A self-made singer murdered by a fan. A rock pioneer's cataclysmic
crash. These are the public figures who tragically didn't live to see 30.
Bobbi Kristina Brown's life was tragically cut short at the age of 22. The daughter of
the late Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown was found unresponsive in her bathtub in her home in Georgia
in January 2015. She was placed in a medically induced coma for six months when she later died
in hospice care on July 26 of the same year. According to ABC News, Bobbi Kristina's autopsy
report showed, quote, "immersion associated with drug intoxication" led to lobar pneumonia.
In a civil court hearing in November 2016, Nick Gordon, who had been in a romantic relationship
with Brown, was found responsible for her death. Although he was not charged,
he was ordered to pay $36 million to the Brown family. According to The Hollywood Reporter,
Gordon died of an accidental drug overdose in January 2020.
Malcolm James McCormick, better known as Mac Miller,
was known for his innovative lyrics and experimental rap music. Miller struggled
with substance abuse and addiction, which he regularly rapped about in his songs.
Miller began to make an even bigger name for himself when he dated Ariana Grande in
August 2016. However, according to TMZ, the two split in May 2018 but remained friends. Rolling
Stone reported that Miller's drug addiction played a part in the couple's separation.
A few months later, TMZ reported that Miller died in his San Fernando Valley, California home on
September 7, 2018, from a drug overdose. He was 26 years old. According to the Los Angeles County
Medical Examiner-Coroner, Miller died from a mixture of fentanyl , cocaine, and ethanol.
Aaliyah Dana Haughton was R&B royalty in the '90s and early 2000s. She was known for her sultry hits
like "Are You That Somebody?," "If Your Girl Only Knew," and "Try Again." By 22, Aaliyah had three
successful albums and starred in two films, "Romeo Must Die" and "Queen of the Damned."
On August 25, 2001, Aaliyah flew to the Bahamas' Abaco Islands to wrap up
the music video for the song "Rock the Boat." According to The New York Times,
the singer and eight others boarded a Cessna 402-B to return home. The plane
crashed immediately after taking off from Marsh Harbour Airport,
killing everyone onboard. CNN reported that the small plane was overloaded, which led to the
crash. Billboard also reported that the pilot's autopsy showed cocaine and alcohol in his system.
Aaliyah's then-boyfriend, Damon Dash,
revealed on "The Real" in 2021 that she told him that she was hesitant to board the plane.
"She was like 'I don't like that plane.' And I was like 'Don't get
on it.' And she was just like 'You know I gotta do it.' It was — you know — it
was a complicated situation but she had to go do that video."
It's been debated by some that taking on the role of the Joker in 2008's "The Dark Knight"
took a severe toll on Heath Ledger's health and led to his untimely death on January 22,
2008. Ledger took his preparation for the role to the extreme,
telling Empire he isolated himself for a month to work on the character.
However, Ledger struggled with insomnia,
revealing in a November 2007 interview with The New York Times that he was taking sleeping
pills. Reuters reported that Ledger had also allegedly struggled with substance abuse.
The actor was found dead at the age of 28 in his New York City apartment. According to Wired,
the New York City Medical Examiner's Office concluded in a statement that
Ledger's death was an accident as a result of abusing prescription medications. His role in
"The Dark Knight" earned him an Oscar posthumously for Best Supporting Actor.
Actor Anton Yelchin, who was best known for starring as Pavel Chekov in the 2011
"Star Trek" reboot and its sequels, suffered a horrific death on June 19,
2016. The Los Angeles Police Department reported that Yelchin's Jeep Grand Cherokee rolled down
his driveway and trapped him against a security gate around one in the morning. His body was
later found by a friend after the actor did not show up for rehearsal. Yelchin was 27 years old.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the Los Angeles coroner's office stated that Yelchin
suffered, quote, "blunt trauma asphyxia" and did not put his Jeep in park when it began
to roll down his driveway. His parents filed a lawsuit with Fiat Chrysler, which stated that the
actor's car was among 1.1 million vehicles that had been recalled because of issues regarding
the gear shifters. According to People, the suit was settled confidentially, with the money going
towards the Anton Yelchin Foundation and to the 2019 film about his life, "Love, Antosha."
Actor Thuy Trang is remembered for portraying Trini Kwan,
the original Yellow Ranger in the beloved '90s television series "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers."
Actor Angela Rockwood was with Trang when she died on September 3, 2001 at the age of 27,
and recalled to CNN that she was driving to Los Angeles from San Jose with Trang
and another friend when their vehicle spun violently out of control and hit the side of
a mountain. The car flipped multiple times, with Rockwood getting thrown out of the car
several feet away and snapping her neck. Trang and the other woman were still in the vehicle
when it hit a railing and flew over a bank before hitting a second rock face. Rockwood
survived the accident but was paralyzed from the neck down, while Trang died from her injuries.
Trang's former "Power Rangers" cast celebrated the
show's 25th anniversary in 2018 and paid tribute to their dear co-star.
Actor James Dean is widely recognized for starring as the troubled teenager in the film
"A Rebel Without A Cause." The film would be one of three movies Dean would star in
before his tragic death from a car accident on September 30, 1955, at the age of 24.
According to Biography, Dean loved fast cars,
and after receiving a hefty paycheck from his work in the 1955 film "East of Eden,"
he purchased a Porsche 550 Spyder. On the day of his death, Dean was ticketed for speeding
a mere few hours before his car collided with a sedan, killing the actor instantly.
"Rebel Without A Cause" was released a month after he died,
for which he received an Oscar nomination. Before his death,
the actor had also finished filming the western drama "Giant," alongside Elizabeth Taylor,
which was released in November 1956. The film also earned the star an Oscar nomination.
