Celebrities Who Got A Shot At Fame By Accident

The passing of a celebrity is always heartbreaking. It's shocking to learn when one of your favorite celebrities, musicians, or models is dead. Indeed, many of them are still with us.

Who can forget The Voice contestant Christina Grimmie, who was tragically murdered while signing autographs for fans in 2016? When Charles Manson's Family members cruelly killed Sharon Tate, who was eight and a half months pregnant? There are still some unsolved instances, such as Tupac and Biggie's deaths.

1. Sharon Tate

The notorious Charles Manson Family assassinated actress Sharon Tate on August 9, 1969. Tate was stabbed 16 times by four cult members as she and three of her companions were sleeping. She was eight-and-a-half months pregnant with Roman Polanski's kid at her death.

2. Phil Hartman

On May 28, 1998, Brynn Hartman, the wife of former Saturday Night Live and Jingle All the Way star Phil Hartman, killed her husband. After a furious dispute, she shot him three times while he was sleeping and then killed herself. In the murder-suicide, it is also possible that narcotics were involved.

3. Christina Grimmie

Kevin James Loibl shot and killed Christina Grimmie, a former Voice contestant, on June 10th, 2016. At the time, she was 22 years old. While signing autographs at The Plaza Live in Orlando, Florida, he shot her three times, once in the head and twice in the chest.

4. John Lennon

On December 8, 1980, John Lennon, the lead vocalist of the Beatles, was gunned down by a crazed fan. John David Chapman, a disturbed guy, shot him four times outside his New York house. Later, Chapman claimed that the novel The Catcher in the Rye had influenced his acts. He was sentenced to spend the rest of his life behind bars.

5. Natalie Wood

On November 29, 1981, the body of actress Natalie Wood was discovered in the Pacific Ocean after her yacht, captained by her husband Robert Wagner, set off for Catalina Island. Autopsy results showed bruises all over her body and a cut on her left face, even though her death was ruled an "accidental drowning."

6. Jam Master Jay

Run-legendary D.M.C.'s D.J. In a recording studio in Jamaica, Queens, someone shot and killed Jam Master Jay on October 30, 2002. Derrick Parker, a former NYPD officer known as the Hip-Hop Cop, claims to know who killed Jam Master Jay and that the case would be resolved soon, even though his murder remains unsolved.

7. Marvin Gaye

On April 1, 1984, after trying to break up a disagreement between him and his mother, singer Marvin Gaye was shot and murdered by his father. The California Hospital Medical Center confirmed his death after being shot twice in their home. A six-year suspended sentence and five years of probation were handed down to Marvin Sr., Marvin's father.

8. John F. Kennedy

As he drove into Dallas' Dealey Plaza in his presidential convertible limousine on November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was shot and killed. Lee Harvey Oswald, a former Marine who shot J.F.K. in the head and neck, was his assassin. Almost 30 minutes after the incident, he was declared dead in the hospital.

9. Dimebag Darrell

Damageplan guitarist Dimebag Darrell was shot and died on stage on December 8, 2004, at a Columbus, Ohio, bar while performing with the band. A maniacal fan named Nathan Gale shot and killed Darrell, blaming him for the breakup of his band Pantera. Before Gale was shot and killed by police, three other people were slain in the incident.

10. Tupac Shakur

On September 7, 1996, Tupac Shakur was shot four times while traveling in a friend's car after a Las Vegas boxing event when he was gunned down. Six days later, at the age of 25, he passed away at a nearby hospital. Many have believed that Tupac's death was the consequence of his East Coast/West Coast dispute with rapper Biggie Smalls, yet the identity of his assassin has remained a mystery.

11. Sam Cooke

Bertha Franklin, a hotel manager, shot and murdered singer Sam Cooke on December 11, 1964. He was killed because Frankin alleged that Cooke had threatened her life after trying to rape a young lady who followed him to a hotel room, which was where he was found dead. Despite this, many feel that Cooke's death resulted from a conspiracy.

12. Nicole Brown Simpson

This case is still referred to as the trial of the century after Nicole Brown Simpson was found dead on June 13, 1994. It was found outside her Brentwood, California, home that she and her companion Ron Goldman had been stabbed to death. Although he was found not guilty, O.J. Simpson, Brown's husband, was the leading suspect in the murder.

13. Adrienne Shelley

On November 1, 2006, the body of director Adrienne Shelly was discovered hanging in the shower of the studio apartment she used as her workspace. Police discovered a footprint near the spot where her corpse was discovered, which led them to believe she had committed suicide. Diego Pillco, a construction worker who admitted to murdering Shelly and staged a false suicide, was eventually taken into custody.

14. Andrés Escobar

After the 1994 FIFA World Cup, Colombian soccer player Andrés Escobar was shot and died in Medellin, Colombia, on July 2, 1994. In the aftermath of Columbia's murder by two individuals who drew out guns and shot him six times, his team was decimated. It's safe to say that his death was a kind of vengeance for his blunder.

15. XXXTentacion

A heist gone wrong claimed the life of rapper XXXTentacion on June 18, 2018. His true name was Jahseh Onfroym. He was a young man of 20. After exiting a motorcycle shop in Florida, two individuals shot him many times in the neck. 15 felonies, including domestic abuse against his pregnant girlfriend, were pending at the time of his death for XXXTentacion.

