Tragic is the rare occurrence wherein a star with a lead role in a movie dies prior to its completion or date of release, whether it is the result of natural causes or the psychological ordeal that is a part of the Hollywood life. So here we have compiled a list of some of the most famous super stars who died young. Some at the peak of there fame journey.
Heath Ledger passed away from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs on the 22nd of January, 2008 before the release of box-office hit, The Dark Knight. Heath was awarded an Oscar and Golden Globe for best supporting actor for his dynamic portrayal of the Joker in The Dark Knight.
On 7th of September, 1996, rapper Tupac Shakur was killed in a drive-by shooting while he was returning from the Mike Tyson – Bruce Seldon boxing match in Las Vegas. 2Pac died before the release date of his two movies, Gang Related and Gridlock’d.
Early in the morning on the 5th of August, 1962, Marilyn lost her life to an overdose of barbiturates (sedation drugs) before the completion of Something’s Got to Give. A few conspiracy theories revolve around her alleged suicide, some of which involve the CIA, the Mafia and the then President J.F. Kennedy.
1950′s cultural icon, actor James Dean is much revered for his performance in the 1955 drama film Rebel Without a Cause. James died in a car crash on September 30, 1955 while his movie, Giant was incomplete. James was the first ever to be posthumously nominated for an Oscar.
This legendary Chinese American martial artist lost his life to a cerebral edema on 10 May 1973 while the movie, Enter the Dragon was still in production. According to police reports, the cerebral edema was caused by reaction to the pain killing drug Equagesic. However, there are several other theories revolving around his death, one of which suggests it was caused by a curse placed on the Lee family.
The theory regarding Bruce Lee’s death that involved triads and a curse placed on the entire Lee family received greater attention when on 31 March 1993, his son, Brandon Lee was shot on the set of The Crow by a prop pistol using dummy cartridges that didn’t have their propellant removed.
R&B and pop singer turned actress, Aaliyah Dana Haughton died on the 25th of August, 2001 prior to the release of her movie Queen of the Damned, when her aerial trip back from a music video shoot in the Bahamas ended in a crash caused by negligence of the maximum load capacity of the plane.
River’s death yet remains shrouded in controversy involving an interview with Details magazine in which he revealed disturbing secrets of a certain cult called the “Children of God” of which his father was a member. River died from a narcotic overdose on 30 October 1993 while Silent Tongue was yet to be released and Dark Blood was still in production.
On the 23rd of July, 1982 Vic Morrow died on the set of The Twilight Zone when a faulty special effects explosion sent a helicopter crashing to the ground, decapitating Vic and the two children that he was running with.
On the 29th of November, 1981, gifted actress Natalie Wood accidentally fell off her yacht and drowned while her film, Brainstorm was still in production. The movie was completed posthumously using a rewrite of the final part.
