17 Old Hollywood Stars Whose Deaths Are Still Shocking All These Years Later
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1.
Bobby Driscoll (1937 – 1968)
Bobby Driscoll found success as a child actor in the late ’40s and ’50s in films like So Dear to My Heart, Treasure Island, and Peter Pan. He died in 1968 at age 31 from hardening of the arteries, a side effect of drug use. According to Entertainment Weekly, his body was found by children playing in an abandoned New York tenement, and he was buried in an unmarked grave.
2.
James Dean (1931 – 1955)
James Dean skyrocketed to fame in the ’50s thanks to roles in films like East of Eden, Rebel Without a Cause, and Giant. He died in 1955 at age 24 after a car crash in California, according to the New York Times.
3.
Natalie Wood (1938 – 1981)
Natalie Wood’s career continued long after Old Hollywood ended, but she made a significant impact while the era was still going. She starred in films like Miracle on 34th Street, Rebel Without a Cause, and The Searchers, all before 1960. Of course, just a few years later, she went on to act in the blockbuster musicals West Side Story and Gypsy. She died in 1981 at age 43, and her death was the subject of mystery and significant news attention. According to People, she drowned during a boat trip off the coast of California. Per the publication, her death was ruled “an accidental drowning,” though the circumstances around it remain still discussed today.
4.
Sal Mineo (1939 – 1976)
Sal Mineo also died far after Old Hollywood came to a close, but he was a popular up-and-coming actor during the final years of the era. In the late ’50s, he had significant roles in the films Rebel Without a Cause and Giant. He died in 1976 at age 37 after being stabbed and killed in West Hollywood outside of his apartment. His killer was later identified and sent to prison, according to the Los Angeles Times.
5.
Jean Harlow (1911 – 1937)
Jean Harlow was a titan of the silver screen in the ’30s and was known as the original “Blonde Bombshell.” She appeared in hits like Red-Headed Woman, Red Dust, and Personal Property. She died in 1937 at age 26 while filming what would go on to be her biggest hit: Saratoga, which co-starred Clark Gable. Jean’s death is attributed to kidney failure, according to History.com.
6.
Marilyn Monroe (1926 – 1962)
If Jean Harlow was the original “Blonde Bombshell,” Marilyn Monroe took the title to another level. Surging to popularity in the ’50s, Marilyn remains one of the most recognizable faces of Old Hollywood. Among her many roles, she’s arguably best known for her performances in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, The Seven Year Itch, and Some Like It Hot. Marilyn’s death came after film’s Golden Age ended. She died in 1962 at age 36 from a barbiturate overdose, according to the Los Angeles Times.
7.
Jayne Mansfield (1933 – 1967)
Another blonde bombshell in the ’50s, Jayne Mansfield starred in films like The Girl Can’t Help It, Too Hot to Handle, and Promises! Promises! She also died after the Old Hollywood era ended. In 1967, Jayne died at age 34 when a car she was a passenger in, alongside her family, crashed into a tractor-trailer in Mississippi. Three of her five children were in the car and survived, including her daughter Mariska Hargitay.
8.
Judy Garland (1922 – 1969)
Judy Garland might just be one of the most recognizable stars of cinema…ever? She starred in ubiquitous films, like The Wizard of Oz, Meet Me in St. Louis, and A Star is Born. Her career spanned several decades, ending in 1969 when she died at age 47 from barbiturate poisoning, according to PBS.
9.
Carole Lombard (1908 – 1942)
Carole Lombard’s career spanned the late ’20s through the early ’40s. She was best known for her work in screwball comedies, garnering a Best Actress Oscar nomination for My Man Godfrey. Her notable films include The Arizona Kid, Twentieth Century, and Mr. & Mrs. Smith. She died in 1942 at age 33 when a plane she was traveling in crashed in Nevada, according to Time.
10.
Robert Walker (1918 – 1951)
Robert Walker was an actor who had significant success in the ’40s. However, he’s most famous for starring in Alfred Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train in 1951. He died that same year at age 32 from an accidental overdose during medical treatment, according to the New York Times.
11.
Rudolph Valentino (1895 – 1926)
Rudolph Valentino, known as the “Latin Lover,” was one of the most prominent Italian actors of the ’20s. He starred in films like The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and The Sheik. Rudolph died in 1926 at age 31, shortly after an infection set in following surgery for an appendicitis and perforated ulcers. According to Vanity Fair, his death caused a frenzy among fans mourning his loss.
12.
Russ Columbo (1908 – 1934)
Russ Columbo was an American musician known for writing or co-writing popular songs like “You Call It Madness (But I Call It Love)” and “Prisoner of Love.” He died in 1934 at age 26 following an “accidental discharge” of an antique pistol he was viewing at a photographer’s home, according to the New York Times.
13.
Renée Adorée (1898 – 1933)
Renée Adorée was a French actress whose big break as a film actor came with the 1923 silent film The Eternal Struggle. She saw even greater success with the 1925 silent war drama The Big Parade. Renée died in 1933 at age 35 from tuberculosis, according to the Los Angeles Times.
14.
Leslie Howard (1893 – 1943)
Leslie Howard was a Hollywood renaissance man in the ’30s and ’40s. The British actor was best known for his supporting role in Gone with the Wind and Oscar-nominated turns in Berkeley Square and Pygmalion. During World War II, Leslie was an active supporter of the Allied Powers. In 1943, a flight he was on from Portugal to England was shot down by Germany. He and 16 others were killed, according to the Los Angeles Times.
15.
Dorothy Dell (1915 – 1934)
Dorothy Dell appeared in her only three films in 1934: Wharf Angel, Little Miss Marker, and Shoot the Works. She died that same year at age 19 in a car crash, according to the New York Times.
16.
Adrienne Ames (1907 – 1947)
Adrienne Ames began working as an actor in the late ’20s and continued through 1940. She died in 1947 at age 39 after a battle with cancer, according to the Los Angeles Times.
17.
Finally, Thelma Todd (1906 – 1935)
Thelma Todd found success as an actor in the ’20s and ’30s, starring in films such as Monkey Business and Corsair. She died in 1935 at age 29 from suspected carbon monoxide poisoning, though the circumstances around her death largely remain a mystery, according to NPR station KCRW.
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