From music legends to beloved princesses,
these celebrities lost their lives too soon after being involved in horrific automobile accidents.
After years in the entertainment industry spent regaling fans with his signature sense of humor,
actor Leslie Jordan died in a car accident on October 24, 2022. While the actor was driving
in Hollywood, his BMW crashed into a wall. The authorities declared him dead at the scene,
per the Los Angeles Times, but it is unclear whether he died on impact, from injuries
sustained by the crash, or from a medical emergency that may have caused the collision.
Prior to the crash, Jordan had a prolific career as a musician, writer,
and actor. He is best known for his roles in shows like "Will & Grace" and "American
Horror Story." Jordan was considered by many to be a queer icon, and after his death,
many stars took to social media to honor him. Actor Sean Hayes paid tribute by tweeting —
Jordan further grew in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic,
with his Instagram following reaching 6 million before his death. Many of his
videos went viral on social media, and as one Twitter user wrote —
"Being here is kinda very emotional… and I know it's a very sad day for Hollywood,
losing such a great person."
On August 31, 1997, Diana, Princess of Wales died in a brutal car accident in Paris. Though
Diana and Prince Charles had divorced just a year prior to her death, the Princess was
still a working member of the royal family up until the end. She was 36 years old.
Diana left behind two children, Prince William and Prince Harry,
both of whom have discussed the impact of her death. As William told GQ —
Despite her untimely death, Diana remains a fixture in pop culture,
and her legacy — particularly that of her style — continues
to shine. And though they never met Princess Diana, Meghan Markle and
Kate Middleton frequently pay tribute to their late mother-in-law with their fashion choices.
On November 30, 2013, actor Paul Walker died in a car crash alongside his financial advisor
Roger Rodas. The two were driving in Los Angeles and, according to The Guardian,
crashed after reaching a speed higher than 100 mph. The car burst into flames,
and Walker and Rodas both died from their injuries.
Walker was best known for his role in "The Fast and the Furious" franchise, and was in the midst
of production on the seventh installment at the time of his death. This tragedy halted filming,
of course, but through some careful CGI and editing, producers were able to seamlessly
keep Walker's character in the movie. The film ended with his and Vin Diesel's
characters driving in separate directions, sending Walker off in a bittersweet way.
While filming the franchise, Walker became very
close to his co-stars — particularly Vin Diesel. On the anniversary of his death,
Diesel posted a tribute to his late colleague and friend, writing on Instagram —
Grace Kelly began her career in Hollywood as an actor. Known for films like "Dial M
for Murder" and "Rear Window," Kelly went on to win an Oscar for her role in "The Country
Girl," and starred in other films afterward. Although it seems like winning an Oscar is
the height of fame you can achieve as an actor, Kelly achieved further
fame when she married Prince Rainier III of Monaco, becoming Princess Grace of Monaco.
Unfortunately, her life came to an untimely end when she was driving her daughter, Stephanie,
to the train station in Monaco. As noted in The Chicago Tribune,
she could've had the chauffeur drive, but she declined his offer. Tragically, while en route,
Grace missed a turn and drove the car off a cliff. Grace and Stephanie were both
taken to the hospital immediately after the crash. Stephanie was released the next day,
but Grace suffered a hemorrhage and died on September 14, 1982.
Per The Chicago Tribune, Grace's other daughter, Caroline, said of the crash —
Princess Grace was 52 years old at the time of her death.
Actor James Dean became a household name thanks to his roles in films like "Rebel Without a Cause"
and "East of Eden." On September 30, 1955, the same year both of those films premiered,
Dean died at just 24 years old when his Porsche 550 Spyder collided with another
car at an intersection. The other driver lived, as did the other passenger in his car,
Rolf Wütherich. Dean was already a celebrity, but his sudden death only made him more famous.
Before he died, Academy Award winner Gig Young talked to Dean about staying
safe behind the wheel for a "Warner Bros. Presents" segment. After a short
conversation about racing cars and being a conscientious driver when out on the road,
Dean signed off with what would soon become an eerie message.
"Take it easy driving, the life you might save might be mine."
Wütherich was plagued with survivor's guilt and
struggled with depression. He died in a drunk driving accident in 1981.
