When celebrities die at a young age, it stops us in our tracks. Far too many famous figures and cultural icons have died in their 30s, from Marilyn Monroe to Cory Monteith, Malcolm X to John F. Kennedy Jr., the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. to Princess Di, leaving fans and followers everywhere to mourn. In this photo gallery of celebrities who died before 40, we remember legends and budding stars from politics, film, television, music, and sports gone much too soon.
Nipsey Hussle (1985–2019)
Hussle, born Ermias Asghedom, was Grammy-nominated West Coast rapper known for his mixtapes and his 2018 debut studio album “Victory Lap.” He died at 33 of injuries sustained in a shooting.
Misty Upham (1982–2014)
The actor was known for her performances in the films “Frozen River,” “August: Osage County,” and “Django Unchained.” She died at 32.
Cory Monteith (1982–2013)
Monteith is known best for playing Finn Hudson on television’s “Glee.” For an actor with no background in musical theater, Monteith still managed to win hearts with his songs. He died at 31 of an accidental overdose.
Chris “Mac Daddy” Kelly (1978–2013)
Kelly was half of 1990s kid rap duo Kris Kross. They made one of the decade’s most memorable songs with the frenetic “Jump.” Kelly died at 34 of a drug overdose.
View Chris “Mac Daddy” Kelly’s obituary
Mindy McCready (1975–2013)
Country singer MINDY MCCREADY (1975 – 2013) found early fame with songs such as “Ten Thousand Angels” and “Guys Do It All the Time.” She long struggled with substance-abuse problems and publicly tried – and ultimately failed – to get sober on “Celebrity Rehab.” McCready died by suicide at 37.
View Mindy McCready’s obituary
Corey Haim (1971–2010)
Haim was a natural and talented actor, a 1980s teen heartthrob who charmed his fans whether he was tackling a complex movie role or just offering his lopsided grin in a teen-magazine photo. After struggles with drug addiction, he died at 38.
Brittany Murphy (1977–2009)
Murphy believed from a young age that she was destined to be star, and she devoted her life to performing. She made a name for herself in “Clueless” and would go on to continued success as a voice actress on “King of the Hill.” In addition to her screen work, Murphy found her way to Broadway and worked steadily as a studio vocalist. Tragically, her bright career was cut short at 32 when she succumbed to pneumonia.
View Brittany Murphy’s obituary
Anna Nicole Smith (1967–2007)
Smith, who burst into American popular culture from the pages of Playboy magazine, dreamed of being the next Marilyn Monroe. That dream came true in more ways than one; like her idol, Smith died young of a drug overdose. Before her death in 2007 at 39, Smith was a fixture on television, thanks to her reality show and her work as a spokeswoman for the Trimspa weight-loss program and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
View Anna Nicole Smith’s obituary
Jam Master Jay (1965–2002)
Jason William Mizell, aka Jam Master Jay, was a member of hip-hop pioneers Run-DMC, credited with bringing hip-hop to the mainstream. Mizell was murdered at 37.
Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes (1971–2002)
Lopes was a member of 1990s Grammy-winning trio TLC. With TLC she sold more than 45 million albums worldwide, appeared in dozens of music videos, performed at the Grammy Awards and the MTV Music Awards, and hosted a short-lived talent search TV show. Lopes died in a car accident at 30.
View Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes’ obituary
JFK Jr. (1960–1999) and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy (1966–1999)
Kennedy and Bessette were married just three years before they were killed when the plane Kennedy was piloting crashed near Martha’s Vineyard. The Kennedys, a family often beset by tragedy, would have to mourn again — and they were joined, once again, by a saddened country.
Dana Plato (1964–1999)
Plato began her career at age 7, appearing in television commercials. She is known best for her role as Kimberly Drummond on “Diff’rent Strokes.” She struggled with drug and alcohol abuse for years before her death by suicide at 34.
Read more about the cast of “Diff’rent Strokes”
Florence Griffith Joyner (1959–1998)
Griffith Joyner, known to her many fans as Flo-Jo, is considered the fastest woman of all time, with the world records she set at the 1988 Olympics still standing today. Griffith Joyner died in her sleep of asphyxiation brought on by a severe epileptic seizure. She was 38.
View Florence Griffith Joyner’s obituary
Princess Diana (1961–1997)
Princess Diana was just 36 when she was killed in a car crash. Princess Di gave us so many of the things we look for in an international celebrity: beauty and style, love and scandal, great heights and occasional lows. She was committed to helping others, with an impressive group of charities she supported. She was a devoted mother, determined to raise her sons herself. And she was a style icon.
View Princess Diana’s obituary
Chris Farley (1964–1997)
Farley was unafraid of making a fool of himself for laughs. As a cast member on “Saturday Night Live,” the comedian famously danced topless next to Patrick Swayze, mocked his Midwest heritage as an overzealous Chicago Bears fan, and slapped on a skirt and wig to play a “Gap Girl.” Farley died of a drug overdose at 33.