Buddy Holly was a rising rock star of the mid-1950s. His most defining songs,
such as "Peggy Sue" and "That'll Be The Day" were recorded with his band,
The Crickets. Holly was destined to do big things in the music industry,
but it all came to a tragic end one fateful day in 1959. On February 3 of that year,
while flying to make a last-minute gig, Holly was killed in a plane crash.
According to History, Ritchie Valens and J.P. Richardson,
also known as "The Big Bopper," were also on the plane. Valens, who, like Holly,
is known as a pioneer in rock and roll, was only 17. Richardson, a singer and popular
disc jockey, was 28. Don McLean's 1971 hit "American Pie" references that tragic day.
"The song was a phenomenon immediately,
and even though I didn't mention Buddy Holly, I dedicated the album to him."
Rapper Pop Smoke, whose real name was Bashar Barakah Jackson, was an up-and-coming
rapper who rose to stardom with the 2019 singles "Welcome to the Party" and "Dior."
According to TMZ, Pop Smoke was killed on February 19, 2020, when he was shot during
a home invasion while staying in a rental in the Hollywood Hills. The rapper was rushed
to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center but did not survive. Jackson was 20 years old.
According to the Los Angeles Times, before the rapper was killed, he had posted a photo
on Instagram revealing the address of the California home. According to XXL,
five people have since been arrested for killing the rapper. After his death,
his posthumous debut album, "Shoot for the Stars,
Aim for the Moon," was released in July 2020. His second album, "Faith," was released in July 2021.
Actor Cameron Boyce, the Disney star best known for his roles in the "Descendants" franchise,
died at the age of 20 in his sleep at his Los Angeles home on July 6, 2019. The Los Angeles
County Medical Examiner-Coroner determined the cause of death was complications due to epilepsy.
Many stars publicly reacted to the news of Boyce's death, including Adam Sandler, who acted alongside
Boyce in "Grown Ups" and "Grown Ups 2." He paid tribute to his young costar in a Tweet, writing,
"Loved that kid. Cared so much about his family. Cared so much about the world. Thank you, Cameron,
for all you gave to us. So much more was on the way. All our hearts are broken."
Brandon Lee was the son of actor and martial artist Bruce Lee,
who himself suffered a tragic death at 32. According to Entertainment Weekly,
Brandon was filming a scene in the 1993 film "The Crow," in which his character gets shot multiple
times by actor Michael Massee. Massee fired the 44-caliber revolver and unknowingly struck
Brandon, who fell to the ground and started bleeding. Brandon was rushed to the hospital,
but he did not survive. He died on March 31, 1993. He was 28 years-old.
The actor's death was ruled an accident. According to History,
Brandon was struck by a bullet that was lodged in the gun, although the weapon was supposed
to be loaded with blanks. In 2005, Massee shared that Brandon's death still haunted him.
"I-I don't think you ever get over something like that."
In 2014, Christina Grimmie showed the world her singing talents when she appeared on
Season 6 of "The Voice." Although she didn't win, Grimmie already had millions of fans
thanks to her YouTube channel. In 2013, she released her debut album "With Love."
According to the Los Angeles Times, the 22 year-old vocalist was doing
a meet-and-greet with her fans in Orlando, Florida, on June 10, 2016,
when Kevin James Loibl approached her. Loibl then proceeded to fatally shoot the singer. Grimmie's
brother was able to tackle Loibl after he shot her, but he turned the gun on himself and died.
Per CNN, a friend of Loibl told authorities that he was obsessed with the singer, spending much
of his time watching her on Youtube and following her on social media. After her death, the Grimmie
family launched the Christina Grimmie Foundation, which helps families impacted by gun violence.
"There are close to 40 deaths just from guns every day.
And there are so many people that are just not gonna have what our family had."
The world mourned the death of DJ Tim Bergling, better known as Avicii,
when he died on April 20, 2018. TMZ reported that Avicii died by suicide in Muscat, Oman.
Avicii had achieved widespread success as a DJ with hits like "Wake Me Up!" and "Levels."
However, as Avicii continued to tour around the globe, his health began to deteriorate.
According to Billboard, Avicii was first hospitalized in New York City in 2012 with
acute pancreatitis caused by alcohol. By 2014, his pancreatitis had returned, and he had to have
his appendix and his gallbladder removed. Many of his gigs were canceled so that he could recover,
but by 2016, Avicii announced that he was retiring from live performances.
In 2017, Avicii released his documentary, "True Stories," which showed the DJ being pressured to
perform despite his failing health. At one point in the film, he makes an eerie prediction, saying,
"I've told them over and over, I won't be able to play anymore. I've told them it will kill me."
Those who grew up watching the Disney channel in the '90s might remember the 1998 show "The
Famous Jett Jackson," starring actor Lee Thompson Young. After the show concluded,
Young continued to work his way up in Hollywood, starring in television shows like "The Guardian,"
"Scrubs," and "Smallville," as well as movies like "Friday Night Lights" and "The Hills
Have Eyes 2." In 2010, Young landed the role of detective Barry Frost on TNT's "Rizzoli & Isles."
TMZ reported that on August 19, 2013, Young was found dead in his Hollywood
home by his landlord after he failed to appear for work. The actor reportedly died by suicide.
A coroner's report from The New York Daily News reported that Young had
bipolar disorder and struggled with depression. According to WIS News 10, his mother shared,
"To see everything he accomplished in 29 years it's more than some people
accomplish their whole lives. He was able to do that with a mental illness,
and, yes, it ended tragically but through that, we're inspired."
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide
Prevention Lifeline​ by dialing 988 or by calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255)​.
If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues,
help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).