One of the most influential artists of his time, Jackson Pollock changed the art landscape with his
signature drip technique. Although his career has been criticized by some, Pollock is still
widely recognized as pioneering one of the most groundbreaking movements in modern art. Many of
his paintings were large canvases, and he was known for working on the floor. He once wrote —
Pollock's life was cut short on August 11, 1956, when he died in a single-car accident while
under the influence of alcohol. The artist had struggled with alcoholism his entire adult life,
and it caused both his death and the death of another person involved in the crash.
Pollock was clearly talented, but much of his career success and legacy is thanks to his wife,
Lee Krasner. A painter herself, Krasner had a great influence on Pollock's
reputation and continued championing Pollock's legacy after his death.
Anne Heche had a steady, decades-long career as an actor in Hollywood — a
feat not many can achieve. She was known for both movie and television
work — particularly her soap career, which won her a Daytime Emmy Award.
Heche's career came to an end when she died from injuries sustained
after crashing her car into a home on August 5, 2022. The actor was taken to
the hospital where she remained on life support until the time of her death,
which was ruled an accident by authorities. After Heche's death, her son Homer Laffoon said —
Heche was also well known for her relationship with comedian Ellen DeGeneres. After news of
her death broke, DeGeneres took to Twitter to mourn the death of her ex, writing —
TV star Ryan Dunn rose to fame as part of the "Jackass" cast, a group of men who achieved
superstardom by filming themselves performing stunts many would consider quite reckless.
Although many of them have been badly injured, not one cast member has died from a stunt throughout
their many years of filming. Unfortunately, though, Dunn died in a car accident on June 20,
2011, at age 34. According to TMZ, the actor was driving 130 miles per hour when he crashed.
The "Jackass" community was devastated by Dunn's death,
and his co-star Johnny Knoxville took to Twitter to express his grief. He wrote —
Co-star Bam Margera's mother, April Margera, also gave a tearful tribute to NBC10 Philadelphia.
"Just the sweetest guy you'd ever wanna know, and he just would do
anything for you… he drove too fast, and I yelled at him all the time about that."
Media outlets celebrated Dunn's life by reviewing his contributions to
"Jackass." MTV compiled a list of its favorite stunts featuring the actor,
mentioning "Poo Dive," "Corn Sledding," and "Hot Dog BMX," among others.
Jayne Mansfield was a prolific actor in the '50s and '60s. Best known for her work in "The
Girl Can't Help It" and "Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?", she was also well-regarded for her live
shows. On her way to one of those shows on June 29, 1967, Mansfield died alongside her driver and
her lawyer when their car rear-ended a trailer. Three of her children were in the car as well,
and all survived. One of those children to survive the car accident was Mariska Hargitay,
known for playing Detective Olivia Benson in "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit."
In 2021, Hargitay opened up to Glamour about the accident that
left her without a mother and with a literal scar. She said —
TLC was one of the best-selling musical acts of the '90s. As female artists, they broke glass
ceilings and paved the way for other women in the industry. The name TLC stood for the names
of their members: "T-Boz" Watkins, Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas, and Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes,
the last of whom died in a car accident on April 25, 2002. While on a trip to Honduras, Lopes lost
control of the rented vehicle she was driving and rolled off the road. She was 30 years old.
Lopes' death was felt by the entire music community, particularly her
band members. Both spoke about her death in a joint interview with CNN, saying —
Despite her untimely death, Lopes remains a prominent member of the
music community. Due to pervasive sampling in the music industry today,
she's credited posthumously as a composer on a number of contemporary tracks.
Few metal bands have made an impact on popular music and pop culture like Metallica. According
to a Rolling Stone readers' poll, Metallica ranks number one on the list of The Top
10 Metal Bands of All Time. They've had six number-one albums on the Billboard 200 chart,
and they're one of the longest-running bands ever.
Metallica's lineup has changed throughout the years: only two of its original members are
still with the band. One of those changes was due to a tragic bus accident on September 27,
1986. While on tour in Sweden, the band's bus flipped on its side and
sent bassist Cliff Burton through the window. The bus landed on Burton,
and while attempting to save his life, the bus fell from a crane and landed on him a
second time. The 24-year-old musician was pronounced dead at the scene.
The band mourned the death of their bassist and looks back on its time with Burton,
particularly the creation of its iconic album "Master of Puppets," fondly. As
founding member James Hetfield said in the "Hypnotizing Power" documentary —