Jeff Buckley (1966–1997)
The singer and guitarist drowned in 1997 when he was just 30. Buckley was a songwriter, and a talented one … but his most famous and enduring recording is one that came from another pen. Buckley’s version of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” captivated listeners with its haunting guitar and Buckley’s gorgeous vocals.
Eazy-E (1964–1995)
Eazy-E is known as the “Godfather of Gangsta Rap.” With his group N.W.A. and album “Straight Outta Compton,” Eazy-E (along with Dr. Dre and Ice Cube) took the music world by storm. Eazy-E’s own label Ruthless Records launched N.W.A. and would later discover acts such as Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. The rapper and entrepreneur died of AIDS at age 30.
Sam Kinison (1953–1992)
Kinison was a stand-up comedian and actor known for his harsh, intense and politically-incorrect humor. He died in a head-on car collision at 38.
Stevie Ray Vaughan (1954–1990)
The beloved guitarist is considered one of the most influential blues electric guitarists. He died in a helicopter crash at 35.
Andy Gibb (1958–1988)
Gibb was the iconoclast of his famous family: he was the only one of the four sons who wasn’t part of the multi-platinum pop/disco band the Bee Gees. After years of drug and alcohol abuse, Gibb died just days after his 30th birthday.
Christa McAuliffe (1948–1986)
In 1986 the teacher-astronaut died along with six other crew members in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. The tragedy captured worldwide attention and remains emblazoned in our national consciousness.
View Christa McAuliffe’s obituary
Andy Kaufman (1949–1984)
The entertainer — he preferred not to be called a comedian — was a familiar face on TV: a regular on the sitcom “Taxi” who also appeared several times on “Saturday Night Live.” Kaufman died of cancer in 1984 at 35.
Karen Carpenter (1959–1983)
Carpenter’s death is one of the great tragedies of the music world. Blessed with a warm, friendly singing voice and a natural flair for drums — but perhaps feeling a lack of control over her life, professionally and personally — she turned to diets to shape the one thing she felt she could control: her body. Anorexia nervosa and its vicious circle of dieting and pills eventually led to her death at 32.
View Karen Carpenter’s obituary
Dennis Wilson (1944–1983)
Wilson was the only real surfer in the Beach Boys, despite the boards-and-baggies image the band displayed. He also was the band’s drummer, as well as a guitarist and pianist who occasionally took lead vocal duties. Wilson drowned at 39.
John Belushi (1949–1982)
Belushi died of an accidental drug overdose at 33. A short life, but one packed with a lifetime’s worth of memorable performances. Belushi isn’t remembered for just one iconic role. Instead we remember the way he added his trademark humor to dozens of characters, from stand-alone “Saturday Night Live” sketches to all-time favorite movies.
Bob Marley (1945–1981)
Marley died at 36 of malignant melanoma. But in the limited years he was given, he produced an amazingly broad discography that helped bring Jamaica’s reggae music to an international audience.
Harry Chapin (1942–1981)
Chapin, who died in a car accident at 38, was a storyteller. He tugged at our heartstrings with his musical tales of ordinary lives — a too-busy dad who raises a too-busy son (“Cat’s in the Cradle”), a cab driver who has a chance meeting with an ex-girlfriend (“Taxi”), a disc jockey who throws himself into his work and loses his family (“W*O*L*D”).
Minnie Riperton (1947-1979)
Riperton, a hugely talented singer with a five-and-a-half octave range, hit No. 1 with “Lovin’ You” in 1975. She died of breast cancer a few years later at 31. Her daughter, actress Maya Rudolph, was just 6 at the time.
Read more about Minnie Riperton
Keith Moon (1946–1978)
Moon, known best as the drummer for rock group The Who, struggled with drug and alcohol addiction before dying at 32 of an overdose.
Sandy Denny (1947–1978)
The singer-songwriter was the voice of British folk music through the late 1960s and ’70s, with groups like the Strawbs, Fairport Convention and Fotheringay. She released four albums on her own, and her duet of “The Battle of Evermore” with Robert Plant earned her the distinction of being the only guest vocalist on a Led Zeppelin studio album. Substance abuse and health problems led to her early death at 31.
Phil Ochs (1940–1976)
Ochs was a prolific singer-songwriter and an icon within the 1960s counterculture movement. His music became a mainstay among anti-war protests and other causes on the political left. It helped to inspire protests and resistance to the war in Vietnam in 1975. Less than one year later, mental illness and drug addiction overcame Ochs, and he hanged himself, bringing a promising career to a tragic end at 35.
Florence Ballard (1943–1976)
Ballard started singing group the Primettes while still in high school. When the group signed with Motown Records, Ballard hand-picked the group’s new name: the Supremes. Ballard eventually left the Supremes and struggled with depression and poverty. Just as she was beginning to rehabilitate her career, she died suddenly at 32.
