Random Celebrities Who Were Found Dead In Hotels (25 items)

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  (#1) Whitney Houston

  • Dec. at 49 (1963-2012)

  Whitney Houston was about to perform at a pre-Grammy party when she died at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on February 11, 2012. The singer, who had struggled with drug addiction for much of her life, was found underwater and unconscious, according to police.

  Toxicology reports later revealed that several drugs were in Houston's system at the time. 
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  (#2) Janis Joplin

  • Dec. at 27 (1943-1970)

  Iconic singer-songwriter Janis Joplin died on October 4, 1970 at the Landmark Hotel, which was later renamed the Highland Gardens. Joplin’s four-year career was punctuated with “Piece of My Heart” and "Cry Baby," but the princess of rock and roll’s legendary life was cut short by an accidental heroin overdose.

  Joplin, who had struggled with addiction her entire life, had just finished recording her most well-received album, Pearl. After her death, her cover of "Me and Bobby McGee" was released and soared to No. 1 on the charts.
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  (#3) Oscar Wilde

  • Dec. at 46 (1854-1900)

  The mythic playwright died in room 16 at the Hotel d’Alsace in Paris, which is now a luxury stayaway for wealthy travelers. For years, people believed Wilde suffered from syphilis, but doctors now think he died because of a severe ear infection. Drunk, destitute, and bereft of the will to live, Wilde spent his final days cursing the ugly wallpaper of his hotel room.

  In one of his final outings in Paris, he told a friend of his wallpaper: "One of us has to go."
   
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  (#4) Anthony Bourdain

  • 62

  On June 8, 2018, celebrity chef, author, and travel host Anthony Bourdain was found unresponsive by his friend, Eric Ripert. Bourdain was in the midst of filming an upcoming episode of Parts Unknown. CNN confirmed that Bourdain's death was a suicide. In an official statement, the network mourned the loss of their associate:

  It is with extraordinary sadness we can confirm the death of our friend and colleague, Anthony Bourdain. His love of great adventure, new friends, fine food and drink and the remarkable stories of the world made him a unique storyteller. His talents never ceased to amaze us and we will miss him very much. Our thoughts and prayers are with his daughter and family at this incredibly difficult time. 
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  (#5) James Gandolfini

  • Dec. at 52 (1961-2013)

  After a day of journeying through Rome with his family in the sweltering heat, Sopranos star James Gandolfini died in July 2013 of a heart attack at the Boscolo Exedra Hotel. The 51-year-old had recently completed work on Enough Said, which was released later that year to widespread acclaim. 
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  (#6) Mitch Hedberg

  • Dec. at 37 (1968-2005)

  Comedian Mitch Hedberg, known for his trenchant one-liners and for looking like the frontman of Rush, died of an accidental cocaine and heroin overdose at a Livingston, New Jersey hotel in 2005. The 37-year-old, dubbed "the next Seinfeld" by Time magazine, had signed a half-million dollar sitcom deal with Fox at the time of his death. 
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  (#7) Anna Nicole Smith

  • Dec. at 40 (1967-2007)

  Former Playboy centerfold Anna Nicole Smith died at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Florida in 2007. After months of self-medication brought on by her son's tragic overdose that past summer and her fight to win custody of her daughter, she accidentally overdosed on sleep meds and at least eight other prescription substances.

  Although her fight over her late 89-year-old husband's estate had made it all the way to the Supreme Court, she was never able to settle the dispute.
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  (#8) John Belushi

  • Dec. at 33 (1949-1982)

  Comedian John Belushi was 33 when he died of an accidental speedball overdose at Chateau Marmont on Sunset Boulevard in 1982. Belushi was at the height of his fame thanks to the success of The Blues Brothers, and was attached to five different film projects - including Ghostbusters - at the time of his death.
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  (#9) Coco Chanel

  • Dec. at 88 (1883-1971)

  Coco Chanel had a death that rivaled only her own life in fabulousness. She passed away in 1971 in her apartment at the Ritz Carlton in Paris, where she had lived for the past 30 years. 87 and ailing, Chanel had enjoyed a long and legendary career, and left behind a tremendous legacy.

  She was still designing clothing and jewelry at the time of her death. 
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  (#10) Nikola Tesla

  • Dec. at 87 (1856-1943)

  Essentially a co-inventor of electricity, Nikola Tesla is said to have gone mad later in life. He died at age 86 in 1943 at the Hotel New Yorker, where he had spent his final ten years.
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  (#11) David Carradine

  • Dec. at 73 (1936-2009)

  David Carradine was 72 when he died at the Swissotel Nai Lert Park Hotel in Thailand in 2009. An investigating officer told reporters his body was found naked and hanging in a closet. The Kill Bill actor, who was in the middle of filming Stretch at the time, had died of accidental auto-erotic asphyxiation.
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  (#12) Richard Wagner

  • Dec. at 70 (1813-1883)

  German composer Richard Wagner died in the Palazzo Vendramin in Venice in 1883, an event which inspired Thomas Mann's novella "Death in Venice." The 69 year old, who had recently completed work on his final opera, was suffering from acute angina at the time of his death. 
• 

  (#13) Cory Monteith

  • Dec. at 31 (1982-2013)

  Thirty-one-year-old Glee heartthrob Corey Monteith was found dead of an accidental heroin overdose at the Fairmont Pacific Rim in Vancouver, Canada in 2013. The actor/singer, who battled substance abuse issues throughout his life, inspired a very special episode of Glee titled "The Quarterback."

