The Most Insane Celebrity Deaths

If you go to Instagram, TikTok, or whatever your favorite social media platform is right now, you’ll see people praising celebrities like they’re Gods! But celebs are mortal, just like us. Not only that, some celebs have met their mortal ends in the weirdest, grossest, and most mysterious ways imaginable. From toilet trouble, to Darwin Award level stunts, let's uncover the craziest ways that celebrities have met their maker.

Elvis Presley

The King of Rock & Roll, Elvis Presley, is one of music’s most iconic stars. Despite peaking in the 1950’s, he’s still the third highest-selling music artist in the world. Pretty impressive but what’s less impressive is the way Elvis bowed out. By the time he hit his 40s, Elvis’ health had taken a hit. He had a particular passion for high-fat foods, most notably, hamburgers.

And as he got older and his metabolism naturally slowed down, his full-fat lifestyle led to him weighing some 350 pounds, that’s almost double the weight of today’s average man! However, in 1977, at the age of 42, Elvis’ overindulgences would catch up with him. While relieving himself on the toilet, Elvis, who suffered from chronic constipation, had a heart-attack.

But not just any heart attack. This heart-attack was brought on by something called Valsalva’s Maneuver, according to the coroner. Essentially, he strained so hard trying to poop, it compressed his aorta, one of the main blood supplies to the heart. And in doing so, he gave himself a heart attack. Horrifyingly, the King of Rock n Roll was found unresponsive by his girlfriend, lying head-down, half-naked on the bathroom floor. That ain’t exactly rock n roll now, is it?

Steve Irwin

If you grew up in the 90’s, then you know Steve Irwin was the man. This aussie rose to fame as a lovable, nature-enthusiast TV presenter, best known for his wildlife series, The Crocodile Hunter. As the name suggests, he was filmed with crocs, spiders, snakes, essentially, if it could kill you, Steve found a way to get close to it!

And in September 2006, Steve was filming for a new documentary called Ocean’s Deadliest, off the coast of eastern Australia. While swimming in shallow waters, Irwin came across a giant, 8-foot wide short-tail stingray!

Any sensible human would think to stay well away from any creature that big. But, not Steve Irwin, he obviously went in for a closer look, knowing stingrays are usually placid animals, that, if bothered, will just swim away. Clearly though, this particular ray was having a bad day. As Irwin approached it, the stingray, propped up on its front and suddenly stabbed its 8-inch barb into his chest.

Irwin thought the barb had punctured his lung, when in fact it had gone through his heart! If that didn’t sound lethal enough, the barb of a short-tail stingray is also venomous. At least he died doing what he loved, and sure beats dying on the toilet, at any rate!

Bruce Lee

It’s pretty tricky to find a celeb more fearless than Steve Irwin, but Bruce Lee might just be! The Hong Kong-American martial artist and actor found fame performing in movies like Enter the Dragon, The Way of the Dragon and popularized the iconic phrase, "Be water my friend."

You’d imagine it’d take a lot to take this legend down. But that actually wasn’t the case. Back in 1973, while acting out some scenes for an upcoming movie, Lee complained of a headache and dizziness. So, his lover, Betty Ting, decided to give him a tablet of Equagesic, a strong aspirin-based medication.

After taking the tablet he went to sleep. Tragically though, he’d never wake up again. The coroner’s official cause of the movie star’s demise was a cerebral oedema, a swelling of the brain, triggered by an allergic reaction to the headache medication!

However, a recent study argues the headache was actually a symptom of a more serious illness. The study states Lee perished from a kidney disfunction. For someone as trim as Bruce Lee that may seem odd. But, he often went on juice diets, and drunk excessive amounts of water. In other words, he’d done a lot of things that messed with the water-balancing mechanisms in his body.

This set him up for hyponatremia, where the body holds on to too much water, causing symptoms like nausea, cramping, and, you guessed it, headaches! In extreme cases, like the one that affected Lee, hyponatremia can even cause seizures and rapid brain swelling. Maybe that was too much water, my friend!

