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61 Famous Deaths That Shocked Us [PICs]

courant.com — Gallery of some famous people whose deaths impacted our lives in one way or another. Take a look.

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  • HCviolence, on 07/06/2008, -35/+302You can't call Anne Nicole's death shocking. Or any rappers.
    • susilou, on 07/07/2008, -39/+2Anna Nicole's death was shocking.
      • solidus636, on 07/07/2008, -2/+24No...no it wasn't.
      • Cerialthriller, on 07/07/2008, -1/+18the only shocking part was that it wasnt much sooner.
      • thegreenspanput, on 07/07/2008, -0/+0i found that funny
      • AriaStar, on 07/07/2008, -1/+2It was shocking to you that a middle-aged drug addict died?
    • SIRBERUS, on 07/07/2008, -0/+64Anna Nicole's death reminds me of the first Austin Powers movie where Austin and his lady friend are in a steam roller and a guard steps out in front yards down the line and screams for a few minutes as they come towards him and--eventually--slowly roll him over.

      In a nut shell... it just felt like she had already died, her body was just catching up. Then everyone seemed shocked.
    • SuperWinner, on 07/07/2008, -8/+58Tupacs dead? Howcum he keeps putting out new albums every year???
    • rz8472, on 07/07/2008, -4/+14It was shocking to Fox News... they had the Breaking News and everything on that running for several days straight...
      • SweatyGooch, on 07/07/2008, -0/+3.. Several days? Try several weeks BEFORE she died... and several weeks AFTER she died.
      • linzperc, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1Hey, leave Fox News alone. I have a lot of respect for ANY news channel that says the word 'butt-hash' live on air... seriously.
    • LifesSweetDrug, on 07/07/2008, -5/+10All though I don't like most rap, but Run DMC were good. Like "Walk This Way". So Jam-Master Jay deserved to be on the list.
    • Janv1er, on 07/07/2008, -15/+4Tupac was a great person.
    • TheUngod, on 07/07/2008, -0/+13Or Belushi, or John Candy, or Elvis...basically any of the very overweight or drug addicted rock stars were not very surprising.
    • kmb1794, on 07/07/2008, -6/+3I don't think you can really call any death shocking...since it's a human inevitability - or the fact that you're an *****.
      • Niightwitch, on 07/07/2008, -0/+6Some deaths shock me....assassinations shock me because they're so unexpected. When the young die (like John Kennedy's son in the plane crash), that shocks me. Human death is inevitable, but sometimes it just doesn't seem like the proper time.
    • asus2000, on 07/07/2008, -0/+4It's still a shock even if it isn't a big surprise... It's not like you're going through life wondering if today is the day Anna Nicole Smith is going to die..
      • subliminalurge, on 07/07/2008, -0/+4No, I never went through life wondering that, and it still wasn't a shock. My reaction to the news would be best summed up as "Who ***** cares?".
    • BTraina, on 07/07/2008, -0/+2or a Kennedy.
    • shane, on 07/07/2008, -0/+2Where's Peter Jennings on this list?
    • lolmax, on 07/07/2008, -0/+5I found anna nicole's death shocking in that anyone gave a *****. The news treated her as though she had somehow accomplished something or done anything good with her life. Good riddance, I say.
    • SkippyDoorknob, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1Or Gene Siskel?
      • shakin, on 07/07/2008, -0/+2Gene Siskel died from complications from brain surgery, so it wasn't that unexpected, but I think we were all surprised that Ebert didn't die from a heart attack first.
    • ligyron, on 07/07/2008, -1/+1There was a slide there for Barack Obama saying he was assassinated, but it's not there anymore...am I losing it or is the web designer playing sick games on us
    • Eezyville, on 07/07/2008, -1/+2Thats racist
  • akittenone, on 07/06/2008, -12/+6some really sad pointless deaths amongst these, and the do have an impact in one way or another to many people
  • Rizoh, on 07/06/2008, -20/+20I'm pretty sure Biggie and 2Pac's death shocked many people, but hey don't shoot the messenger.
    • Rizoh, on 07/06/2008, -2/+3Right, mmilian. Those 2 deserve their spots on the list. I was actually responding to HCviolence who said the death of rappers don't merit the "shocking" label.
    • czeman, on 07/07/2008, -2/+7I was shocked that Mr. T killed Tupac over a bag of Cheetos.
      http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/31
    • Archos, on 07/07/2008, -7/+1You might think you are funny, Rizoh, but we don't think so.
    • iplen, on 07/07/2008, -1/+2I completely agree with Rizoh. Rappers are asking for it when they spew their dirt out into our world.
  • Masternajee, on 07/06/2008, -20/+8Was Steve Irwin really a shock? He swam with crocadiles for petes sake.
    • AngryBacon, on 07/07/2008, -23/+1No, and that's why he isn't on the list.
    • Stanks, on 07/07/2008, -3/+4His death WAS a shock.... literally, he got zapped by a damn sting ray.
      • SimonTB, on 07/07/2008, -0/+2Wrong. He got stabbed with the tail.
  • SomeImagination, on 07/06/2008, -5/+165Colin McRae should be on this list
    • thecosmicpope, on 07/07/2008, -1/+19As should Ayrton Senna. His death was to F1 what Dale Earnhardts was to NASCAR.
    • merdiesel, on 07/07/2008, -0/+19I would definitely Elliot Smith to that list as well..
      • shibbz, on 07/07/2008, -1/+5Elliot Smith stabbed himself in the heart..........twice! Definitely a bad ass.....
      • num3thod, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1A legend in my books.
    • catapost, on 07/07/2008, -0/+7Yup, i agree with you. Elliott Smith should be on the list. His fantastic so-called suicide is so happening in that time. And you know, shocking, as they may put it.
    • unknownstuntman, on 07/07/2008, -1/+2And Richard Burns. The whole episode really struck me.
    • JRjJ106, on 07/07/2008, -3/+13I agree about Smith, and I would also add Chris Benoit to the list.
    • 8ight, on 07/07/2008, -0/+11I agree with Colin McRae. I'd also add Payne Stewart to the list.

