death. In the end, Gaye’s legacy became a lifeline for his three children, but he never got to enjoy it while he was alive.

9 Judy Garland 

Judy Garland is best known as Dorothy from the timeless classic, “The Wizard of Oz,” and she was a fascinating personality for millions. Her incredible talents on the silver screen and her sweet vocals were beloved, and to many, her star shone brightly. However, behind the scenes, Garland was a victim of embezzlement after her managers mismanaged her cash.

While her success on screen made her millions, Garland suffered from financial woes and a struggle with drug addiction. By the time she died from an overdose at 47, Garland had sold off her fancy Bel-Air home for cheap and even had $4 million in unpaid debts. Her sudden death caused much controversy since even her inheritances could not be fulfilled.

In a wonderful turn of events, Liza Minelli, Garland’s daughter, was able to settle her debts. With the assistance of Frank Sinatra, a family friend, Garland’s legacy was kept intact. In the end, she was remembered fondly.

8 Mickey Rooney

Mickey Rooney is one of the most prolific actors of all time, whose legacy is almost unmatched. Unlike most actors, Rooney could brag that he had a 90-year-long career where he starred in over 300 films. But, despite his illustrious career, the “Breakfast At Tiffany’s” star just couldn’t keep money in his pocket.

Throughout his career, Rooney was called “the original Hollywood train wreck,” and his story was simply a tragedy. Struggling with alcoholism and an addiction to prescription pills, Rooney’s personal and public life was action-packed. Between instances of mismanagement and a total of 8 divorces, Rooney’s finances suffered heavily.

When he died of natural causes in 2014, reports claimed that his family members had drained his finances. In a classic Hollywood disaster story, after a long and successful career, Rooney left behind medical bills and back taxes. When his $18,000 estate was settled, the remainder was not even enough for a public funeral. Rooney’s family had to seek public assistance to lay him to rest. So unfortunate.

7 Corey Haim

The 1980s were incredible for film, and Corey Haim was synonymous with the silver screen. Starting as a teen actor, Haim starred in high-grossing films like “Silver Bullet,” “The Lost Boys,” and “Lucas.” But, with great fame comes great pain.

At the height of his fame, Haim was troubled by persistent financial management and drug-related issues. Haim’s drug habits were a challenge, but his troubles started when his insurers sued him for failing to disclose his drug addiction. After a $375,000 loss, acting jobs got scarce for the actor, and in 1997, he filed for bankruptcy.

Just before he died, Haim had moved back in with his mother. After succumbing to pneumonia at only 38, he had nothing. His family sought help from fans to cover the funeral expenses, ending a sad story of a fall from grace.

6 Nikola Tesla

Elon Musk’s Tesla is a successful company, but the man whom it’s named after, Nikola Tesla, was one of the most incredible inventors in history. Tesla, who rubbed shoulders with Thomas Edison, gifted the world with some incredible things. He’s responsible for alternative current (AC), wireless technology, X-Rays, and neon lamps. Still, this famed innovator somehow died broke.

Tesla’s financial problems were caused by his failures in business and poor money management. One of the most popular blunders by Tesla was his failure to get a $50,000 bonus offer from Thomas Edison for his work. Similar unfortunate and unwise dealings trailed Tesla for most of his life.

In his last years, Tesla had meager savings that forced him to live in a series of New York hotels. After passing away in 1943, Tesla left a string of unpaid bills, a legacy that belittled his achievements.

5 Billie Holiday

Billie Holiday was one of the most influential jazz vocalists of all time. The “Strange Fruit” singer was so popular that her autobiography was made into a film titled “Lady Sings the Blues.” Yet despite her fame, Holiday’s life was filled with trouble from her early life.

Raised by a single parent, Holiday had a difficult upbringing and, as a child, and was a victim of sexual assault. The pain and grief from her formative years caused grief for the young star. She subsequently found solace in drugs and alcohol. Yet, despite addiction, the artist experienced great success as a signed artist who was renowned both locally and overseas.

By the time she died from drug complications, Holiday had just $750 to her name. In 2000, her contributions to music were recognized as she was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

4 Gary Coleman

Gary Coleman started as a childhood star on the famed American sitcom “Diff’rent Strokes.” For his stellar performance as Arnold Jackson, Coleman was easily one of NBC’s highest-paid comedy stars. Reports had it that per episode, Coleman was making $100,000, an impressive payday by any standards.

However, the success on-screen led to troubles for the young star. In 1993, Coleman sued his parents, lawyers, and agents for mismanaging his estate and won. Yet, the $1.3 million wins did not make life any easier for Coleman, who suffered other financial mistakes and persistent health problems. In 1999, Coleman filed for bankruptcy.

In the 2000s, the anguished star even started an online auction titled “Save Me,” where he sold his signature objects. Selling his pimp suit, couch, and even pants, Coleman was forced to rely on goodwill. When he died in 2010, Coleman was dead broke, with about $70,000 in debt. A very sad ending.

3 Bela Lugosi

We all know and love “Dracula,” a horror classic, and Bela Lugosi’s role in the film made him an instant superstar. After his stunning performance as Count Dracula, Lugosi’s star shone bright, but soon, his success proved to be a curse.

Because of his huge success as Count Dracula, Lugosi was unable to land other roles in film, and after five divorces, he was losing cash fast. In addition to the pressures of being a star, Lugosi’s fame also invited an addiction problem. The fancy lifestyle and partying made alcohol and drugs major weaknesses for Lugosi.

The high costs of being a celebrity led Lugosi to low-budget films that he relied on to survive. Sadly, when he died, Lugosi had little to show for his work as an actor, leaving just $1,900 in the bank and $1000 in real estate. What started as a promising career became a sad story of disgrace and bad luck.

2 Joe Louis

Joe Louis, aka “The Brown Bomber,” was one of the greatest American professional boxers. Joe Louis was so talented that he’s considered the finest heavyweight champion to ever live in the history of boxing. However, while Louis made millions from his fame and performance in the ring, he left little behind.

Louis was a generous man and after splitting his winnings with his handlers, he lavishly gifted it to relatives, friends, and spent the spare on poor investments. Estimates indicate that out of the $4.7 million he ever made boxing, he only ended up with about $800,000, a small sum that he still gave away. After retirement, Louis even worked as a greeter at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas to earn some extra cash.

Like other celebrities, Joe Louis’ woes were made worse by his debts to the IRS that rose to the tune of $1 million. Louis’ woes were so severe that his rival Max Schmeling and Frank Lucas, a mobster, joined hands to assist him. In the end, ‘The Brown Bomber’ died a humble man who did not enjoy the toils of his youth.

1 Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson, The King of Pop, was one of the most celebrated musicians of all time. As an artist who started his career with the Jackson 5, Jackson’s career was bright and by the time he decided to go solo as an artist, he was unstoppable. Garnering 13 Grammy awards among other prestigious accolades, the ‘Thriller’ singer lived a most thrilling life.

However, while he sold an impressive 750 million albums, behind the scenes, Michael Jackson’s life was marked by lavish spending and tax debt. When he died in 2009, the world learned that the star owed the IRS $500,000 and for a short time, his estate was bankrupt. As millions around the world mourned his legacy, MJ’s estate managers looked for ways of solving the financial woes in his estate.

As luck would have it, MJ’s passing sparked new sales that made him the first artist in history to sell over 1 million tracks in a single week! Posthumously, Michael Jackson’s legacy turned into profit, and when Sony paid $250 million to extend the artist’s back catalog, his debts were more than solved. In death, Michael Jackson returned to his throne as one of the greatest artists of all time.