Jeff Buckley

American singer-songwriter, Jeff Buckley, rose to fame in the mid-1990s with the release of his cover of Hallelujah. Ironically though, Buckley’s end would be far from holy.

In 1997, Buckley was in Memphis, recording a follow up to his smash-hit debut album, Grace. One summer’s afternoon, Buckley, along with his friend, Keith Foti, were winding down by the banks of the Wolf River, a tributary off the Mississippi. The singer decided to get in the water; however, he jumped in fully clothed, not bothering to remove his t-shirt, jeans, or combat boots!

Swimming is much harder while clothed, as the materials become extremely dense once wet, dragging you down. Still, Buckley was a confident enough swimmer, so he didn’t think much of it. Everything was going swimmingly, until a boat came Buckley’s way.

With Buckley passing behind the boat, his friend lost sight of him. What happened next, no-one knows. One thing was for sure, though, Buckley disappeared. Most likely, the motion of the boat through the water created a turbulent flow, which pulled the singer under.

After Buckley’s body was spotted 5 days later, a medical report showed he had no traces of any substances in his system. So this bizarre scene unfolded while he was completely sober. That’s almost less rock and roll than dying on the toilet.

John Denver

But Jeff Buckley isn’t the only singer to go down literally. Famous country singer-songwriter John Denver is known for classic hits like Take Me Home, Country Road, as well as, Leaving on a Jet Plane. Creepily, though, John kind of sang about his own demise. When he wasn’t recording smash hits, John enjoyed piloting aircraft. Over the course of his career, he’d racked up more than 2,700 hours in the air!

However, back in October 1997, Denver had just picked up a flashy new Long E-Z Aircraft, and was keen to take it for a test flight. He took off from Monterey Peninsula Airport, before heading out over the Pacific Ocean. It was clear weather and blue skies, a perfect day to fly. But at 5:28PM, several witnesses heard a loud bang, Denver’s plane had dropped straight down into the ocean!

But he was an experienced pilot, what could possibly have happened? Well, in his eagerness to fly, Denver appeared to have forgotten to refuel the plane. That’s odd, a licensed pilot would do thorough pre-flight checks for this sort of stuff right? Well, he wasn’t actually licensed, he’d had his license revoked more than a year before! First Bruce Lee then Jeff Buckley, now John Denver, celebrities and water do not mix!

Jon James

Jon James was a Canadian rapper, professional skier, and a stunt artist who was at the height of his fame in the 2010’s. He was a jack of all trades, he even performed various daring stunts for his music videos. However, one trick went a lil too far.

In 2018, James was performing a particularly ludicrous stunt for an upcoming music video. He thought it’d be a good idea to walk along the wing of a plane. It's important to add that this is while the aircraft was hundreds of feet in the air! If that wasn’t risky enough, James was walking on the wing of a Cessna aircraft, a relatively small plane. So, when he wandered out to the wing, the added weight sent the plane into a downward spiral.

James wasn’t a complete moron. He’d worn a parachute, in case of emergency. However, in the chaos, he held onto the plane’s wing too long. By the time he eventually let go, he didn’t have time to open his parachute, and well, you can guess the rest! Let’s just hope they never release that music video!

Dar Robinson

Dar Robinson was a famous American stunt performer and actor, who held 21 world stunt records from the 1960’s through to the 1980s. The King of the Stuntmen, as he was known, is remembered for feats like a 900 ft free-fall from the CN Tower!

Sadly though, this daredevil couldn’t dodge danger forever. In 1986, Robinson was filming as a stunt double for the action-packed movie, Million Dollar Mystery. For one stunt, he had to crash his motorbike into a guardrail at 40 mph, before vaulting over it into a safety net!

With the most daring task out the way, he could relax a little. But that’d be a big mistake! Hours later, Robinson was involved in a routine motorbike chase scene. After speeding down a hill, he approached a sharp curve. However, instead of turning with the curve, the stuntman slipped, losing control of his dirt bike, before dropping down the craggy 40-foot cliff!

