Random Celebrities Who Attempted Suicide (53 items)

(#1) Ronda Rousey
- 36
In 2016, MMA fighter Ronda Rousey revealed that she contemplated suicide after her devastating 2015 loss to Holly Holm. Although she didn't actually take physical steps to hurt herself, Rousey said that she seriously thought about it because her undefeated streak was over and, "no one gives a sh*t about me anymore without this."

Luckily, the love of her family, friends, and boyfriend Travis Browne ultimately persuaded her otherwise.
(#2) Drew Barrymore
- 48
Drew Barrymore attempted suicide by cutting her wrists with a kitchen knife when she was just 14 years old.
(#3) Elton John
- 76
Elton John tried to kill himself by sticking his head in a glass stove and breathing in the deadly gases. He wrote the song "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" about the event.
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(#4) Halle Berry
- 57
Halle Berry told People magazine that she attempted to commit suicide after her marriage to David Justice ended. She said, "I was sitting in my car, and I knew the gas was coming when I had an image of my mother finding me."
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(#5) Owen Wilson
- 54
Owen Wilson reportedly attempted to commit suicide by slitting his wrists in 2007.
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(#6) Diana, Princess of Wales
- Dec. at 36 (1961-1997)
Princess Diana tried to commit suicide by throwing herself down a flight of stairs because she was so distraught over how Prince Charles treated her.
(#7) Johnny Cash
- Dec. at 71 (1932-2003)
Johnny Cash tried to commit suicide in 1969, while he was high on drugs, by getting lost in the Nickajack Cave.
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(#8) Junot Díaz
- 54
In a powerful New York Times essay published in 2018, author Junot Díaz revealed he tried to commit suicide his senior year of high school by swallowing his brother's cancer medication. This was in part due to trauma he suffered as the result of being sexually assaulted as a child.