      Senna, Smith, and Benoit I all agree with too.
      • madblunted, on 07/07/2008, -0/+2I lived in aberdeen, SD when Payne's airplane crashed near Mina, SD.. that is something very shocking especially when the town was all freaking out over the fact that the FAA predicted that the airplane would crash in or near Aberdeen.
      • Disneyisevil50, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1I had to do a double take because I thought you said Patrick Stewart
    • Indierocka, on 07/07/2008, -0/+11What about George Carlin?
      • Indolentron, on 07/07/2008, -0/+3George Carlin will be missed, but death at 71 from heart failure isn't shocking.
    • Scrappy1850, on 07/07/2008, -0/+8didnt know colin was dead... thanks for bringing me down
    • Disneyisevil50, on 07/07/2008, -1/+8What about Aeris?
    • DearSergio, on 07/07/2008, -0/+3Hunter S?!
  • rasbill, on 07/06/2008, -3/+94bradley nowell from sublime
    • supermajic, on 07/07/2008, -1/+11and Elliott Smith
    • kotrin, on 07/07/2008, -0/+5only problem is he died before they blew up in popularity so it's not as "shocking" as if a super star at the height of stardom dies
    • Bilabrin, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1And Layne Staley
    • Disneyisevil50, on 07/07/2008, -1/+2He only wanted to smoke pot, but no, they had to go and give him morphine
    • drewowilson, on 07/07/2008, -0/+4jeff buckley not on the list?
  • explicitmemory, on 07/06/2008, -22/+111kurt cobain is one of the most shocking of all time.
    • SuperWinner, on 07/07/2008, -3/+46Not after we saw the ***** sociopathic animal he married..
    • callinthelaw69, on 07/07/2008, -1/+17I can't believe Layne Staley isn't on this list.
      • ctenn2ls, on 07/07/2008, -0/+6I miss the man and his death was extremely sad, but really? Almost all of Dirt was about him doing heroin. What was shocking is it didn't happen sooner with his history.
      • chaos7, on 07/07/2008, -0/+7he was pretty much expected to not live long
      • Dorepoll, on 07/07/2008, -0/+6Yeah, don't be shocked when Scott Weiland overdoses.
      • blindmelon1, on 07/07/2008, -0/+6Shannon Hoon & Andy Wood
      • aenima987, on 07/07/2008, -0/+7R.I.P. Layne. You were loved :)
      • DeviateSeptum, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1Yeah. I identified more with Staley than Cobain. Layne's death is probably the rock star whose death affected me most. But people are right that his lyrics were a warning sign.
    • stupidStan, on 07/07/2008, -14/+10Whats red and white and has more brains than Kurt Cobain?
      .
      .
      .
      .
      .
      His wall! ZING!
    • GambitIXXI, on 07/07/2008, -13/+8especially since it turns out he was most likely murdered... there is too much evidence to suggest homicide
      1. the level of heroin in Cobain's bloodstream was 1.52 milligrams per liter (which is basically 3X the lethal dose so you wouldn't be able to stand up not to mention point a gun at your head and fire. it doesn't matter if your an addict or not ask any heroin addict they will all say no one will live after injecting that much into the bloodstream... but his cause of death wasn't the heroin but the shotgun wound to his head)
      2. The shotgun was too long for Kurt to fire using his hand he would have to use his toes but when they found him both of his shoes were on
      3. The shotgun was also a very powerful shotgun. Had Kurt fired it would've gone flying across the room but it was found resting on his chest
      4. NO FINGERPRINTS. There wasn't a single fingerprint found on The Shotgun, the Shell case, or the pen that he supposedly wrote the suicide note with.
      5. and for those that want to throw the suicide note in my face. Let me ask you have you ever seen the note? because the only lines that would suggest suicide were written in completely different handwriting.
      • mannyqui, on 07/07/2008, -2/+12Dude..... Get over it.
      • Aikidi, on 07/07/2008, -1/+26. he attempted suicide once before by overdosing, clearly on his own and not an attempted murder...