View Florence Ballard’s obituary
Cass Elliot (1941–1974)
After Elliot joined the New Journeymen, the group needed a new name. One evening the band saw the Hell’s Angels on a talk show. When one of them referred to female bikers as “Mamas,” Elliot was electrified, jumping up and yelling, “Yeah! I want to be a Mama!” Denny Doherty and John Phillips figured they could be the Papas, and thus a legendary name was born — the Mamas and the Papas. Elliot died of a heart attack at 32.
Bobby Darin (1936–1973)
Darin had his first million-seller with “Splish-Splash” (1958), followed by “Dream Lover” (1959), and Grammy winner “Mack the Knife” (1959). Darin’s recording successes took him to Las Vegas, where he was a popular casino headliner, then to Hollywood. Versatile in his singing and songwriting styles, Darin covered pop, jazz, folk and country. He died at 37 following a heart operation.
Jim Croce (1943–1973)
Croce, a self-described “underachiever,” made the most of his brief music career, leaving a lyrical legacy that continues to inspire. Croce’s songs paint perfectly detailed portraits of people and elegantly capture moments in time; they were gentle and tender, reflective of the 1970s singer-songwriter movement of which Croce was an important part. Croce died at 30 in a plane crash.
Bruce Lee (1940–1973)
The martial arts master and movie star was only 32 and in seemingly good health until, while planning his next movie in Hong Kong, he suffered a cerebral edema that took his life. He didn’t have many years to make his mark — but the legacy he left is indelible. During his short life, he brought martial arts to Hollywood, ushering in a karate craze in the U.S. and helping to elevate the perception of Asian actors.
Roberto Clemente (1934–1972)
The Major League Baseball superstar played 18 seasons for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Heavily involved in charitable work, Clemente died in a plane crash while traveling to provide aid to victims of a massive earthquake in Nicaragua. He was 38.
Inger Stevens (1934–1970)
The Swedish-American actress appeared in landmark TV programs like “The Twilight Zone,” “Route 66,” “The Alfred Hitchcock Hour,” and in such films as “The Buccaneer” and “A Time for Killing.” Her big break came alongside Bing Crosby in “Man on Fire,” and she found her greatest success on “The Farmer’s Daughter.” Sadly, Stevens’ career was cut short in 1970 when she suffered acute barbiturate poisoning at her home in Hollywood and died en route to the hospital.
Martin Luther King Jr. (1929–1968)
King said about himself, “In the quiet recesses of my heart, I am fundamentally a clergyman, a Baptist preacher.” Today we remember him as a martyr for the civil rights struggle, a voice for peace and an American hero, thanks in large part to the enduring power of his sermons and speeches. King was assassinated in 1968 at 39.
View Martin Luther King Jr.’s obituary
Jayne Mansfield (1933–1967)
Mansfield enjoyed success as a model, actress and singer before her untimely death at 34. One of the leading sex symbols of the 1950s, Mansfield’s big break came when she posed for the cover of Playboy magazine in 1955. She died in car accident in Mississippi when the car in which she was riding rear-ended a tractor-trailer.
View Jayne Mansfield’s obituary
Malcolm X (1925–1965)
Malcolm X grew up largely in foster homes following his mother’s institutionalization and his father’s death. At 20 he was imprisoned for larceny and while in jail was introduced to the Nation of Islam. After his release Malcolm X climbed the ranks of the Nation of Islam, becoming one of its leaders before breaking with the group in 1964. He was 39 when he was assassinated in 1965 by Nation of Islam members.
Sam Cooke (1931–1964)
Cooke had his first big solo hit with “You Send Me.” Topping the Billboard R&B charts for six weeks and also spending three atop the pop charts, the single marked the beginning of a run of hits that would see him land in the Top 40 an astounding 29 times in five years. Cooke, the King of Soul, was shot and killed at 33.
Medgar Evers (1925–1963)
Evers dedicated his life to civil rights and social justice. He worked with the NAACP, helped to integrate the University of Mississippi, fought for justice for Emmett Till, organized and led sit-ins and wade-ins. His murder at age 37 inspired countless protests and artistic tributes.
Patsy Cline (1932–1963)
The country music legend died in a plane crash at 30. She achieved amazing things in her years on earth, rising to superstardom and recording some of the best-loved songs in country music history. She is an icon and widely considered one of the best and most influential singers in country music.
Marilyn Monroe (1926–1962)
The origin story of Marilyn Monroe is a modern-day legend — the pretty young brunette named Norma Jeane who loved the movies and would eventually transform herself, becoming a superstar and then, icon. Monroe died at 36 of an overdose.
View Marilyn Monroe’s obituary
Lou Gehrig (1903–1941)
In 1938 Lou Gehrig was tired and feeling the effects of the illness that would soon take his life. Nevertheless in August 1938, Gehrig hit the 23rd grand slam of his career and set a record that would stand for 75 years. He died three years later at the age of 37.
Amelia Earhart (1897–1937)
Earhart has achieved legendary status in American history. Ever since her mysterious disappearance at 39, generations have been inspired by her intrepid life … and enjoyed speculating about her fate.
View Amelia Earhart’s obituary
