The Most Shocking Ends
No amount of fame could save these celebrities from meeting tragic ends. These are the fatal freak accidents that nobody saw coming.
Anton Yelchin
Anton Yelchin began his acting career as a child, starring in 2001's Hearts of Atlantis alongside Anthony Hopkins. As an adult, he was perhaps best known for his recurring role as Chekov in the Star Trek remakes. His passing in 2016 came as a total shock.
Anton Yelchin
On June 18, 2016, Yelchin didn't attend a rehearsal, which raised some red flags. Early in the morning of the following day, his friends arrived at his LA home—and made a heartbreaking discovery.
GabboT, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Anton Yelchin
Yelchin's friends found the actor's body stuck between the gate post and his Jeep Grand Cherokee. But the seemingly mundane events leading up to his demise were devastating.
GPS 56, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Anton Yelchin
You see, Yelchin had simply exited his vehicle and proceeded to check his mail. That's when the Jeep Grand Cherokee rolled down the slope of the driveway, eventually pinning him.
Philippe Berdalle, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Anton Yelchin
In the end, the coroner ruled that his cause of death was "blunt traumatic asphyxia." Yelchin was only 27 years old.
Larry Richman, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Isadora Duncan
Angela Isadora Duncan was a celebrated dancer and choreographer, performing in America, Europe, and Soviet Russia. However, she met one of the most brutal ends imaginable.
Dover Street Studios, Wikimedia Commons
Isadora Duncan
In 1927, 50-year-old Duncan was in Nice, France when she decided to take a ride in Benoît Falchetto's Amilcar CGSS automobile. However, she made a fatal mistake.
Walter Vermeir, Wikimedia Commons
Isadora Duncan
That day, Duncan insisted on wearing an extremely long silk scarf that had been hand-painted by the artist Roman Chatov. Before getting in the car, Duncan's friend had recommended she wear a cape because the weather was quite chilly. Sadly, Duncan refused.
Baker's Art Gallery, Wikimedia Commons
Isadora Duncan
As Duncan and Falchetto departed, she reportedly cried out, "Je vais à l'amour," which means "I am off to love." She couldn't have been more wrong.
Unknown Artist, Wikimedia Commons
Isadora Duncan
Duncan's gorgeous scarf proved to be the death of her. It got caught in the car's rear wheel, which ripped her out of the vehicle and broke her neck. Some sources even claimed that the tightening of the scarf nearly took her head off.
Eadweard Muybridge, Getty Images
Steve Irwin
Steve Irwin hosted the beloved show The Crocodile Hunter, but he was also a zookeeper and conservationist. Though he was known for his interactions with his crocodiles, a different animal was responsible for his chilling end.
Richard Giles, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Steve Irwin
In September 2006, Irwin was busy working on the documentary Ocean's Deadliest—but little did he know, this would be his very last project.
Steve Irwin
During a filming break, Irwin decided to go snorkeling. He thought it was the perfect opportunity to capture some footage for his daughter's TV program—but it would lead to a fatal encounter.
Richard Giles, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Steve Irwin
Swimming in shallow water, Irwin spotted a stingray and hoped to get a shot of it swimming away from him. However, when he approached the animal, the worst happened.
Steve Irwin
Tragically, the stingray likely mistook Irwin for a predator and reacted instinctively. Its tail pierced Irwin's chest multiple times. At first, he thought it had only punctured his lung—but the truth was devastating. It had stabbed his heart.
Steve Irwin
Steve Irwin wound up bleeding to death despite crew members leaping into action and administering CPR. He was only 44 years old, leaving behind his wife and two children.
Australia Zoo Pty Ltd, CC BY-SA 1.0, Wikimedia Commons
Steve Irwin
Irwin's tragic death was caught on film—the only fatality caused by a stingray ever recorded. Of course, this awful footage was never shown to the public, and according to his wife, the video was ultimately destroyed.
Natasha Richardson
Natasha Richardson hailed from the famous Redgrave family, and she went on to marry Hollywood actor Liam Neeson. The couple met during the production of 1991's Shining Through. Sadly, the beloved actress met a sudden and tragic end.
Natasha Richardson
On March 16, 2009, 45-year-old Richardson was enjoying her time at Mont Tremblant Ski Resort in Quebec, Canada. However, a simple ski lesson sealed her dark fate.
bucksboy, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Natasha Richardson
Richardson wasn't wearing a helmet while navigating the beginners' trail with her instructor. So when she took a tumble, her head smashed into the densely packed snow.