        oh wait, that shows that youre completely full of *****.
      • GambitIXXI, on 07/08/2008, -0/+2i'm not saying suicide wasn't a possibility i'm just saying due to the evidence there's a chance he was murdered... that's all i'm saying... i'm over it... he died long before i started listening to Nirvana... but i'm just saying you can't completely rule it out...

        6. The Rome incident that your referring to was only declared a suicide attempt by Courtney after he died... which pissed off Dave and Krist because she kept it a secret... but an interview with the doctor in Rome claimed it wasn't a suicide attempt and the pills that he nearly overdosed on were Rohypnol, which only Courtney was in possession of, was combined with the champagne...

        don't jump down my throat for saying what I and several other people believe... it's not like i said that red and white joke above

        once again i'm over it... if you think it was a suicide... fine... i'm not gonna crucify you for it... it's your opinion and this is mine
    • Tyrghast, on 07/07/2008, -8/+8I'm gonna be buried for this but...

      Nirvana would have faded away in to obscurity had it not been for Cobain's death.
      • SwitchXFactor, on 07/07/2008, -2/+2Sadly, I wish it would have anyway. People seriously call 'Smells like teen spirit' an influential song? With a straight face? Influential... yeah, like influences my stomach to make me want to vomit.
        Nirvana sucked.
        Foo Fighters on the other hand... much better.
    • micaelasofi, on 07/07/2008, -0/+0he was hospitalized for an overdose, went to rehab, escaped, then was found dead. its not that unexpected..
  • Kilometers, on 07/06/2008, -5/+55Really? No Keith Moon or John Bonham? I'm pretty sure overdosing and choking on your own vomit was kind of shocking. Also considering these deaths ended the two of the greatest rock bands ever.
    • sarixe, on 07/07/2008, -0/+3correction: it ended one of them, and the other kept on going pointlessly.
    • Abdax, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1Who was shocked by Keith Moon's death? Seriously. Yeah it sucks, but honestly, not all that shocking.
  • heaintheavy, on 07/06/2008, -1/+13Stevie Ray Vaughn died in East TROY, Wisc.
    • Neiby, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1He's the only one on the list whose death really bothered me (of the ones who died since I've been alive, that is.) There were some other sad deaths, like the recent death of Tim Russert, but they didn't have the effect on me that SRV's death did. Jeff Porcaro would be on my own list, but most people have no idea who that is.
    • Disneyisevil50, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1Also the AP is psychic

      Stevie Ray Vaughan: The musician died in a helicopter crash near East Tryo, Wis. on Aug. 27, 1990. (WYATT COUNTS, Associated Press / August 1, 1989)
    • Thuktun, on 07/07/2008, -0/+2I think that was the credits for the photo they used.
  • greenroom628, on 07/06/2008, -4/+44no jim henson? malcolm x? lane staley (alice in chains)? c'mon, for that matter, abraham lincoln can be included.
    • LifesSweetDrug, on 07/07/2008, -0/+6Layne Staley is such a funking great singer :P But his death wasn't really that shocking.
      R.I.P
    • JustinCase18, on 07/07/2008, -0/+16They mentioned Brandon Lee, but NOT Bruce Lee?

      I also find it kind of funny, that everyone mentions the death of Buddy Holly, but Richie Valens (I don't remember how to spell his name) and the Big Bopper seldom are included. Richie at least got one movie, but the Bopper is just a footnote.
    • shibagarden, on 07/07/2008, -0/+2…and dont' forget Julius Caesar.
    • Aikidi, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1wasnt jim hanson publicly known to have cancer or something for a long time before he died?

      tragic: absolutely, he was a legend
      shocking?: not really.
  • t3hmyth, on 07/06/2008, -0/+188...61...Pages...
    • webkami, on 07/07/2008, -1/+3^^ 62 nd Death
    • NecroSexy, on 07/07/2008, -1/+3SHOCKING!
    • sarixe, on 07/07/2008, -0/+7tip: keep your mouse floating over the "next" button. it's in the same place on every page.
  • gskill, on 07/07/2008, -1/+3This was an interesting list to say the least.
  • StopPandaTime, on 07/07/2008, -16/+136R.I.P Anna Nicole

    Just kidding.
    • callinthelaw69, on 07/07/2008, -4/+24I feel bad for laughing...but...holy ***** I just actually laughed out loud.

