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Is Dark Knight's success due to the star power of the late Heath Ledger? A big possibility. Heath was at the height of popularity when he died of drug overdose. What a waste! He had so much potential, yet died so early. He was only 28.
With this in mind, I would like to pay tribute to those young Hollywood actors who died early in their career and their life. They had so much potential yet their life was cut short. As a result, they became legends in the Hollywood movie industry.
Photo from James Dean Gallery
James Dean, considered one of the greatest legends of the 20th century, was most famous for his role as a rebellious teenager in Rebel Without A Cause. He died at the age of 24, on Sept 30, 1955, after an automobile crash on the highway near Paso Robles, California. During his time, he was idolized by both men and women. His name was mentioned in the song American Pie sung by Don McLean and was even used as title of songs by The Eagles and Goo Goo Dolls.
Photo from Official Sharon Tate Fansite
Sharon Tate, a model and an actress was most famous in her Golden Globe nominated performance in Valley Of The Dolls. She was married to famous director Roman Polanski and was eight and a half months’ pregnant when she was murdered by followers of Charles Manson in Los Angeles on Aug 9, 1969. She was only 26.
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Jon-Erik Hexum, the star of popular sci-fi television series Voyagers! was a sex symbol during the height of his popularity. He was also famous for his relationships with Heather Thomas and Emma Samms. Hexum died on Oct 18, 1984 at the age of 26 after accidentally shooting himself in the head with a prop gun loaded with blanks on the set of CBS series, Cover Up in Los Angeles.
Photo from Brandon-Lee.com
Brandon Lee, son of martial arts film star Bruce Lee seemed to have suffered the "family curse" as he had died at the age of 28, almost 20 years after his father and before the release of the film that catapulted him to stardom. On Mar 31, 1993, Brandon was accidentally shot on the set of The Crow in Wilmington, North Carolina. Many fans believed his death was a result of foul play, but the police ruled it out.
Photo from Goddess Musings
River Phoenix , the older brother of actor Joaquin Phoenix, was hailed as highly talented by film critics. He was nominated for an Oscar for best Supporting Actor in the movie Running On Empty , portrayed the young Indiana Jones in Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade and acted opposite Keanu Reeves in My Own Private Idaho and Robert Redford in Sneakers. Known for his squeaky clean image, it was indeed a shock to his fans when River died at the age of 23 on Oct 31, 1993 from a drug overdose outside a night club in Los Angeles.
Photo from Who's dated Who
David Strickland, best known for his role as boyish rock music reporter in the NBC sitcom, Suddenly Susan starring opposite Brooke Shields suffered from bipolar disorder and had a history of drug and alcohol abuse. He died at the age of 29, after hanging himself in a hotel room in Las Vegas on March 22, 1999. Apparently, he chose not to take the drug that control his bipolar disorder on the day of his death.
Photo from Suicide.org
Photo from Papermag
Brad Renfro, made his movie debut in The Client and acted in many prominent movies including Sleepers opposite Robert de Niro, Kevin Bacon, Dustin Hoffman and Brad Pitt. Much of his career was marred by substance abuse. He died at the age of 25 on Jan 15, 2008 a day after reportedly spending the previous evening drinking with friends. His death was due to drug overdose.
Tragic? Yes, most definitely.
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