No matter how we look at it, death remains the only certainty in life. However, for some, death comes with far more unsettling circumstances. Celebrity demises are always shocking, but these 10 actors remind us that some farewells are far more haunting than others.
10. Steve Irwin
While most fans know him for his nature documentaries, Irwin frequently cameoed in movies and starred in The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course. Despite his frequent brushes with crocs, it was a stingray barb through the heart that cut his life short in 2006.
9. Jon-Erik Hexum
While joking around on the set of the TV series Cover Up, Hexum put a prop gun loaded with blanks to his head and pulled the trigger. Even though there wasn’t a bullet in the chamber, the force fractured his skull, causing fatal brain injuries.
8. Sharon Tate
The rising Hollywood actress and wife of director Roman Polanski was brutally murdered by the Manson Family while eight months pregnant. The grisly ordeal signaled the end of the optimistic “Golden Era” of Hollywood.
7. Anton Yelchin
The rising Star Trek actor died in a bizarre and horrifying accident at home. His car rolled backward down his driveway, pinning him against a brick pillar and a security gate. The star joined the dreaded “27 Club”, as he had just turned 27 a few months earlier.
6. Heather O’Rourke
Known for her chilling performance as Carol Anne in Poltergeist, the young actress died unexpectedly at just 12 years old due to complications from a misdiagnosed intestinal condition, which only fueled the rumors of an alleged “Poltergeist Curse”.
5. Brandon Lee
Son of martial arts legend Bruce Lee, Brandon Lee perished on the set of The Crow. A prop gun was improperly prepared, firing a live round that struck and killed him. Contrary to urban legend, his final moments are not included in the final cut of the film.
4. James Dean
A beacon for teenage angst and recklessness, Dean’s promising acting career was tragically cut short. At just 24, Dean was killed when his Porsche Spyder collided head-on with another car in Cholame, California.
3. Judith Barsi
The voice actress behind the always optimistic Ducky in The Land Before Time was killed by her father, József Barsi, who also murdered her mother, Maria, before committing suicide. She was only 10 years old.
2. Paul Walker
Paul Walker was the embodiment of living life on the fast lane. Fans were shocked to hear the actor was tragically killed in a fiery car accident in California. He was a passenger in a Porsche that lost control and burst into flames, leaving millions of fans and his Fast & Furious colleagues utterly heartbroken.
1. Vic Morrow
Best known for Combat! and The Twilight Zone: The Movie, Vic Morrow was killed in one of Hollywood’s most infamous on-set accidents. During a stunt involving a helicopter, the aircraft crashed, decapitating Morrow and killing two child actors instantly.
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