Random Most Surprising Historical Celebrity Deaths (15 items)

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  (#7) Jayne Mansfield

  • Dec. at 34 (1933-1967)

  While her name is not as widely known today, Jayne Mansfield was on the way to become the next big thing in the ‘60s. She was an up-and-coming actress and model whose life unexpectedly ended on June 29th, 1967. While traveling with her boyfriend and children, her car was struck by a semi on a Mississippi highway. Mansfield and the three other adults in the car were killed instantly, but her children luckily survived - her children including none other than actress Mariska Hargitay.

  The accident spawned many gruesome rumors. Photos of Mansfield’s blond hair tangled onto the windshield led to the belief she had been decapitated in the accident. In reality, her cause of death was a crushed skull. The one positive to come out of the accident was that the National Highway and Traffic Safety Commission began requiring semis to travel with a DOT bar – otherwise known as a Mansfield bar – to make them more visible to other drivers.
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  (#10) George Reeves

  • Dec. at 45 (1914-1959)

  On June 16th, 1959, police officers discovered Superman actor George Reeves dead in his Los Angeles home. Reeves was found lying in bed naked, dead from a single gunshot wound to the head, with blood spilling over the sheets. Several guests were present in the home at the time, who claimed Reeves had retired to bed earlier in the evening. Later, they hard a gunshot from upstairs.

  There is a lot of mystery surrounding the death. Some speculate it was suicide. Reeves was unhappy with his roll as Superman, believing the part to be beneath him, and a recent car accident could have caused brain damage. Others speculate one of the guests, possibly Reeves’s then girlfriend, shot him.

  Others proposed a game of Russian Roulette was to blame. While suicide is widely accepted as the most likely explanation, a lot of speculation and conspiracy still surrounds the mysterious death of George Reeves.
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  (#4) Buddy Holly

  • Dec. at 23 (1936-1959)

  Buddy Holly died in a tragic plane crash on February 3rd, 1959 – a date that would come to be known as “the day the music died.” In addition to killing Holly, the crash also resulted in the deaths of musical icons Richie Valens and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson. While on tour, Holly hired a plane after getting tired of traveling via bus. The plane tragically crashed while en route to Fargo, ND, and the bodies of Holly, Valens, and Richardson were found scattered among the wreckage.
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  (#2) Marilyn Monroe

  • Dec. at 36 (1926-1962)

  A prominent actress and sex symbol during her day, Marilyn Monroe’s untimely death was one of the most shocking moments in Hollywood history. The actress was found dead in her home on August 5th, 1962, from a presumed suicide. Monroe was found naked, lying on her stomach, and surrounded by empty pill bottles with a telephone in one hand.

  The pressures of stardom had caused Monroe to slip into a depression. Monroe’s maid contacted her psychiatrist after finding her bedroom door locked. The psychiatrist discovered Monroe’s body after breaking a window. Monroe had reportedly been living as a recluse in her Brentwood, CA, home in the months leading up to her death.
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  (#15) William Desmond Taylor

  • Dec. at 50 (1872-1922)

  Silent film actor William Desmond Taylor was killed after a night out on February 1st, 1922. He was found dead outside his Los Angeles apartment. Several witnesses claimed to have seen a figure in a long winter coat lurking around the area the night of Taylor’s death, but no one could give a description that allowed police to find leads.

  While there were many suspects – including other famous actors and actresses at the time – a lack of evidence and witnesses meant Taylor’s murder was never solved.
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  (#8) Freddie Prinze

  • Dec. at 23 (1954-1977)

  Doctors fought for 33 hours to keep Freddie Prinze alive after he shot himself in the head, but the actor and comedian ultimately died from his injuries on January 30th, 1977. Prinze had suffered from depression, a disease that does not discriminate based on circumstances.

  An ascending star,  22-year-old Prinze shocked the American public when he took his own life as his career took off. The incident shook the public and brought public attention to mental health.

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