      Maybe the best comment I've ever seen on digg.
    • 2h3px, on 07/07/2008, -0/+2Damn, even I think that's a terrible thing to say, and i have pretty high tolerance.
    • suwoo244, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1yea that was pretty messed up to say
  • Falldog, on 07/07/2008, -16/+4Yeah, hardly any of these are "shocking." Especially the ones that occurred before I was old enough to understand, yet alone care. I doubt anyone who wrote that article was around to be shocked about Monroe.

    Also, no Phil Hartman? Surly he's touched our lives a lot more than some random Kazakhstan model.

    This list is buried (pun not intended).
    • DeviantDragon, on 07/07/2008, -0/+9Phil Hartman is in the other pages. He's somewhere in 17-32
    • callinthelaw69, on 07/07/2008, -5/+3The pun was obviously intended if you took the time to point out that it wasn't intended, dickwad.

      /Maddox
    • blindmelon1, on 07/07/2008, -0/+4I remember him from such films as "The Erotic Adventures of Hercules" and "Dial M for murderousness.
  • shondell, on 07/07/2008, -4/+15Why do so many famous people die in airplane crashes?
    • and303, on 07/07/2008, -0/+33Because they fly around in private aircraft, which do not have to adhere to the same strict safety standards as giant passenger jets.
    • Chan815, on 07/07/2008, -0/+13cause of those damn terrorists
    • Nistelrooy, on 07/07/2008, -0/+5The pilots get nervous that they are flying a celebrity!
      • kotrin, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1the one kennedy flew himself to death
    • Christbait, on 07/07/2008, -0/+4because the greedy buggers have too much luggage!
    • morninglorii, on 07/07/2008, -0/+2Didn't you see Iron Man?
    • EricSchC1, on 07/07/2008, -0/+3Lots of people die in airplane crashes all the time. Celebrities just get more notice for it.
    • Bilabrin, on 07/07/2008, -0/+3Lots of celebrities + Lots of plane rides per celebrity =occasional celebrity plane deaths.

      Add them up throughout the years and it looks bigger. Probably same statitstically as everyone else.

      That reminds me, John Denver should be on that list as well.
  • Samo89, on 07/07/2008, -10/+36i am sorry but steve irwin's death was not unexpected

    not trying to be disrespectful or anything but u do not have a surprising death with his profession
    • yoda133113, on 07/07/2008, -0/+22If he died of old age, that would have been a surprising death!
      • IKORKYI, on 07/07/2008, -1/+9out of all the nature shows, how many hosts die of beign gouged by a sting ray barb?

        if the odds of it happening are >1:1000000 then its surprising.
    • perrym, on 07/07/2008, -0/+25not unexpected but totally shocking.

      who thought he would get killed by a stingray of all animals?
    • Tyrghast, on 07/07/2008, -2/+7Why wasn't the Steve Irwin sunblock successful?

      It didn't protect from harmful rays!!!

      I crack myself up...
    • megamod, on 07/07/2008, -2/+2When I heard he died I was like..."the crocs finally got him!?"...wait wtf??? sting ray? O RLY?
    • illman00, on 07/07/2008, -1/+0IIRC there have only been like 17 reported cases of death by stingray in the last like 100 years
  • Lane, on 07/07/2008, -1/+34so what then? 40% drugs, 20% accidents, 33% suicides, and 7% "suicides" lessons learned? don't OD and don't ***** with people.
    • Rodalli, on 07/07/2008, -0/+7Also, don't ride in helicopters or airplanes if you are famous.
      • SMOKIEdaBEAR04, on 07/07/2008, -0/+4Or have the last name of "Kennedy"
    • FutureGuy, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1Stay away from drugs maybe?
  • Reaktor5, on 07/07/2008, -2/+20SRV is legend. He'll go down as one of the top 5 guitar players of all time.
  • poontangpirate, on 07/07/2008, -11/+61If the death of a celebrity impacted your life, you're either related to them, friends with them, or a stalker.
    • ismellfunny, on 07/07/2008, -0/+12aww but I miss steve Irwin , george carlin , and chris farley.
      • DietRitePure0, on 07/07/2008, -1/+3I think that's kinda the point pootangpirate is trying to make: you "miss" them in what sense? You didn't personally know any of them, and all you ever knew of them were images and their artistic output. Perhaps you'll miss the prospect of more material from these people, but doubtful you will miss the people themselves.
    • CptBuck, on 07/07/2008, -0/+5Or maybe you got sent to Vietnam because Johnson was president instead of Kennedy. Not all of the people on the list were just entertainers.
    • GhostyBoy, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1Sometimes someone you have never met can still be a hero to you.
    • harajukukei, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1a few more nirvana albums would've been nice tho...
  • mone5681, on 07/07/2008, -1/+19where is Ayrton Senna??
    • bluezinc, on 07/07/2008, -14/+4Who?
      • passedoutghost, on 07/07/2008, -1/+5Formula 1 Driver. Damned good driver.
      • ohnoitstaylor, on 07/07/2008, -3/+1He died due to a car wreck. Not too shocking.
    • WorldRTomi, on 07/07/2008, -1/+6I was thinking the same thing.