Jim Heselden

Not all celebs come from the silver screen. Jim Heselden, for example, found fame as an entrepreneur, developing the Hesco bastion, used for military fortifications. With all the millions he made, he acquired Segway Inc., creators of the iconic two wheeled personalized motor, from its inventor in 2009. Little did he know, that decision would be his downfall.

After acquiring the company, Heselden presumably used the flashy wheeler to get about. On one of his journeys, the entrepreneur came across a dog walker. Now, that’d normally be fine, but Heselden was riding his segway near a pretty daring drop. In a bid to give the dog walker more room, Heselden reversed back. But, in doing so, he lost control of the segway, before disappearing from sight! Sadly both him and his segway dropped down 40-feet below, neither survived.

Xiao Qiumei

Whether it’s Addison Rae, Bella Poarch, or Charlie D’Amelio, a new generation of celebs have emerged in recent years on the social media app, TikTok. It’s no different in China, where 23 year-old Xiao Qiumei gained more than 100,000 followers on the Chinese equivalent, Douyin. Qiumei was a crane operator who rose to fame with her livestreams live from the cabin.

One day in July 2021, Qiumei was filming a video like any other, recording herself way up on the crane. But somehow, she took a misstep and fell out of the vehicle’s cabin, dropping down 160 feet to her demise! That’d be like falling off the top of Nelson’s Column in London.

That sounds bad, but what’s even more horrifying is that she held on to her phone during the fall, livestreaming the whole tragic event. Social media is full of some freaky stuff, but that might top it all! Or, technically, bottom.

Timbo the Redneck

But Xiao Qiumei isn’t the only TikTok star to meet their maker in a harrowing way. Timothy Hall, otherwise known as Timbo the Redneck, gained more than 200,000 followers on TikTok, posting videos of himself fishing, performing gags, and doing stunts in his beloved pick-up truck, Big Booty Judy.

However, like all dangerous women, Judy would be Timbo’s undoing back in 2021. The 18 year-old was doing donuts in Judy, but was going way too fast. He suddenly lost control of Judy, before flying out the driver’s side window. Bruised and disorientated, he didn’t have the awareness to get out of the way before Judy flipped over, landing on top of him. Let that be a lesson. The only doughnuts you need in your life are the glazed kind!

Aeschylus

But it’s not only in recent years that famous figures have suffered some crazy twists of fate. Nearly 2,500 years before TikTok Timbo’s demise, playwright Aeschylus was kicking about in ancient Greece. Known as the father of tragedy, his nickname would become incredibly ironic.

One morning, Aeschylus ventured outside, presumably to think up the plot of his next play. Unbeknownst to him, an eagle, which had just hunted down a tortoise, was holding it in its talons, and was flying above. The story goes that the eagle mistook Aeschylus’ shiny bald head for a rock, and in an attempt to crack the tortoise’s shell, dropped it on Aeschylus’ noggin. Maybe the bird just hated his plays?

If that wasn’t cursed enough, it’s said Aeschylus had been staying outdoors to avoid a prophecy that he’d be taken down by a falling object! When your luck’s out, your luck’s out! Considering he was the father of tragedy, there’s a chance his end could’ve been fabricated by later Greek playwrights.

King Henry I

Tortoises aren’t the only animals to have struck down a celeb. Henry I was one of the most famous men of the 12th century, reigning as the King of England from 1100 to 1135. In the Middle Ages, lampreys were considered a delicacy among the elite. King Henry had a bit of an obsession with these jawless fish, which are most famous for their hellish, hooked-tooth lined sucker mouth.

But during one of these grim binge fests, a contemporary chronicler claimed Henry was chowing down on a lamprey when, without warning, he suddenly doubled over and died. Did he choke? Did he have an allergic reaction? What part of this gross feast killed him exactly? Improperly removing the lamprey’s mucus covering, and failing to wash the meat, has been known to cause lamprey poisoning.

