When tragedy befalls celebrities it often makes national (and sometimes international) headlines. Singer/ actress Jennifer Hudson’s tragic losses have been covered on practically every media outlet. What makes her story particularly newsworthy are the brutal circumstances surrounding the murders of her brother, mother, and nephew. Often, the public forgets that Hollywood celebrities are human beings just as they are. So, when bizarre circumstances surround the death of a famous person the demise often goes down in history. But this isn’t the first time that unusual conditions have been attached to the death of a celebrity. Here are ten of Hollywood’s most shocking celebrity deaths...
GianniVersace(Dec. 2, 1946 – July 15, 1997) : Despite notions to the contrary, murder in and of itself isn’t particularly shocking. But because this famous designer succumbed to death on the steps of his Miami mansion, at the hands of a serial killer, the event became a prime candidate for an “E! True Hollywood Story.”
Sonny Bono(Feb. 16, 1935 – Jan. 5, 1998) : The beloved male half of Sonny & Cher met with one of the most unusual deaths of all, when he crashed into a tree while skiing. (Ironically, this is also how Robert F. Kennedy’s son, Michael died one year earlier.)
Thelma“Butterfly” McQueen(Jan. 11, 1911 – Dec. 22, 1995) : The woman infamous for not knowing how to “birth no babies” in cult classic filmGone With the Wind might have ultimately surrendered to old age had a freak accident not occurred; while attempting to light a kerosene heater in her home, the heater burst into flames, killing her.
Stanford White(Nov. 9, 1853 – June 25, 1906) : You may not consider Mr. White a celebrity. But if you have visited Madison Square Garden at any time in your life, you should. He designed it (the 2nd version), and was eventually murdered atop its roof, shot dead by the enraged husband of one of his female conquests.
MarvinGaye(Apr. 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984) : The murder of Marvin Gaye came as a shock for many reasons, the first being that he was killed at the hands of his own father. Another chilling development is that the soul singer was murdered the day before his birthday.
JimFixx(Apr. 23, 1932 – July 20, 1984) : The name Jim Fixx may not be familiar to you. But if you are a regular jogger, you can perhaps credit your fitness acumen to this man. An author, credited with starting the jogging craze in the 1970s, stunned the world when he died of a massive heart attack following his daily run.
TennesseeWilliams(Mar. 26, 1911 – Feb. 25, 1983) : The creator of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and A Streetcar Named Desire met with an unsual demise when he choked on an eyedrop bottle cap.
BrandonLee(Feb. 1, 1965 – Mar. 31, 1993) : The actor, and son of legendary Bruce Lee was working on hit film The Crow when he was accidentally shot and killed by a gun firing blanks. The eerie nature of his death is eclipsed only by the rumor of a “Lee Family Curse” that supposedly took the life of his father exactly two decades earlier.
R.BuddDwyer(Nov. 21, 1939 – Jan. 22, 1987) : Public suicide is never a pleasant, or easy thing to witness. So when convicted Pennsylvania senator (and later, state treasurer) shot himself in front of a live audience, the public was both terrified and oddly fascinated.
VicMorrow(Feb. 14, 1929 – July 23, 1982) : Perhaps one of the strangest and most brutal deaths occurred when the father of actress Jennifer Jason Leigh, Vic Morrow—was filming Twilight Zone: The Movie. During an action sequence, pyrotechnic explosions caused the helicopter being used in the scene to crash, decapitating Vic Morrow on the spot.
