Forever Young: Celebrities and Icons Gone Too Soon

Cory Monteith will forever be 31. He’ll be Finn Hudson and a part of one of the most influential TV series to date, but he’ll still be 31. It’s not something easy to grasp for a lot of people, including the NYMM staff. Some of us have watched Glee since its very beginning and seeing someone so young die too soon is simply tragic. In light of these events, we’ve reflected on several stars in music, film and the public eye that have gone too soon.

1. Aaliyah (Jan. 16 1979—Aug. 25 2001)

The R&B singer, known as the “Queen of Urban Pop” and “Princess of R&B” died in a tragic plane crash along with eight other people just after filming the music video for “Rock the Boat” in the Bahamas.

2. Heath Ledger (April 4 1979—Jan. 22 2008)

Winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor would be one of the several accolades the actor would receive after his untimely death from accidental intoxication from prescription drugs.

3. Brittany Murphy (Nov. 10 1977—Dec. 20 2009)

The actress famous for films such as Uptown Girls, Clueless, Just Married, Girl Interrupted, Spun, and 8 Mile passed away due to complications from pneumonia, with secondary causes including iron-deficiency anemia and multiple drug intoxication.

4. River Phoenix (Aug. 23 1970—Oct. 31 1993)

The teen sensation and brother of actor Joaquin Phoenix collapsed and died in the streets of LA from drug-induced heart failure.

5. Amy Winehouse (Sep. 14 1983—July 23 2011)

The Back to Black singer, whose album would be the UK’s best-selling album of the 21st century, suffered from alcohol poisoning being that her blood alcohol content was 5 times above the legal limit.  

6. Kurt Cobain (Feb. 20 1967—April 5 1994)

The alternative rock legend suffered from heroin addiction, depression and illness. He was found dead at his home in Seattle, victim of suicide by a fatal wound to the head.

7. Lisa “Left-Eye” Lopes (May 27 1972—April 25 2002)

The TLC member was killed in a car crash in Honduras. The last months of her life, including the accident that would cause her death, were documented and later turned into a film entitled The Last Days of Left Eye.

8. The 27 Club: Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, and Jimi Hendrix

The iconic rock music legends passed away within a year of each other; Hendrix on Sept. 18 1970, Joplin on Oct 4 of the same year and Morrison on July 3 1971, each from complications due to drug overdose or alcohol induced death. While there are several other members of the 27 club, including Cobain and Winehouse listed above, these three are the most iconic of the “club.”

Featured Image by Maia Valenzuela on Flickr
Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)

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