Díaz received a college acceptance letter the following day, and he credits that as helping deter him from attempting suicide again.
(#9) Tina Turner
- Dec. at 83 (1939-2023)
Tina Turner revealed that she tried to kill herself in 1986 in her autobiography.
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(#10) Eminem
- 50
In 1996, Eminem attempted to end his life by overdosing on Tylenol after his then-girlfriend, Kim Scott, tried to end their relationship.
(#11) Elizabeth Taylor
- Dec. at 79 (1932-2011)
Elizabeth Taylor tried to commit suicide in 1962 by overdosing on Seconal.
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(#12) Ozzy Osbourne
- 74
Ozzy Osbourne attempted to commit suicide several times, the earliest when he was just 14 years old.
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(#13) Richard Pryor
- Dec. at 65 (1940-2005)
Richard Pryor tried to commit suicide by pouring rum on his body and lighting himself on fire in 1980.
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(#14) Brigitte Bardot
- 89
Brigitte Bardot tried to kill herself by overdosing on sleeping pills and slitting her wrists in the 1950s.
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(#15) Danny Bonaduce
- 64
Danny Bonaduce tried to end his life by overdosing on drugs and alcohol after his wife asked for a divorce in 2005.
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(#16) Mike Tyson
- 57
Mike Tyson blames promoter Don King for manipulating and using him, which led to his depression, drug use, and suicide attempt.
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(#17) Britney Spears
- 41
According to an unauthorized biography, Britney Spears attempted suicide twice in 2006.
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(#18) Walt Disney
- Dec. at 65 (1901-1966)
Walt Disney attempted to overdose on drugs and alcohol when he was 31 years old.
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(#19) Billy Joel
- 74
Billy Joel tried to kill himself by drinking furniture polish in 1970.
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(#20) Clark Gable
- Dec. at 59 (1901-1960)
Clark Gable attempted to commit suicide by using a high-powered motorbike after his wife passed away in 1942.
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(#21) Fantasia
- 39
"American Idol" star Fantasia Barrino attempted to end her life by taking a combination of pills in 2010, after her boyfriend broke up with her.
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(#22) Sammy Davis, Jr.
- Dec. at 64 (1925-1990)
A biography states that Sammy Davis, Jr., attempted suicide on his wedding night because racism prevented him from marrying Kim Novak, the woman he loved. He allegedly had a gun to his head, when a friend convinced him to live.
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(#23) Drew Carey
- 65
Drew Carey tried to end his life by overdosing on pills when he was 18 and again when he was 20.
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(#24) Michael Jackson
- Dec. at 50 (1958-2009)
There are rumors that Michael Jackson attempted to commit suicide back in 2005.
(#25) Donna Summer
- Dec. at 63 (1948-2012)
In 1979, Disco legend Donna Summer attempted to kill herself by jumping out of a window. Her maid came in and saved her. Summer became a born-again Christian after the incident.
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(#26) Artie Lange
- 55
Comedian Artie Lange attempted to commit suicide by stabbing himself multiple times with a knife in 2010.
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(#27) Vanilla Ice
- 55
Vanilla Ice (Robert Van Winkle) intentionally tried to overdose on heroin in 1994.
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(#28) Shelley Long
- 74
Shelley Long attempted suicide by overdosing on pain killers in 2004.
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(#29) Greg Louganis
- 63
Greg Louganis attempted suicide three times during his teenage years.
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(#30) Sinéad O'Connor
- Dec. at 56 (1966-2023)
Sinead O'Connor attempted to commit suicide in 2012 by overdosing on pills. The singer later called the incident "a cry for help."
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(#31) Peter Fonda
- Dec. at 79 (1940-2019)
Peter Fonda shot himself in the stomach a few months after his mother committed suicide. Fonda was only 10 years old at the time and calls the incident an "accident," but many people believe that he was attempting to end his life.
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(#32) Brian Wilson
- 81
Beach Boys singer Brian Wilson is rumored to have attempted suicide in the 1980s.
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(#33) Patty Duke
- Dec. at 69 (1946-2016)
Patty Duke attempted suicide many times before she was diagnosed as manic depressive.
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(#34) Nell Carter
- Dec. at 54 (1948-2003)
Nell Carter attempted suicide in the early 80s after becoming addicted to drugs.
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(#35) Gary Coleman
- Dec. at 42 (1968-2010)
Gary Coleman attempted to commit suicide twice, both times by overdosing on pills.
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(#36) Mike Wallace
- 60
News anchor Mike Wallace told his 60 Minutes audience that severe depression caused him to attempt suicide when he was 60 years old.
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(#37) Nina Simone
- Dec. at 70 (1933-2003)
Nina Simone attempted to commit suicide by overdosing on sleeping pills in the 1970s.
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(#38) Ken Griffey, Jr.
- 53
In 1988, Ken Griffey, Jr. attempted to end his life by swallowing over 200 asiprin pills.
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(#39) Micky Dolenz
- 78
The Monkees musician Micky Dolenz attempted to end his life in the early '70s by walking into traffic and sitting down.
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(#40) Mindy McCready
- Dec. at 37 (1975-2013)
Country singer Mindy McCready told the press that she had attempted suicide twice. Sadly, McCready died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in 2013.
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(#41) Robert Young
- Dec. at 91 (1907-1998)
"Father Knows Best" actor Robert Young attempted to commit suicide at age 83 by attaching a hose to his car's tailpipe and breathing in the exhaust.
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(#42) Jack Osbourne
- 37
Jack Osbourne said that he was suicidal in 2002, and he attempted to end his own life by taking a combination of pills.
(#43) Marianne Faithfull
- 76
Singer Marianne Faithfull tried to commit suicide in 1970 after her relationship with Mick Jagger ended and she lost custody of her child.
(#44) Fred Berry
- Dec. at 52 (1951-2003)
Fred Berry tried to end his life three times and he credits religion with saving him.
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(#45) Paris Jackson
- 25
Michael Jackson's daughter Paris was rushed to the hospital in 2013 after a reported suicide attempt.
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(#46) Charlie Parker
- Dec. at 34 (1920-1955)
Jazz legend Charlie Parker attempted suicide by ingesting iodine in 1953 after the death of his daughter.
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(#47) Adam Ant
- 68
English musician Adam Ant (Stuart Leslie Goddard) tried to overdose on pills when he was in his early-20s. Later in life, he was diagnosed with manic depression.
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(#48) Jean Wallace
- Dec. at 66 (1923-1990)
Jean Wallace attempted to overdose on sleeping pills in 1946.
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(#49) Hank Williams, Jr.
- 74
Severely addicted to drugs and alcohol, Hank Williams, Jr. attempted to end his life in 1974.
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(#50) James Stockdale
- Dec. at 81 (1923-2005)
In 1969, politician James Stockdale tried to kill himself to avoid further torture as a Prisoner of War at Hoa Lo Prison in Vietnam.
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(#51) Alexa Ray Joel
- 37
Singer Alexa Ray Joel attempted to commit suicide by overdosing on non-prescription pills after breaking up with her boyfriend in 2009.
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(#52) Paul Robeson
- Dec. at 77 (1898-1976)
Singer Paul Robeson tried to end his life by cutting his wrists in 1961.
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(#53) Sally Kirkland
- 81
Actress Sally Kirkland was pronounced dead when she attempted suicide. She calls it a miracle that she is alive today.
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