Stars Who Died Too Young and Too Soon
For some young and rising stars, the pressure of fame and success has led them to their untimely deaths. Some of them were just not mentally prepared for the anxiety and demands of their busy Hollywood jobs and some of them were just very unfortunate. Aside from the sudden and recent death of Heath Ledger, here are some entertainers whose lives were cut short:
Sid Vicious, 21
The Sex Pistols bassist and then solo artist Sid Vicious was everything that punk stood for: Violence, destruction, apathy, angst, and anarchy. His fast life of angry music, fame, twisted romance with then girlfriend Nancy Spungen led to a journey of excessive drug use. He obtained heroin mostly from his girlfriend Nancy, who then was found dead in their hotel room– a crime which Sid was suspected against. He claimed he had no memory of the happening, saying he was in a drugged state. He was jailed, hospitalized, released for attempted suicide and then when he was finally detained in his home, he was able to get some heroin from his mother and overdosed that night. Sid Vicious was only 21 years old. His infamous drug-induced romance with Nancy Spungen was made into a movie called “Sid and Nancy” and Gary Oldman played the famous punk junkie.
River Phoenix, 23
He was the Leonardo DiCaprio of the 80’s, and hailed as one of the most promising actors in the era. He was the older brother of actor Joaquin Phoenix. River’s most famous works include films Stand by Me, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade which he played Young Indy; I Love You to Death and My Own Private Idaho. He was an image for the younger Hollywood, someone who has the rugged look and fine talent fit for a famous icon. His life was cut short due to a drug overdose on cocaine and heroin, or more famously known as “speedballs”. Despite the actor’s success, Phoenix’s tumultuous childhood haunted him. In 1991, he told Details magazine that he lost his virginity at age 4 while in the Children of God, a religious cult his family belonged to in the early 1970s and that he reportedly suffered from depression.
James Dean, 24
The famous Rebel Without A Cause star had a very promising career ahead of him. He was Hollywood’s original bad boy, and his other films East of Eden and Giants. Despite his fame, Dean reportedly dealt with severe mood swings and depression that resulted in erratic behavior, including heavy use of alcohol and drugs. Besides acting in big screen productions, Dean also took up an auto racing career, coming in second in the Palm Springs Road Races and third in Bakersfield in 1955. It is quite ironic that after the nationwide release of public service announcement about driving carefully, he died in a head-on collision car accident shortly afterwards.
Brad Renfro, 25
The teen icon debuted in the big screen in the film The Client with Susan Sarandon and Tommy Lee Jones and in the 1996 film Sleepers with big shot actors Dustin Hoffman, Robert DeNiro and Kevin Bacon. Critics claimed that his genuine talent will last him in the brutal Hollywood industry, but the wicked and tempting perils of drugs led him to an overdose when he was only 25 years old. He was arrested several timed for drug possession and has been in and out of rehab before his death.
Aaliyah, 22
Aaliyah Houghton, a.k.a. Aaliyah, was a famous r&b singer. She invaded the early 90’s hip-hop and r&b charts with hit after hit, and she was reportedly married to singer R.Kelly. She was noted for her smooth voice, her swell dance moves and over-all talent that inspired many modern r&b singer acts today. She also tried acting, nabbing the role of Queen Akasha in the film adaptation of Queen of The Damned and a major role in Romeo Must Die. After the video shoot for her song “Rock the Boat” in the Carribean, Aaliyah and her crew boarded no a plane that can only hold half of their total weight, including the equipment and props. The plane crashed and exploded shortafter and all aboard were dead as well. Her death was mourned deeply by the hip hop community, citing her as a young legend that inspired everyone. If she hasn’t died, she would have played important parts in the two sequels of The Matrix, a role which Jada Pinkett Smith filled-in for. She has also provided hit soundtracks for numerous films such as Dr. Doolittle and her film Romeo Must Die.
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