A devastating car crash. An undiagnosed heart condition. Murder. These stars all
died tragically at forty, leaving behind rich legacies of good work
and lingering questions: What more could they have done?
Actor Paul Walker is best remembered for portraying Brian O'Conner in the Fast and Furious
franchise. Walker starred in the first seven installments of the franchise built around street
racing, heists, and fast cars. In 2001, he shared with MTV that he grew up around cars, explaining,
"My father was always into cars. I grew up with all of the various car publications.
That's what I read. They were always around the house. My grandfather actually raced
factory cars for Ford. I think the whole speed car thing is really in my blood."
Sadly, Walker died in an accident in Valencia, California, on November 30,
2013. The actor was in the passenger seat of a 2005 Porsche Carrera GT when it struck
a tree and burst into flames. The driver of the vehicle, Roger Rodas, also died.
"Paul wanted to go for a ride. He wanted to go for a ride in the car,
so they went for a ride, and that was the last that we saw of them."
Filming of The Fast and the Furious 7 had not yet been completed at Walker's death,
so his brothers, Cody and Caleb Walker, stepped in as body doubles and CGI did the rest.
Chris Penn's most notable roles included Nice Guy Eddie in Reservoir Dogs, Chez in The Funeral,
and Peter Romano in the mafia comedy Corky Romano. The younger brother of actor Sean Penn,
he died suddenly in his Santa Monica, California home, at the age of 40 on January 24th, 2006.
The Los Angeles County medical examiner ruled his death an accident. They concluded that he
died from "nonspecific cardiomyopathy" and added,
"We know he had several prescriptions, including promethazine with codeine,
which featured predominantly in his death."
Valium, morphine, and marijuana were also found in Penn's system.
At his death, the actor weighed 300 pounds. During his first interview
after his brother's passing, Sean Penn told Larry King,
"[Chris] had certainly been a fantastically self-abusing guy over periods of his life,
but that wasn't the case in the end. I mean, it's a natural death. But a
natural death that was brought on by some hard living, but particularly weight."
Caroline Flack was a top-rated British television presenter who'd previously hosted the hit U.K.
show Love Island. Sadly, Flack died by suicide in her home in London on February 15, 2020.
According to The Guardian, before Flack died,
she had been involved in a domestic assault incident with her boyfriend, Lewis Burton,
in December 2019. Flack left her hosting gig on Love Island because of the incident.
"I have never had the kind of exposure or press intrusion that Caroline had.
That's ultimately what killed her, I believe."
The Crown Prosecution Service initially intended to give Flack a caution for the assault; however,
after further investigation, the host was informed
that she would be charged with assault and prosecuted. A day later, Flack died.
A coroner reported that Flack struggled with mental health and
could not face the publicity surrounding the case.
"Caroline had fluctuating mental ill health — she had had struggles in the past. In spite of
the fact she may have led — to some — a charmed life, actually the more famous she got, the more
some of these difficulties increased — she had to deal with the media in a way most of us don't."
In 2022, Flack's mother, Christine Flack, asked police to reinvestigate the decision
to charge her daughter, stating that the host was mistreated because she was a celebrity.
British fashion designer Alexander McQueen's death at 40 shocked the world. Known for his
bold and beautiful creations, McQueen was adored by celebrities including Lady Gaga,
Sarah Jessica Parker, Madonna, and many more. Sadly, his last show and final runway would be his
spring 2010 collection, Plato Atlantis, with the designer returning to a theme he loved: nature.
"I have an affinity with the sea."
"It's very melancholic, but it's very romantic."
McQueen was found dead by suicide in his London home on February 11, 2010,
one day before his mother's funeral. His psychiatrist stated via The Guardian that,
"He was very close to his mother. I think on top of the grief he felt there was that one
line that had gone from his life and there was very little to live for."
McQueen's doctor added that the fashion designer
had said he was depressed and under pressure at work.
"Everyone in the office, they go home and
they can shut off. But I'm still Alexander McQueen after I shut the door."
A toxicology report stated that, before taking his life,
McQueen took a cocktail of drugs, including cocaine, sleeping pills, and tranquilizers.
Fortunately for all who love fashion,
the House of McQueen lives on, with Sarah Burton named his successor in May 2010.
Adrienne Shelly was tragically killed just as her film Waitress was about to make her into
a massive star. Having already proven herself as a Hollywood actor in films like The Unbelievable
Truth and Trust, Shelly made her way into the director's chair with 1999's I'll Take You There.
However, it was a movie about a waitress wanting more out of life that spotlighted
Shelly's exceptional talents as a writer and director. Sadly, it would be her last film.
"This was going to be her moment. How are we here and she's not?"