In these cases, people can suffer from vomiting, diarrhea and cramps. But there are no confirmed fatalities. So, while that mucus-y meal may’ve made Henry sick, something else likely finished him off. A recent research paper claimed that the probable culprit was actually a bacteria called Listeria monocytogenes.

This deadly foodborne bacteria has a mortality rate of up to 30%, with complications including meningitis, gastroenteritis and sepsis. The bacteria thrives in cold, damp conditions; similar to the ones present at Henry’s stone fortress. So, the king of England was either taken down by fish, or germs, and it's unsure which is worse!

Tycho Brahe

Is there any worse feeling in the world than when you’re dying to take a leak but you can’t get to the bathroom. Tycho Brahe knew that feeling all too well. Brahe was a 16th century Danish astronomer, known for cataloging over 1,000 stars in his time. Being an astronomer you’d think Brahe wouldn’t have a very flamboyant lifestyle, but that wasn’t the case.

He kept a pet moose, and he lost part of his nose while battling in a sword duel, famously wearing a brass one to replace it! Yet, the most remarkable part of Brahe’s life was its ending. In 1601, the stargazer was invited to a banquet. Midway through his meal, he had a sudden urge to whizz! But, thinking it was bad etiquette, Brahe held it in. And, he did a pretty good job. In fact, he held it in so well, that when he eventually got home hours later, he could no longer pee!

For days after, Brahe was unable to take a whizz! Alongside that, he began to experience insomnia, a continuous fever, and delirium, symptoms in-keeping with someone suffering from a burst bladder! Eventually, after 11 agonizing days, Brahe’s bladder got the better of him.

Hans Steininger

While he may not be well-known today, Hans Steininger was a big deal back in the mid-16th century. He was the mayor of Braunau am Inn in Austria. But what really got eyeballs on this guy was his facial hair. Steininger donned a famous 4 ½ feet long beard, stretching down past his feet. His fuzzy facial feature was so long that he usually folded it up and stuffed it in his pocket.

In September 1567, there was a fire in Braunau am Inn. In the days before fire engines and water hoses, a blaze could quickly reduce a town to ashes. So, being the town’s mayor, the bearded boss knew he had to take action to fight the fire. However, amidst the chaos he forgot to fold up his beard. While approaching a set of stairs, Steininger accidentally stepped on his beard, throwing him off balance, and making him fall down a flight of stairs! You could say that trip was a Stairway to Heaven for him.

Rod Hull

Ever been relaxing, watching TV, when all of a sudden the picture goes out? It can be pretty frustrating, can’t it? No-one knew that feeling better than Rod Hull. This guy was a famous British comedian and entertainer, popular in the 70s and 80s, who was never seen without his goofy puppet sidekick, Emu.

In 1999, Hull was watching a soccer match with his son, Oliver, in their living room. But, all of a sudden, the picture cut out. Annoyed, instead of ringing a professional, Hull decided to fix the issue himself by getting a ladder and climbing onto his roof to adjust the aerial.

Waiting in the living room to tell his dad if the pictured returned, Oliver suddenly heard a crash, followed by a thud. But that wasn’t the aerial falling! What he’d actually heard was his dad losing his balance, crashing through their greenhouse, and then landing on its concrete floor. Thank god satellite TV is a thing of the past!

Sonny Bono

Long before Beyonce and Jay-Z, or Meghan and Harry, there was another power couple who rocked the world: Sonny and Cher! This American pop and entertainment duo peaked in the 60s and 70s, featuring the Goddess of Pop, Cher, and her former husband, Sonny.

While you’ve likely heard of Cher, Sonny was a big deal back in the day, too. Whether it was for his singing, acting, or even his role as Mayor of Palm Springs, this guy was everywhere. Up until January 1998, at least. To kick off the new year, Sonny went on a family skiing trip to Heavenly Ski Resort in California. He was skiing with his then-wife, Mary Whitaker and their two children, when he left them to ski alone.

