These Stars' Lights Went Out Far Too Soon

Hollywood tragedies extend beyond the silver screen. Either through freak accidents or long battles with illness, many celebrities meet their end far before their time is up. Some even met death through mysterious circumstances that remain unsolved, the lore of which has been stoked by tabloids ever since. Even though their time on this earth was cut short, they live on through their roles forever. Here are 20 Hollywood stars whose lives ended in tragedy. 

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1. Marilyn Monroe

Perhaps the name on everyone's mind when talking about tragic deaths of Hollywood stars is Marilyn Monroe. She was found dead in her home at the age of 36 in what was deemed a probable suicide by overdose. However, her involvement with the Kennedys raised conspiracy theories that perhaps she was silenced because she knew too much about government secrets.

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2. Judy Garland

Judy Garland, the brilliant actress who starred in The Wizard of Oz, A Star Is Born, and other classics, overdosed on sleeping pills at age 47. Her life was plagued by addiction and mental and physical health struggles made worse by the exploitation of Hollywood. 

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3. Jean Harlow

Jean Harlow was one of the biggest stars in the 1930s. She fell ill in 1937 but was pressured to continue working by studio execs. Once she was finally rushed to hospital, it was too late: she slipped into a coma and lost her life at age 26 due to kidney failure. 

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4. River Phoenix

80s teenage heartthrob, River Phoenix is best known for playing young Indy in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and for his Oscar-nominated performance in Running on Empty. His struggle with drug addiction led to his tragic end at the age of 23 when he overdosed at the famous Hollywood club, the Viper Room.

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5. Sharon Tate

No list of Hollywood tragedies would be complete without Sharon Tate. A model and actress known for her stunning beauty, she was murdered at age 26 by members of Manson family who broke into her home. 

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6. Chris Farley

The guy Adam Sandler called "the funniest man I ever knew," Chris Farley, was known for being a key part of the Saturday Night Live team and for his role in the beloved film Tommy Boy. However, behind his comedic talents, he struggled with drug and alcohol addiction and sadly overdosed at age 33. 

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7. Bruce Lee

Bruce Lee was a master martial artist and film star who brought kung fu movies into the mainstream in the 1970s. His death at the age of 32 remains a mystery, the official cause being brain swelling which was perhaps a reaction to headache medication. 

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8. Chadwick Boseman

Chadwick Boseman was well on his way to becoming Hollywood's biggest star after a string of amazing performances in several films including Black Panther, Marshall, and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, for which he was nominated for an Oscar. However, amidst all that success he was diagnosed with colon cancer, which he kept private until his death at the age of 43. 

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9. Susan Peters

Susan Peters starred in over 20 films in the 1940s and was well on her way to becoming one of Hollywood's biggest stars until a freak accident left her paralyzed from the waist down. While on a hunting trip with her husband, her rifle discharged and a bullet was lodged in her spine. She was no longer given acting roles, her husband left her, and in her depression, she stopped eating and died from malnutrition at age 31. 

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10. Anthony Perki, ns

Anthony Perkins was best known for his chilling performance as Norman Bates in Psycho. As a gay man in those days, he kept his sexual orientation a secret but was diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. The disease eventually took his life at the age of 60. 

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11. James Dean

Hollywood's favorite rebel and heartthrob best-known for his role in Rebel Without a Cause, James Dean died at the age of 24 in a high-speed car crash in 1955. He had just completed his role in Giant that week.

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12. Heath Ledger 

Heath Ledger was best known for playing the Joker in The Dark Knight, a role that allegedly consumed him and caused him to have anxiety attacks and sleeping problems. His death at the age of 28 was caused by an unfortunate combination of prescription anti-anxiety meds, painkillers, and sleeping pills. 

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13. Anton Yelchin

A child star and the son of two Russian professional figure skaters, Anton Yelchin was best known for playing Chekhov in the Star Trek films. He died in a freak accident when his parked Jeep Cherokee rolled down an incline and crushed him. That car model was in the process of being recalled due to a bad gearbox design that made it easy to confuse "neutral" and "park."

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14. Naya Rivera

Naya Rivera was best known for playing Santana Lopez on Glee. She drowned while swimming in California's Lake Piru with her four-year-old son, who was found safely floating on a rental boat. It's thought that she lifted her son to safety with her last breaths. 

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15. Martha Mansfield

One of the early stars of the silver screen, Martha Mansfield was a silent film and vaudeville actress in the 1910s and early 20s. Her life was cut short while she was working on set and her highly-flammable costume set fire from a match or cigarette ember, completely engulfing her in flames. 

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16. Paul Walker

The star of the beloved Fast & Furious movie franchise, Paul Walker, died in a high-speed car crash at the age of 40 while he was leaving a charity event. In an emotional moment in Fast & Furious 7, he was paid tribute to to the song "See You Again" by Wiz Khalifa. 

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17. Philip Seymour Hoffman

Widely considered one the greatest actors of his generation, Philip Seymour Hoffman was known for his roles in several films, including Capote, Doubt, and The Master. He struggled with addiction but had been clean for 20 years when he relapsed and died from a heroin overdose at age 46.

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18. Robin Williams

Comedic master and Hollywood legend Robin Williams's death at age 63 shattered hearts all over the world. It was originally reported as a suicide due to depression, but later, it came out that he suffered from Lewy body dementia, which affected his cognition. 

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19. Brandon Lee

Adding to the tragedy and mystery of Bruce Lee's death is the death of his son. Following in his father's footsteps, Brandon Lee became a Hollywood actor and martial artist. While shooting a scene where his character gets shot, a grave mistake by the production team led to the actor actually getting shot by remnants of a real bullet. 

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20. Natalie Wood

One of the most controversial Hollywood deaths was that of actress Natalie Wood who mysteriously drowned during a weekend yacht trip with her husband and co-star Christopher Walken. She was found a mile away from the boat in her nightgown with bruises and a cut on her cheek. He husband admitted to having a fight with her that night, making him a suspicious person, but no one knows how she got into the water and the case remains unsolved. 

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