Fans of celebrities are often devastated when one of them passes away. Due to extensively publicized investigations and trials, public scrutiny is increased when murder is involved. These are famous people who tragically passed away, some at the hands of their admirers, loved ones, or even total strangers. Here are 15 notable cases:
Sharon Tate: Stabbed 16 Times
Sharon Marie Tate Polanski was an American actress and model. Before debuting in movies, she had minor television appearances during the 1960s, and she frequently appeared as a cover girl and model in fashion magazines.
In 1969, members of the Charles Manson Family, a cult famous for this crime in which Sharon Tate was stabbed 16 times in her home, brutally murdered Sharon, who was married to the director Roman Polanski and carrying his child at the time.
Phil Hartman: Shot By His Wife
Actor, comedian, screenwriter, and graphic designer Philip Edward Hartman was of Canadian and American descent. As a comedian, he was best known for his work on Saturday Night Live. Fans of the holiday film Jingle All The Way will recognize him as the neighbor. Hartman was shot three times by his wife while sleeping, who then committed suicide.
John Lennon: Shot 4 Times By A Fan
As the founding member, co-composer, co-lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist of the Beatles and peace campaigner, John Winston Ono Lennon, rose to international fame. The famed Beatles singer John Lennon was killed outside his own house in New York by David Chapman in one of the most well-known fan murders in history. Lennon was shot four times by Chapman, who received a life sentence. Later, he stated that The Catcher in the Rye served as an inspiration for the murder.
Christina Grimmie: Shot In The Head And Chest By A Fan
Christina Victoria Grimmie started uploading YouTube covers of well-known songs in 2009. Her debut studio album, With Love, was published after she hit two million subscribers.
When Christina Grimmie participated in The Voice and launched her music career, she became an instant celebrity. A devoted fan shot and killed her when she was only 22 years old. She was shot twice in the chest and once in the head while she was signing autographs in Florida.
Nicole Brown Simpson: Stabbed To Death
O. J. Simpson, a former professional American football player, was married to Nicole Brown from 1985 to 1992. They later divorced in 1992. She was the mother of their two children, Sydney and Justin.
Due to Nicole Brown Simpson’s marriage to O.J. Simpson, who would later be charged with her murder, the killing received considerable media attention. The actress and her companion Ron Goldman, who was also killed, were found stabbed outside their respective homes in California.
Princess Diana (Conspiracy Theory): Died In A Car Crash
Diana, Princess of Wales was a member of the British royal family. Because of her activism and allure, Diana became a global icon and earned her enduring popularity and almost unheard-of levels of public scrutiny.
The belief that Princess Diana was actually killed will continue to be supported by the majority of conspiracy theorists. Although it is commonly accepted that the paparazzi who were trailing her car were to blame for the crash, conspiracy theorists contend that the royal family orchestrated her death. She was killed in a car accident in Paris.
JonBenét Ramsey: Head Trauma And Strangulation
The death of child beauty queen JonBenét Ramsey made headlines because to how her body was discovered and the fact that her own parents were under suspicion. When her body was discovered in the family home’s basement, she was just 6 years old. The ransom note that was discovered with her body was later determined to have been a cover-up by her parents for their crime of strangling and breaking Ramsey’s skull.
Because her mother Patsy Ramsey, a former beauty queen, entered her daughter JonBenét in numerous child beauty pageants, the case attracted international attention from the general public and the media. The Boulder Police Department’s investigation into the incident is still ongoing and the crime is still regarded as a cold case.
Elizabeth Short, The Black Dahlia: Tortured And Cut In Half
The body of American woman Elizabeth Short, also referred to as the “Black Dahlia,” was discovered on January 15, 1947, in the Leimert Park section of Los Angeles. Because of the horrific nature of the crime, her case received extensive media coverage.
Numerous media adaptations have centered on the unsolved Black Dahlia murder. Elizabeth Short was found dead and dismembered in a park in a Los Angeles neighborhood. Her corpse was blood-drained, had slashes on the side of her mouth, and had been severed at the waist.
Gianni Versace: Shot By A Serial Killer
Italian fashion designer, socialite, and businessman Giovanni Maria “Gianni” Versace was the founder of Versace, an international luxury fashion house that creates clothing, accessories, fragrances, makeup, and home goods. He was out for a morning stroll when he was killed. He was shot and killed by a serial killer who also murdered four other people before turning the gun on himself.
Tupac Shakur: Shot 4 Times
Tupac Amaru Shakur, also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is regarded by many as one of the greatest rappers of all time.
Tupac was assassinated in 1996 while a passenger in a friend’s car. He was shot four times after exiting a boxing event in Las Vegas. His killer is still at large, but many believe that he was murdered because of a dispute with the rapper Biggie Smalls. He later passed away at the hospital.
Sam Cooke: Shot By a Hotel Manager
Sam Cooke was the stage name of Samuel Cook, an American singer and songwriter. Cooke is frequently referred to as the “King of Soul” for his distinctive vocals, significant contributions to the genre, and importance in popular music. He is regarded as a pioneer and one of the most influential soul artists of all time.
Hotel manager Bertha Franklin fatally shot renowned soul singer Sam Cooke back in 1964. She asserted that before threatening Franklin’s life, Cooke made an attempt to rape a young woman he was with. Many people think that Cooke’s murder was actually pre-planned.
Jam Master Jay: Shot In A Recording Studio
American musician and DJ Jason William Mizell was better known by his stage name, Jam Master Jay. He was the DJ of the influential hip hop group Run-DMC. Run-DMC became known as one of the biggest hip-hop groups in the 1980s and is credited with introducing hip-hop into the mainstream.
Run-D.M.C. fans will be familiar with Jam Mastery Jay, who was killed in 2002. He was shot in a recording studio in Jamaica, but the murder is still unsolved and the perpetrator is still at large.
Marvin Gaye: Shot By His Own Father
Marvin Pentz Gay Jr., also known by the stage name Gaye, was a singer and songwriter from the United States. As an internal session musician in the 1960s and later as a solo artist with a string of successes, he contributed to defining the sound of Motown, earning the titles “Prince of Motown” and “Prince of Soul”
In 1984, the late singer Marvin Gaye’s father killed him. Marvin was shot and killed in their house after attempting to break up a disagreement between his mother and father. After getting to the hospital, he was declared dead, and his father was put in jail.
John F. Kennedy: Assassinated By Gunshot
From 1961 until his assassination near the end of his third year in office, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, an American politician also known by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, presided as the 35th president of the United States.
President John F. Kennedy’s murder is still a topic of conversation today. While traveling through Dallas, Texas, in his limousine, he was slain in broad daylight. He was then shot in the head and neck, taken to the hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. Lee Harvey Oswald killed him.
Natalie Wood: Drowned Under Suspicious Circumstances
American actress Natalie Wood got her start in movies when she was a young child and later made the transition to young adult roles.
Despite the fact that Natalie Wood’s death is still a mystery, the state of her body has led many to conclude that she was murdered. When her body was eventually discovered in the ocean, the actress and her husband Robert Wagner were on a yacht. Although the autopsy showed bruises and a cut on her body, it was initially believed that she had accidently drowned.