      We saw Senna die live on tv. I was 14 at the time, it definitively made something while I haven't heard the name of that model until today...
    • Simus, on 07/07/2008, -9/+5I'm sorry but if you drive really really fast next to other people driving really really fast and you die, it's not shocking.
      • WorldRTomi, on 07/07/2008, -1/+8you miss a point : they are not driving really fast in the middle of the traffic, they are driving fast in a relatively controlled environment with safety measures (which were increased following this tragic GP). BTW,Senna didn't crash into another one, and it seems he didn't do a driving mistake (where a sand trap could have helped) but suffered a rare mechanical failure.

        Had it happened in the 60s when a GP driver died every two weeks, it wouldn't have been that shocking. But Senna's and Ratzenberger death happened after a 12 years period without death in F1.
      • lateralis, on 07/07/2008, -4/+3seriously. folks, I get it, you like watching racing. but being shocked that someone dies traveling in a metal box over 200 MPH is like being shocked when boxers develop brain damage.
    • Niubai, on 07/07/2008, -1/+5Let me see ... If the death of one of the most talented race drivers of the most popular racing category, watched live by millions of people around the world, which caused praticaly a full stop of sadness in a country with 180 million of people at the day of his funeral and today is considered a legend is not considered a shocking death ... don't know what else is more.
      • mone5681, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1also shocked me because it happened 30km distance from my home...
  • StevoJD, on 07/07/2008, -13/+29TUPAC IS ALIVE!!!
    • akilleen, on 07/07/2008, -0/+9Isn't he working at a Burger King in Kalamazoo?
    • ostracize, on 07/07/2008, -0/+7...I saw him selling Biggie T-shirts, 2 for 10 dollars on 42nd Street."
    • SMOKIEdaBEAR04, on 07/07/2008, -1/+1I know....I just bought his new CD!
    • featherMARIO, on 07/07/2008, -1/+1"IT WAS A ***** NAMED KEVIN WITH A MACH 11"

      "IT WAS THE ***** IN RED THAT SHOT ME DEAD"

      HE'S TRYING TO COMMUNICATE!
  • hellahyphy, on 07/07/2008, -3/+11man. some of these guys I didn't even know where dead.
  • Mist0r_Wiggles, on 07/07/2008, -1/+17I sure hope this wasn't ranked by importance...

    cuz JFK should've definitely ranked less than 16
    • asus2000, on 07/07/2008, -1/+4I could not figure out the sort order. Marilyn Monroe behind Tim Russert? They could not possibly be in order of importance. They're not in chronological order either, they skip around.

      Note to Courant.com:

      SELECT [fields] FROM [table] ORDER BY [nImportance];
  • jfg84, on 07/07/2008, -0/+14Roberto Clemente?
  • twiztidsinz, on 07/07/2008, -6/+87Correction:
    Kurt Cobain: He died at 27 of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot to the head that was poorly investigated given the extremely odd circumstances and shoddy 'proof'.


    Wow... Brandon Lee but no Bruce Lee?
    • bluezinc, on 07/07/2008, -6/+7Brandon Lee was machine-gunned to death on film. Id say he is more deserving of being on the list.
      • BebopBlues, on 07/07/2008, -3/+3Yeah, but in terms of "shock" value, his death is no where near his father's. Brandon wasn't a legend like his dad, although had he lived, The Crow would've propelled his career.
      • enzobot24, on 07/07/2008, -0/+12He wasn't machine-gunned. It was one shot from a prop-revolver in the flashback scene.