According to The New York Times, Shelly was murdered by a construction worker named Diego
Pillco in her office in New York City on November 1, 2006. Police matched
shoe prints found in Shelly's bathroom with those in an apartment being renovated below.
This led them to Pillco who confessed to killing her and staging the murder as a
suicide. After pleading guilty to manslaughter, Pillco was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
In 2021, Shelly's husband, Andy Ostroy, released a documentary titled Adrienne
about his late wife. In the trailer, Ostroy memorializes Shelly's accomplishments with
interviews from former co-stars, including Keri Russell and Paul Rudd. In addition,
Ostroy has conversations with their daughter, Sophie, and confronts Shelly's killer in prison.
Jim Reeves was a country star who had so much more to contribute to music before he died in
a tragic plane crash. A native of Texas, Reeves' music career began in the '50s with his first hit
single, "Mexican Joe." Open to different musical stylings, his 1959 song, "He'll Have to Go," had
a pop sound that made its way to No. 2 on the Billboard Music charts. In describing Reeves'
knack for experimenting with different genres, historian Larry Jordan shared with Billboard,
"When he became successful and he had the freedom to experiment,
he began gravitating toward the pop world. He was uniquely in his own category,
and as a vocalist was in a league with the best crooners of the twentieth century like
Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby, Buddy Clark — who was his idol. He was in that league."
Sadly, Reeves died during the most successful period of his life. The star was flying his
single-engine plane from Arkansas bound for Nashville, Tennessee, when it crashed on July 31,
1964. Reeves' pianist, Dean Manuel, also died in the crash. The biography,
Jim Reeves: His Untold Story, written by Jordan, explains that Reeves was caught
in a heavy storm and lost visual reference. The plane went down just south of Music City.
Reeves may be gone, but his music remains. Reeves' song "The Image of
Me" hit the Billboard charts in 1984, 20 years after his death.
John Coltrane was a saxophonist who became one of jazz' most influential musicians. His love of
music came at a young age, and his talent allowed him to work among famed ensembles, including those
of jazz greats Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie. Coltrane also played with musical legend
Thelonious Monk. In the '60s, Coltrane started his own quartet and released his best-selling album,
A Love Supreme, in 1965. It would become the first jazz album of the era to go platinum.
Coltrane died of liver cancer on July 17,
1967, at 40 years old. According to John Coltrane: His Life and Music by Lewis Porter,
Coltrane's death was unexpected by the jazz community. He quotes Miles Davis as saying,
"Coltrane's death shocked everyone, took everyone by surprise. I knew he hadn't
looked too good. [...] But I didn't know he was that sick — or even sick at all."
Coltrane remains an influential figure in the jazz world.
As a member of The Beatles, John Lennon's contributions to music were profound throughout
the '60s. Even when the band broke up in the '70s, Lennon's solo work continued to make
an impact as succeeding generations continue to discover his music long after his death.
On December 8, 1980, Lennon was shot several times outside of his Upper West Side home in
New York City by assassin Mark David Chapman. The shooter remained at the scene until police
took him into custody. Lennon was rushed to the hospital but died from his injuries
shortly thereafter. Twenty years after the shooting, Chapman spoke with Larry King,
expressing remorse for killing the star. He shared that he was jealous
of Lennon's fame and wanted his own. He spoke in the third person, saying,
"Mark David Chapman was a failure in his own mind. He wanted to become somebody important,
Larry. He didn't know how to handle being a nobody."
Chapman was eligible for parole in 2000 but has since been denied 12 times. In 1981,
a permanent memorial for Lennon, Strawberry Fields,
was constructed in Central Park with the help of his wife, Yoko Ono.
Stephen 'tWitch' Boss' love of dancing made him into a star. He found fame as
the runner-up of Season 4's So You Think You Can Dance and returned to the show as
an All-Star and a judge. Boss' most notable role was DJ and co-host on The Ellen DeGeneres Show,
where he worked beginning in 2014. Boss became a co-executive producer of the daytime talk show
in 2020 and worked with DeGeneres until the show ended, with its final episode airing in May 2022.
Boss died on December 13, 2022, in Los Angeles, with the Los Angeles County
Medical Examiner-Coroner confirming that he had died by suicide. His wife, Allison Holker,
whom he met on So You Think You Can Dance, had also confirmed her husband's death telling TMZ,
"He was the backbone of our family, the best husband and father, and an inspiration to his
fans [...] Stephen, we love you, we miss you, and I will always save the last dance for you."
The couple, who wed in December 2013, became dancing fixtures on social media. They welcomed
two children — Maddox and Zaia, while he was also a stepfather to her daughter, Weslie.