The rest of his family waited at the bottom of the slope for Sonny to ski down, but hours later there was still no sign of him. After a search and rescue patrol was sent out, they found him, and not in a good way. Somehow, Sonny had veered off course, skiing head-first into a tree at the side of the slope! Human head versus tree stump, it's clear who won that battle.

Luciano Re Cecconi

Soccer players don’t have a reputation for being the sharpest tools in the box. But one particular player took that reputation of stupidity to new lows back in 1977. Luciano Re Cecconi was an Italian professional soccer star, playing for Team Lazio, as well as his national team. Aside from playing soccer, Re Cecconi was said to have a love for practical jokes.

So, one day, Re Cecconi and his teammate decided to cause some mischief in a jewelry shop in Rome. They thought it’d be a bright idea to walk in, shouting hands in the air, while masking their faces with their jackets. Unbeknownst to them however, just a week earlier, the jewelers had been burgled, for real!

As a result, the paranoid owner pulled out a shotgun! While his teammate spotted the gun and raised his hands, Re Cecconi continued on with the idiotic prank until the shop-keeper opened fire. Despite being rushed to hospital, the soccer star didn’t make it, with his final words being: it’s just a joke! One shouldn’t mock the dead, but we all know that to be a joke it has to be funny.

Claude François

The incredible French pop singer and songwriter, Claude François, rose to fame in the 60s after co-writing the lyrics to the original version of My Way. But for all his musical genius, it seemed like François was lacking some common sense.

In 1978, while relaxing at his Parisian apartment, François decided to run himself a bath. Just as he got into the tub and started to unwind, the singer realized something, the light was off. For some reason, the lamp above his head wasn’t working. So, François had the bright idea to go ahead and fix it.

There was one problem, though, his body was still in the water of the bathtub. You don’t need me to tell you water and electricity isn’t a good mix. And predictably, as he touched the lightbulb, the sodden singer suffered a lethal electrocution. What a shocking way to go!

Harry Houdini

Most of you probably think you know how Harry Houdini, the Hungarian-American escape artist and illusionist, died. It’s a story almost as famous as the man himself, he who would perform mind-blowing stunts like burying himself 6-feet under, and escaping from a water-filled milk can.

But you probably don’t know the full story. So, let’s start back in October 1926, where Houdini was giving a lecture at McGill University in Montreal. After the lecture, he invited some of the students into his dressing room to talk further.

It was then one of the students asked Houdini if it was true that he could resist punches to the stomach, a claim he’d made before. When Houdini said the rumors were true, the student immediately put it to the test, punching the stuntman four or five times in the abdomen. Normally, Houdini would have tensed to resist these, but he was reclining on the sofa, and the student had hit him in the stomach when he was completely unprepared, which left him in considerable pain.

He brushed it off, however, later that day, he began to feel stomach cramps. And his condition only worsened the next day. On-board a train for his next run of performances, he experienced severe abdominal pain, cold sweats, and a soaring temperature of over 100 degrees!

A doctor suspected Houdini had appendicitis, yet being the performer he was, Houdini refused to cancel his show. Somehow, he struggled through. Yet, as the final curtain drew, Houdini collapsed to the floor. Despite being rushed to the hospital, it was all too late for the stuntman. Doctors removed his appendix, however it had ruptured days earlier, poisoning his insides.

So, the story of the famous punch that killed Houdini has been told many times over, but the punch likely wasn’t to blame. While traumatic appendicitis, which is an appendicitis brought on by injury, can happen, it’s extremely rare. And Houdini was operated on 9 days after that initial encounter, if he’d had a burst appendix that entire time, he’d barely have been able to stand, let alone travel and do a show.

Anyone who’s had an appendicitis can confirm just how painful it is. So, did the punch burst the appendix? Probably not. But spending years avoiding the most extreme and horrifying deaths possible, only to be taken out by your own organs? Now that’s crazy.

If you were amazed at the most insane ways celebrities died, you might want to read our Darwin Awards series. Thanks for reading!