16. Princess Diana

A tragic vehicle accident in Paris, France, on August 31, 1997, claimed the life of Princess Diana, the mother of Princes William and Harry. Some feel that the paparazzi are to blame for the car's driver losing control of the vehicle, while others claim that the royal family had her murdered.

17. Carl Switzer

Carl Switzer, who played Alfalfa in the Our Gang movies, was fatally shot on January 21, 1959, following an alleged altercation over $50. During the attack, his assailant claimed that the actor was about to cut him in the room, which prompted him to fire one shot into Switzer's stomach.

18. JonBenét Ramsey

When JonBenét Ramsey, a six-year-old child beauty queen from Boulder, Colorado, was assassinated on December 26, 1996, she became a household name, even though she had no prior fame. Her mother, the Patsy, stated she found a ransom note demanding $118,000 for JonBenét's return, and her body was located in her basement. After her death, it was discovered that she had been strangled and had a fractured skull due to the impact. It's commonly thought that her parents faked the message to cover up their involvement in the crime.

19. Rebecca Schaeffer

On July 18, 1989, model-turned-actress Rebecca Schaeffer was shot and died at the doorway of her house. Robert John Bardo, an obsessive devotee who had been following her for years, was the killer. After witnessing her having sex with another guy on television, he allegedly grew outraged with jealously.

20. Elizabeth Short (Black Dahlia)

Known as "the Black Dahlia," aspiring actress Elizabeth Short was discovered dead on January 15, 1947. Her body was never identified. Even though she was not well-known before her death, the gruesome nature of the crime made her assassination widely reported. Short's dismembered body was discovered in two parts: Naked and drained of blood. Additionally, she had abrasions on the side of her lips and wounds on her thighs and breasts. Despite a lengthy and extensive investigation, her murder remains unsolved.

21. Dominique Dunn

John Thomas Sweeney murdered his girlfriend Dominique Dunn to death in the driveway of her home on October 30, 1982. A nearby hospital admitted her and put her on life support. Despite everything, she died on November 4. Even though when police apprehended him, Sweeney acknowledged that he had "killed his fiancée," he only received a six-year sentence for manslaughter.

22. Dorothy Stratten

Paul Snider, the manager, and ex-husband of Playboy model Dorothy Statten killed her at 20. On August 14, 1980, he killed her and committed suicide in their West Los Angeles apartment. Her battered and raped body was discovered with a gunshot wound to the face.

23. Biggie

Like his adversary Tupac, Biggie Smalls (aka The Notorious B.I.G.) was slain in a drive-by shooting on March 9, 1997, and his murder remains unsolved. After exiting the Soul Train Music Awards, a guy shot and killed the rapper at a red light. Once at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, he succumbed to wounds shortly after being admitted.

24. Selena Quintanilla-Pérez

Yolanda Saldivar, the creator of the Selena fan club, assassinated rising singer Selena Quintanilla-Pérez on March 31, 1995. Saldivar obtained a pistol and led the singer to the Days Inn motel, where she shot her in the back after she was suspected of embezzling money. A few times later, Selena suffered a fatal injury and died. She was 23 years old at the time.

25. Gianni Versace

A serial murderer named Andrew Cunanan killed Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace on July 15, 1997. At around 8:15 am on the morning of September 11, 2007, he was shot dead on the stairs of his Miami home. Cunanan's motives are still a mystery, but he killed four others and ended his own life before committing himself.

26. Heath Ledger

In his Manhattan residence, Heath Ledger died of a heroin overdose on January 22, 2008. The Australian actor died while filming Terry Gilliam's Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassius and Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight. To fill in for Ledger's role in the film's final moments, Gilliam enlisted the help of Ledger's close pals, Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell.

27. Paul Walker

After attending a charity event with his former racing friend Roger Rodas, Paul Walker of Fast and ' Furious fame was tragically killed in a vehicle accident on November 30, 2013. Rodas was driving a Porsche that lost control and smashed into a tree, instantly killing both. Universal Pictures was considering putting Fast and ' Furious 7 on indefinite hold because the picture was still in the middle of production. They eventually opted to proceed with the production using special effects and stunt doubles.

28. Brandon Lee

In a tragic stunt-related accident on the set of The Crow, Bruce Lee's son Brandon Lee tragically died. A fake bullet was utilized in a scenario when Lee's character was meant to be shot. He died later that day after being struck in the abdomen. He was 28 years old.

29. River Phoenix

River Phoenix died of a heroin overdose on October 31, 1993, outside The Viper Room in Hollywood, before he could finish filming the film Dark Blood. Several narcotics, including cocaine and morphine, were detected in his system during the examination. It took 19 years for Dark Blood to be completed, and it was only in 2012 that it was made public.

30. Philip Seymour Hoffman

A heroin overdose claimed the life of Philip Seymour Hoffman on February 2, 2014. Eight months before his death, the Oscar-winning actor had relapsed into addiction after more than 25 years of abstinence. Mockingjay Part 2 was in development, and Hoffman had one week left of filming. The man was 46 years of age.

31. Abe Vigoda

94-year-old Abe Vigoda, the character actor whose leathery, sad-eyed countenance made him ideal for roles such as Phil Fish in the 1970s T.V. series "Barney Miller" and the doomed Mafia soldier in "The Godfather," passed away on January 26.