        Why does everyone think he died in the big shootout? Action scenes usually done first in film production schedules and Lee died on one of the last days of shooting.
      • blindmelon1, on 07/07/2008, -1/+7pun intended enzobot?
    • Kavedogg, on 07/07/2008, -1/+11Brandon Lee was hit only once, with a shard of metal from a blank. The gun was not checked accurately before hand.
      • SirFoxx, on 07/07/2008, -4/+10It wasn't a blank, it was a real bullet. Had it been a blank there wouldn't have been a problem. That is why there is the theory that whoever(chinese mafia/whatever) killed him like they did his dad.
      • Csaliture, on 07/07/2008, -3/+1Actually kavedogg is correct. It was a blank. A blank cartridge did not eject when fired and the following round fired it from the barrel like a bullet. Look it up.
      • noreturn, on 07/07/2008, -0/+3For ***** sake, it's not like you guys don't have the internet.

        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandon_Lee#Death
      • SirFoxx, on 07/08/2008, -1/+1That's the official story which is highly suspect.
      • princessdiz, on 07/09/2008, -0/+0Blanks aren't supposed to be deadly but Hollywood already had a case of a blank being deadly. It did cause a problem when Jon-Erik Hexum picked up a prop gun loaded with blanks..

        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon-Erik_Hexum#Death
    • EverTheCynic, on 07/07/2008, -0/+14Yeah I was a bit surprised that as the author was adding Brandon Lee, it didn't occur to him to add Bruce.

      Bruce Lee was one of the most physically-fit people on the planet. For him to die young was a shocker. He is also more well-known than his son, in my opinion
    • Bersy, on 07/07/2008, -3/+3bruce lee's spot gets stolen by some model nobody's ever even heard of.
    • harajukukei, on 07/07/2008, -4/+1Bruce Lee's wife poisoned him.
    • lollapaloooza, on 07/07/2008, -3/+2Correction: Kurt Cobain died of a self-inflicted gunshot to the head. Period.
      • jesusfish, on 07/07/2008, -0/+3Except that he was injected with three times the lethal dose of heroin before he was shot. And his suicide note contains no mention of suicide, and there was another note to Love that was kept secret. And the fingerprints were apparently wiped off the shotgun. But yeah, other than that... period.
      • twiztidsinz, on 07/07/2008, -0/+2And the fact that the "suicide" note is actually two parts.
        One that if the first part is read on it's own (as was most likely originally written), clearly is his statement for leaving the music business. The second part, which is obviously written VASTLY different than the first part, most likely different handwriting and hastily scrawled, is the the only way you could imply suicide from it.
        In addition to the amount of drugs in his body, he would have been hard pressed to kill himself, let alone write a note, even one as poorly written as the second half of the note.

        One major reason for 'suicide' was that the area he was killed was locked from the inside and the locks were not tampered with. However, an ignored point was that you could open the doors, lock them (from the inside) and then close them (from the outside) leaving the area locked from the inside.


        I'm not saying "He was 100% murdered", I simply think that the investigation was half-assed (Courtney Love knew the (i believe) Sheriff who was the head of the investigation) and many facts were overlooked or just plain ignored.
  • duckyinc, on 07/07/2008, -2/+6I for one am not shocked by most of these death
    • asus2000, on 07/07/2008, -0/+3But will you be shocked by your own?
    • SweatyGooch, on 07/07/2008, -1/+1I'm going to have to agree, this list is terrible. Anna Nicole, Steve Irwin, Pat Tillman? You have to be a complete moron to find most of these 'shocking'. Hell, a good bit of these are drug related deaths..

      Come on, it's obvious that most of these celebrities were going to die.
      • asus2000, on 07/07/2008, -1/+3Isn't it obvious we're all going to die?
  • Skanadian, on 07/07/2008, -0/+18Everyone knew Sid Vicious was gonna die.
    • silfiriel, on 07/07/2008, -0/+3everyone knows at some point in the future is going to die, so nobody thought Sid Vicious' gonna live forever
  • alanr19, on 07/07/2008, -5/+10I was not shocked at any of those deaths.


    buried for lack of shock.
  • ydt89, on 07/07/2008, -7/+6Thank you www.courant.com for creating a slide show that doesn't require me to load a new page every slide :D If only the rest of the web could learn.
    • passedoutghost, on 07/07/2008, -0/+2Are you being sarcastic?
    • itsthebrod, on 07/07/2008, -0/+2Or here's a novel idea -- make a countdown list that doesn't require 61 clicks. Where did this idiotic notion of slideshows for websites become popular?
  • LifesSweetDrug, on 07/07/2008, -2/+19R.I.P Stevie Ray Vaughan.

    One of the greatest, if not the greatest guitarist that lived.
    • digghasnoethics, on 07/07/2008, -0/+5Oh come on. A list that includes Jimi Hendrix and you can post that?
      • oderdigg, on 07/07/2008, -1/+4Yes. SRV is god-like. So was Hendrix but it's a different style of music.