  Although the episode did not give a reason for Monteith's character's in-show death, it did offer some closure for fans of the show.
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  (#14) Nancy Spungen

  • Dec. at 20 (1958-1978)

  Sid Vicious, bass guitarist of the Sex Pistols, stabbed his 20-year-old girlfriend Nancy Spungen to death in Room 100 of the Chelsea Hotel in 1978. Less than a year later, Vicious died of an overdose after being released from Rikers on bail. He had written in a suicide note that he and Spungen had a death pact. 
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  (#15) John Candy

  • Dec. at 44 (1950-1994)

  Planes, Trains and Automobiles actor John Candy died of a heart attack at age 43 in room 120 of the Camino del Perque Villas near Durango, Mexico. Candy was filming a new movie, Wagons East, with comic Richard Lewis during the preceding three months. 
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  (#16) Jimi Hendrix

  • Dec. at 28 (1942-1970)

  Jimi Hendrix joined Janis Joplin in the 27 Club when he died at age 27 of accidental drug-related asphyxiation at London's Samarkand Hotel in September 1970. Appointed "The Greatest Guitarist of All Time" by Rolling Stone, Hendrix had checked in 12 days earlier with his girlfriend, and had last been seen polishing his shoes.

  In the months before his death, Hendrix had made several noncommittal concert appearances in which he seemed lethargic and miserable.
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  (#17) John Pinette

  • Dec. at 50 (1964-2014)

  Standup comedian and Seinfeld bit-player John Pinette was found dead in Pittsburgh's Sheraton Hotel in 2014. The 50-year-old actor had been suffering from liver and heart disease, and had checked into rehab for a prescription pill addiction the summer prior. 
   
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  (#18) Lisa Lynn Masters Took Her Own Life In Her Hotel Room In Peru

  Ugly Betty and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt actress Lisa Lynn Masters was found in the closet of her room at Peru's Nuevo Mundo Hotel in November 2016. The 52-year-old struggling actress had hanged herself with her skirt. 
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  (#19) John Entwistle

  • Dec. at 58 (1944-2002)

  By 2002, The Who's bassist John Entwistle had incurred enough debt that the band announced a tour just to get him out of it. Considered by many to be the best rock bass guitarist that ever lived, the struggling addict died from an accidental cocaine overdose in Las Vegas's Hard Rock Hotel the night before the concert began. 
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  (#20) Moses Malone

  • 63

  Three-time NBA MVP and Hall of Famer Moses Malone died at Norfolk's Waterside Marriot Hotel in Norfolk, Virginia in September 2015. The 60-year-old had suffered from hypertension and atherosclerotic heart disease. Originally from Virginia, Malone was in town to attend the Still Hope Foundation Charity Golf Tournament.
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  (#21) Rob Pilatus

  • Dec. at 34 (1964-1998)

  As if Rob Pilatus's life wasn't already tragic enough, the former Milli Vanilli "singer" died of a drug overdose in a Frankfurt hotel room at age 32 after years of struggling with addiction. The singer, along with fellow Milli Vanilli member Fab Morvan, had his Grammy snatched away in 1990 when reports of the group's on-stage lip synching surfaced.

  Pilatus's career never recovered, although he was preparing to promote a new Milli Vanilli with Morvan at the time of his death. 
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  (#22) Divine

  • Dec. at 43 (1945-1988)

  Described at various points as the "Drag Queen of the Century" and "the most successful and in-demand disco performer in the world," Divine was by all accounts America's first drag performer to gain widespread attention. After a fruitful career of starring in John Waters films, Divine died of heart disease in 1945 at the now-closed Regency Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles.

  The 42-year-old had most recently appeared in the Waters movie Hairspray, which went on to become a cult hit and was later adapted into the beloved Broadway musical which you know today. 
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  (#23) Michael Hutchence

  • Dec. at 37 (1960-1997)

  In 1997, a maid at the now-refurbished Ritz-Carlton Double Bay in Sydney found Michael Hutchence’s body hanging from the suite's door. The lead singer of rock group INXS, who was on the final leg of the band's most recent tour, had been in the middle of a custody battle over his daughter. The death was ruled a suicide brought on by depression.
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  (#24) David Gest

  • 65

  David Gest died of a stroke at age 62 in East London's Four Seasons Hotel in Canary Wharf in 2016. The music producer, who had famously been married to Liza Minnelli, had recently left the cast of Celebrity Big Brother on account of his poor health. 
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  (#25) Eugene O'Neill

  • Dec. at 65 (1888-1953)

  Tragedy writer Eugene O’Neill became a tragic figure himself when he died of pneumonia in 1953 at the age of 65. O’Neill spent his final days at Boston's Sheraton Hotel, distraught that he couldn’t write due to his illness. The Hotel has since been converted into Boston University's Shelton Hall, and many say the fourth floor is still haunted by O'Neill's ghost. 

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