“His Death Was Such A Freak Accident”: 15 Actors Who Died At The Height Of Their Careers
A while ago, redditor @LeonardMoney2020 asked people to name an actor who unfortunately died way before their time. Here are just 15 acting legends gone too soon:
1.
River Phoenix: “Watch Stand by Me. Based on the novella The Body by Stephen King. It’s a unique movie and one of the greats. River Phoenix’s character Chris Chambers is wonderful and has a particular moment that’s one of the best examples of child acting I can think of.”
How he died: River Phoenix died at age 23 in 1993 from a drug overdose, according to People.
2.
Anton Yelchin: “His passing hurt. He’s in a movie called Like Crazy, and it’s already an emotionally devastating movie. But seeing him in it, and seeing what I believe to just be his actual self…a gentle soul…it amplifies it ten-fold.”
How he died: Anton Yelchin died at age 27 in 2016 after his car rolled backward and pinned him between the vehicle and his security gate, according to BBC.
3.
John Candy: “I think he was on his way to being a possibly great actor as well, for all his comic genius. He was great in JFK. He may have gone on to more dramatic roles.”
How he died: John Candy died at age 43 in 1994 from a heart attack, according to People.
4.
John Cazale, who starred in films like The Godfather and Dog Day Afternoon: “He was in five movies. All five were nominated for Best Picture. All five are considered classic films. Three of them won the Oscar for Best Picture. He played key roles in them all. Dude knocked it out of the park!”
How he died: John Cazale died at age 42 in 1978 from cancer, according to the New York Times.
5.
Heath Ledger: “His death was a huge loss to filmgoers everywhere. After his passing, I often wondered how his career would have continued over future decades.”
How he died: Heath Ledger died at age 28 in 2008 from an accidental overdose, according to the Los Angeles Times.
6.
Chris Farley: “We never got to see him do the Robin Williams and Jim Carrey-turn to serious actor. You could see the same glimpses of great emotional depth in his silliest comedies. There was some truly moving stuff inside Tommy Boy, Black Sheep, and Beverly Hills Ninja…and his parts in Billy Madison and Dirty Work showed that he probably had the capability to play a wild person as well as the best of them, lol. I don’t fawn over celebrities too much, but I truly miss what that man brought to my life.”
How he died: Chris Farley died at age 33 in 1997 of an apparent drug overdose, according to People.
7.
Philip Seymour Hoffman: “Oof, the range this guy had. I still yell, ‘Make it rain!’ when throwing up joke shots in basketball.”
How he died: Philip Seymour Hoffman died at age 46 in 2014 from an apparent drug overdose, according to the New York Times.
8.
Bruce Lee: “Hard to put in words the impact Bruce Lee had on an entire genre of film. Not to mention popularizing martial arts globally. So ahead of his time in multiple ways. Absolute legend. Died at 32. Can only imagine the things he would’ve done given more time on this earth.”
How he died: Bruce Lee died at age 32 in 1973 from swelling of the brain, according to People.
9.
Brittany Murphy: “I love Luanne’s character on King of the Hill. She really brought a lot of heart to the character.”
How she died: Brittany Murphy died at age 32 in 2009 of pneumonia and other factors, according to the New York Times.
10.
Chadwick Boseman: “The man was an amazing actor and a beautiful human. He would go as Black Panther visiting kids with cancer all while he was privately fighting his own cancer. Definitely gone too soon.”
How he died: Chadwick Boseman died at age 43 in 2020 from colon cancer, according to the New York Times.
11.
Brandon Lee: “Just rewatched The Crow, and one thing that is massively evident was that, if he had not died, he would have become a mega-star.”
How he died: Brandon Lee died at age 28 in 1993 after a prop gun accident on the set of the film The Crow resulted in a bullet fragment hitting him, according to NPR.
12.
Marilyn Monroe: “I think she was great in Some Like It Hot. I would love to have seen her in more movies!”
How she died: Marilyn Monroe died at age 36 in 1962 of an overdose, according to People.
13.
Heather O’Rourke: “She was in Happy Days and the Poltergeist series. Poor baby died of complications from septic shock due to a bowel obstruction when she was 12.”
How she died: Heather O’Rourke died at age 12 in 1988 from cardiac and pulmonary arrest following septic shock caused by a bowel obstruction, according to the Los Angeles Times.
14.
Adrienne Shelly: “She wrote, directed, and starred in the movie Waitress. She was in other movies as an actor as well, but I think there was a lot more meant to come from her.”
How she died: Adrienne Shelly was murdered at age 40 in 2006 in her New York City apartment, according to the New York Times.
15.
Finally, Cameron Boyce: “He was a great actor and had a good show going with Jessie around the time of his passing.”
How he died: Cameron Boyce died at age 20 in 2019 from a seizure related to his epilepsy, according to ABC News.