        Kinda like the old argument of who's the best bassist? Geddie Lee or Les Claypool.
      • SirFoxx, on 07/07/2008, -0/+5I do think the SRV's version of Little Wing blows Hendrix's version away.
      • EricSchC1, on 07/07/2008, -0/+3@ SirFoxx: I wouldn't think of burying you (because I love that version too), but I will have to respectfully disagree.
      • Sairynn, on 07/07/2008, -0/+2@oderdigg: "WHO's the best bassist?" is easy. The answer's right in the question.
      • GhostyBoy, on 07/07/2008, -0/+2@aderdigg: Where's the argument? It's Les Claypool.
      • ssn697, on 07/07/2008, -1/+4@Ghosty

        Cliff em all! RIP Cliff Burton...

        I am breaking out Kill em All right now...
      • GhostyBoy, on 07/07/2008, -0/+3Cliff was the only guy who could shred metal with his bare ***** fingers and rape ears with that insane growl...it's really sad that he did not get to do more.
      • SirFoxx, on 07/07/2008, -0/+3@Sairynn Billy Sheehan is pretty, pretty, pretty good.(in my best Larry David voice)
      • GhostyBoy, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1Let us not forget Victor Wooten!
    • Ookadoo, on 07/07/2008, -0/+3Agreed, dugg for Stevie.
  • n0esc, on 07/07/2008, -2/+38No Mr. Rogers?
  • theaznone, on 07/07/2008, -13/+9Why is even Pat Tillman on this list. There is more well well known people who shockingly died then him. I don't know all this hoohah about this NFL turned army guy. He knew the risk of going and look what happen. FF IS ON!!! What about all these other people children's getting killed. They get no mention of them but a number statistic while this Pat Tillman get all this media coverage.
    • SirFoxx, on 07/07/2008, -5/+6*****. He turned down millions to fight for his country because he truly believed in the cause and then was most likely killed by his own comrades because he was starting to become disillusioned with what was going on and most likely was going to use his fame to tell everyone what was really going down. Anyway you look at him, he's someone to be admired.
  • Darkhavans, on 07/07/2008, -11/+58Where the ***** is George Carlin? Surely that is a death that should have been included on this list, I'm going to miss him a lot more than most of the people on there.
    • bluezinc, on 07/07/2008, -1/+24Carlin wasn't shocking, the guy was 71. It was just very, very sad.
      • acegi, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1some people live into their 90's and still be relatively healthy.

        carlin seemed like one of those people, considering he just did another hbo special this january
      • bluezinc, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1Remember two things a) he's a stand up comedian and b) he did stand up in the 70's and 80's.

        Remember what has happened to almost every other comic working in the 70's and 80's.
    • JustinCase18, on 07/07/2008, -0/+15He also had several heart attacks back in the 80's. He was a man living on borrowed time who made the most of it.
    • bobsocool, on 07/07/2008, -0/+2I thought we was immortal he just did a new stand up in order to do a stand up at any age means you should have the health to be alive at least a couple of more years. I think he should be on this list but hey its not like this list means anything.
    • DrBeaverhausen, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1Amen to that.
    • griz, on 07/07/2008, -0/+4It was shocking because I had no idea he was 71.
  • frankenfag, on 07/07/2008, -0/+15Karen Carpenter RIP.
  • dave8910, on 07/07/2008, -0/+83No Mitch Hedberg?
    • bluezinc, on 07/07/2008, -2/+5He wasn't well known enough when he died to shock many people. Now he's more popular, but his story is just sad, not shocking.
      • ZombieSociety, on 07/07/2008, -1/+4What's not shocking about dropping dead from an undiagnosed heart condition?
      • blindmelon1, on 07/07/2008, -0/+5I'm a fan, but the dude did put a lot of ***** into his system that would have aggrevated that heart condition for sure.
      • gavin422, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1Yes, but so did a lot of other people on that list.
    • simplysoleil, on 07/07/2008, -0/+8i highlighted my hair because i thought some strands were more important than others.
    • harajukukei, on 07/07/2008, -0/+5I like an escalator because an escalator can never break, it can only become stairs. There would never be an escalator temporarily out of order sign, only an escalator temporarily stairs. Sorry for the convenience.
    • desmondregan, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1he's dead?
  • RandomCommenter, on 07/07/2008, -1/+3...and for the british Clive Hornby (aka Jack Sugden) RIP

    (PS Joe Strummer, Desmond Dekker, James Brown etc etc - all these contribute to my mental state)

    ...buried
    • memsom, on 07/07/2008, -1/+2Jack Sugden... lol.. Emmerdale is cack.
  • MechaFalcon, on 07/07/2008, -0/+7Where's the love for Brad Delp? I would think the lead singer of Boston would warrant a spot on the list.
  • SHuisman, on 07/07/2008, -3/+2Luckily it's ajax loading, so it's quite fast
    • asus2000, on 07/07/2008, -2/+2That makes no sense. How could it all be client side?
      • dunamis4067, on 07/07/2008, -1/+0AJAX is not client-side; javascript is client-side. AJAX uses a built-in javascript function to retrieve information from the server after an event has occured (after a mouse-click, for example, or after a certain amount of time has elapsed). Using simple javascript, it can then replace things on the page with information retrieved from the server (in this case, with an image) without reloading the page. I didn't actually check to see if this was AJAX, but it would be entirely doable.