Natasha Richardson
At first, the actress didn't seem too phased, and by her own account, she felt just fine. Richardson declined medical attention and even signed a waiver. An ambulance had been called for her, but because she'd refused it, the paramedics departed.
Featureflash Photo Agency, Shutterstock
Natasha Richardson
After returning to her room, Richardson called up her husband Liam Neeson. Even then, she wasn't worried, telling him, "Oh, darling. I've taken a tumble in the snow." Little did she know, she was in acute danger.
Natasha Richardson
The situation took a scary turn once Richardson developed a headache. Even more worrisome was her confused state of mind. At 3 pm, just three hours after her fall, another ambulance arrived to assist her.
Everett Collection, Shutterstock
Natasha Richardson
Once she reached the hospital, it became clear that Richardson needed even greater attention, so the staff sent her to another hospital 55 miles away. However, too much time had already been lost.
Featureflash Photo Agency, Shutterstock
Natasha Richardson
When Liam Neeson arrived at his wife's bedside, he found her on life support. Natasha Richardson was brain-dead.
On 60 Minutes, he told Anderson Cooper, "And I went into her and told her I loved her. Said, 'Sweetie, you're not coming back from this. You've banged your head. It's—I don't know if you can hear me, but that's—this is what's gone down. And we're bringing ya back to New York. All your family and friends will come.' And that was more or less it."
Everett Collection, Shutterstock
Natasha Richardson
Just two days after her fall at Mont Tremblant, Richardson was taken off life support. She'd suffered an epidural hematoma, which caused blood to pool between her skull and her brain.
William Holden
William Holden was a famous Old Hollywood actor, who starred in films like 1950's Sunset Boulevard and 1954's Sabrina. He was a big box-office draw—but he met a strange end.
Studio Publicity, Wikimedia Commons
William Holden
On November 12, 1981, 63-year-old Holden had been drinking when he had a terrible accident: He slipped on a throw rug and bashed his head on the edge of his bedside table.
William Holden
The fall caused Holden to sustain a major head injury—a two-inch laceration that caused "massive bleeding." The coroner estimated that the actor likely lived another 30 minutes after falling.
It took four days for someone to discover his body.
Studio publicity still, Wikimedia Commons
Grace Kelly
Before becoming Princess Grace of Monaco, Grace Kelly was a major film actress and Academy Award winner. She had many adoring fans—but in 1982, Kelly met a tragic end.
Pierre Tourigny, Wikimedia Commons
Grace Kelly
On September 13, 1982, Grace Kelly was behind the wheel of her car with her daughter Stephanie in the passenger seat. But during their journey, the unthinkable happened.
MichaelXXLF, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Grace Kelly
Kelly's day took a horrifying turn when her vehicle went careening down a 120-foot mountainside. While navigating the winding road, the princess had seemingly lost control and failed to make an important turn.
Unknown Artist, Wikimedia Commons
Grace Kelly
Later, Kelly's other daughter Caroline shed light on what actually happened: ''Stephanie told me, 'Mommy kept saying, I can't stop. The brakes don't work. I can't stop.' She said that Mommy was in a complete panic. Stephanie grabbed the hand brake. She told me right after the accident, 'I pulled on the hand brake but it wouldn't stop. I tried but I just couldn't stop the car.'"
Los Angeles Times, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Grace Kelly
Though Stephanie survived, Grace Kelly wasn't so lucky. She sustained harrowing injuries that affected her brain, thorax, and femur—but when she arrived at the hospital, she was still alive.
Grace Kelly
Though the doctors diagnosed Kelly with a cerebral hemorrhage, there was still hope—and they expected her to recover. But then things took a turn for the worse.
Howell Conant, Wikimedia Commons
Grace Kelly
While at the hospital, Kelly suffered another hemorrhage—but this time, it spelled the end. The following day, her husband Prince Rainier gave the doctors the go-ahead, and they removed her from life support. She was 52 years old.
However, this wasn't the end of her story.
Robert LeRoy Knudsen, Wikimedia Commons
Grace Kelly
During a later interview, Stephanie revealed some disturbing details about the accident. She remembered that before the incident, her mother had had a headache and even seemed to black out.
Roland Gerrits, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
Grace Kelly
Days after the accident, doctors revealed that Grace had had a "cerebral vascular incident" before the crash, which could have been a major factor. Therefore, there are two possible explanations for the tragic crash.
Superzen, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Grace Kelly
A cerebral "incident" may have meant that Grace Kelly didn't have use of her legs or she may have simply mistaken the accelerator for the brake.
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
