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]

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.