        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ajax_%28programming%2 ...
      • asus2000, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1dunamis4067: Yeah, alrighty then.... So then you're saying it needs to call the server... Ok, I think that's what I was saying too..

        Loved the "AJAX is not client-side but javascript is" comment too.

        Do your research and come back when you've got it figured out.

        Peace. ;)
      • dunamis4067, on 07/07/2008, -0/+0SHuisman said, "Luckily it's ajax loading, so it's quite fast."
        You said, "How could it all be client side?"
        I provided a definition of AJAX techniques, showing that AJAX, in fact, interacts with the server, and is not client-side at all (because, in fact, it interacts with the server, or calls a page server-side, in case you missed that (it also, you know, interacts with the server, making it server-side. I wonder how hard it will be to drive this point home?)).

        I don't see the issue here. Did you read the article? Since AJAX does, in fact, interact with the server, your original comment made zero sense and was completely irrelevant.

        edit: After reading again, I think that you're just arguing semantics. I concede that AJAX is a programming technique that uses client-side functions to interact with the server, but the point is that it INTERACTS WITH THE SERVER, which again renders your original comment irrelevant.
    • Hincapie, on 07/07/2008, -0/+2/nerd
  • goosegoosegoose, on 07/07/2008, -0/+30No Bleeding Gums Murphy?
  • BulletsforRingo, on 07/07/2008, -1/+29And for that matter, where the ***** is Hunter S. Thompson!?
    • Niightwitch, on 07/07/2008, -1/+3With hunter, it wasn't as much shock as fear and loathing.
  • theaznone, on 07/07/2008, -0/+2What about Steve Rogers???
  • synchestric, on 07/07/2008, -0/+5I propose a game for non-RTFAers: say the name of a person. You win if it's on the list.
  • gigibachorski, on 07/07/2008, -3/+33Ruslana Korshunova wasn't famous
  • gigibachorski, on 07/07/2008, -2/+20What about Keith Richards??
    Oh wait, he still moves on occassion!
  • stupidStan, on 07/07/2008, -0/+9Jonathan Brandis is dead?
    • Acqua206, on 07/07/2008, -0/+4Lol, I was more shocked by that than anything else. I thought he was the epitome of cool as a kid. He was badass in Seaquest. I haven't though of him since then and now he's dead, so strange. If anything, I figure he'd fade into obscurity like most other child stars.
    • EverTheCynic, on 07/07/2008, -0/+5Yeah that one caught me completely off guard. Sidekicks is awesome in a ridiculous sort of way.
      • daRoach, on 07/07/2008, -0/+2Sidekicks was my favorite movie growing up.
    • harajukukei, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1yea that was the most shocking on the list since i never knew that.
  • DocHoliday22, on 07/07/2008, -0/+10They missed out Bruce Lee his story and the impact it has even today still inspires people...
    • pdavda, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1I agree, I saw Brandon Lee and thought Bruce Lee was coming next
  • stupidStan, on 07/07/2008, -0/+28I think Rob Pilatus faked his death...
    (milli-vanilli)
  • Shrunkenhead, on 07/07/2008, -0/+33No Douglas Adams?!
    • 5xSTUN, on 07/07/2008, -0/+4I was utterly shocked by DNA's death. He was only 48 years old and a health nut, died while running on a treadmill, they say. I've also heard it said that it was the decades-long runaround the movie studios were giving him about making a feature film of HGttG that killed him for real, the stress of it, I mean.
    • jnisme, on 07/07/2008, -2/+0I guess he shouldn't have laid down in front of that bulldozer.
  • HumanRecalled, on 07/07/2008, -1/+2i know he wasn't big time by man i didn't know Jonathan Brandis hung himself at the age of 27 ...man growing up he was on all sort of different TV shows - including one of my favs at the time SeaQuest ..wow things you learn
  • Shades87, on 07/07/2008, -2/+4Wow, I just read into Phil Hartmans death, that's some pretty crazy stuff, I knew he had died. But dang.
    • BSeffrood, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1You can blame Andy Dick, just another reason to hate that douche bag
    • mikinurbook, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1That's the saddest I've ever been over a celebrity death, I even cried.
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