Random Most Surprising Historical Celebrity Deaths (15 items)

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  (#9) Sam Cooke

  • Dec. at 33 (1931-1964)

  On December 11th, 1964, legendary R&B singer Sam Cooke was shot to death in the Hacienda Motel in Los Angeles. The motel manager, Bertha Franklin, claimed to have shot Cooke in self-defense. According to her story, Cooke had taken a young woman to the motel against her will. After the woman fled from his room, Cooke barged into the manager’s office demanding to know her whereabouts. Allegedly, when Franklin told Cooke she did not know where the woman was, he violently attacked her, and she shot him in self-defense with a gun kept in the office.

  Over the years, this version of events has been called into question. Some suspect Franklin and the young woman with Cooke that night were conspiring against him to rob him. Due to the limited number of witnesses, what actually occurred remains unclear to this day.
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  (#2) Marilyn Monroe

  • Dec. at 36 (1926-1962)

  A prominent actress and sex symbol during her day, Marilyn Monroe’s untimely death was one of the most shocking moments in Hollywood history. The actress was found dead in her home on August 5th, 1962, from a presumed suicide. Monroe was found naked, lying on her stomach, and surrounded by empty pill bottles with a telephone in one hand.

  The pressures of stardom had caused Monroe to slip into a depression. Monroe’s maid contacted her psychiatrist after finding her bedroom door locked. The psychiatrist discovered Monroe’s body after breaking a window. Monroe had reportedly been living as a recluse in her Brentwood, CA, home in the months leading up to her death.
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  (#10) George Reeves

  • Dec. at 45 (1914-1959)

  On June 16th, 1959, police officers discovered Superman actor George Reeves dead in his Los Angeles home. Reeves was found lying in bed naked, dead from a single gunshot wound to the head, with blood spilling over the sheets. Several guests were present in the home at the time, who claimed Reeves had retired to bed earlier in the evening. Later, they hard a gunshot from upstairs.

  There is a lot of mystery surrounding the death. Some speculate it was suicide. Reeves was unhappy with his roll as Superman, believing the part to be beneath him, and a recent car accident could have caused brain damage. Others speculate one of the guests, possibly Reeves’s then girlfriend, shot him.

  Others proposed a game of Russian Roulette was to blame. While suicide is widely accepted as the most likely explanation, a lot of speculation and conspiracy still surrounds the mysterious death of George Reeves.
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  (#14) Bobby Fuller

  • Dec. at 24 (1942-1966)

  Rock & roll star Bobby Fuller’s death on July 18th, 1966, was a mystery that remains debatably unsolved. Fuller was found dead of asphyxiation in the front seat of his mother’s car in Los Angeles, CA. The death may have been suicide or an accident, but some speculate Fuller was murdered. He had left his home earlier in the day, and his body was later found doused in gasoline.

  The most likely explanation is that the death was either a suicide or an accident. There were no signs of homicide according to coroner’s reports, but suspicious bruises generated theories that Fuller was actually murdered. Regardless of the cause, the death of an up-and-coming rock star at 23 left many Americans shocked.
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  (#1) Sharon Tate

  • Dec. at 26 (1943-1969)

  In an event that marked the end of the ‘60s era of peace and love for many, the world was shocked when up-and-coming actress Sharon Tate was stabbed to death while nine months pregnant. Tate was found dead in her Los Angeles home, alongside five other bodies, on August 9th, 1969.

  In the ensuing weeks, it would emerge Tate had been a victim of the Manson family cult. The cult members, acting under the instructions of Charles Manson, were committing murders in order to start the apocalyptic race war Manson believed was coming.

  The deaths were incredibly shocking to the general public due to the seemingly random nature of the attack and the gruesome details. Tate had been stabbed multiple times and there was an “X” cut into her stomach. The killers had written words like “Pig” and “Helter Skelter” on the walls using the blood of the victims.

  The tragedy led to mass paranoia in Hollywood and was one of several tragic events that led to general disillusionment with the ‘60s counterculture.
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  (#3) Elvis Presley

  • Dec. at 42 (1935-1977)

  Elvis Presley’s health and weight fluctuations had been a popular tabloid subject for years before the singer was found dead in the bathroom of his Memphis estate on August 16th, 1977. While the death was initially reported as a heart attack, stories began to emerge about Presley’s drug use and how it may have contributed to the singer’s demise.

  Presley’s death was shocking as it came in the wake of a televised Vegas performance. Fans were shocked the star – whom they had just seen alive and healthy – had died, and had apparently been dealing with a drug problem for a long time.

  Over 100,000 people showed up to the public viewing of Presley’s body at his Graceland estate. The event attracted a wide array of mourners from all different ages and walks of life. The subsequent media coverage forced many people to reevaluate their view of the singer as his chronic health problems and struggles with addiction became public knowledge.

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