If you have watched A 1000 Ways to Die, then you know that death can come in the most unexpected, bizarre, and horrific ways possible. Though some of these deaths are on the extreme, cases of explosions after a car accident, gun accidents, accidental death on set, and drug overdose don’t seem farfetched.

What’s even clearer is that death never respects your caliber or position in the society. That is why, even the most admired in the society, like celebrities, as you will notice, have encountered horrific deaths. Since the days of silent movies, Hollywood has experienced terrible and shocking deaths, cutting across ages. 2016, for example, was universally declared the year of celebrity deaths, after more celebrities died compared to the previous years.

Some of these deaths were cancer-related, while others were a result of the ‘celebrity curse’, at least according to a theory discussed in the Telegraph. Celebrity figures of the 1960s and 70s, for example, capitalized their lives on sex, drugs and rock and roll lifestyle of that era. Some new age celebrities still engage in such lifestyles, no wonder you will read about deaths caused by drunk driving, and dangerous sexual practices. Some however, are a result of terrible accidents, which are in no way related to the perceived celebrity lifestyle.

So, what are the most horrific celebrity deaths? Keep reading. Let us know which one saddened you most.

15. Phil Hartman

Phil Hartman was a celebrated comedian, who won an Emmy award for his work on Saturday Night Live. He was more prominent for doing voice-overs for characters, Troy Maclure and Lionel Hutz, on The Simpsons, and playing Ted, in Jingle All The Way. Sadly, for Phil, his high-flying career was cut short, when he was murdered by his wife, Brynn, on the night of May 27^th 1998. Frustrated by his wife’s addiction to drugs, he argued with her, threatening to leave her if she started using drugs again. Brynn, who was high on cocaine, waited until her husband retired to bed, crept into the bedroom, and shot him thrice, with a .38 caliber handgun. She then confessed her crime to her friends, then shot herself dead, in the bathroom, leaving behind two orphans.

14. Sonny Bono

Salvatore Phillip “Sonny” Bono earned a living as a singer, producer, and politician. This American celebrity became famous because of his partnership with his second wife, Cher, with whom he formed the popular singing duo, Sonny & Cher. Sadly, the couple divorced, but became famous at later stages of their lives, Cher moving on as a pop singer, while Sonny delved into politics, as a Republican Congressman. Unfortunately, his life was cut shot after a skiing accident in 1998, when he ran into a tree, getting massive head injuries, which lead to his death. Bono was actually skiing with his third wife, Mary Whitaker, and their children, but was alone when the accident happened.

13. Natalie Wood

On November 29, 1981, the life of successful American film and television actress, Natalie Wood, came to a sudden, yet horrific end. Wood, who was 43 at the time of her death, fell overboard on a boat sailing near California’s Catalina Island. At that time, officials ruled her untimely death as accidental drowning, also indicating that the deceased had taken about 8 glasses of wine, and was intoxicated by the time of the fateful incident. The Rebel Without a Cause star’s demise still made headlines 30 years later, when the case was reopened, after further details emerged from her then husband’s, Robert Wagner, 2008 memoir, when he stated that he had gotten into an argument with Wood on that fateful night.

12. Elizabeth Short

Born in 1925 to Phoebe and Cleo Short, Elizabeth Short, unfortunately had a short-lived experience with her dad, who left them early in their life. As a single parent, her mother Phoebe took Elizabeth to the movies quite often, an experience that led to the lass developing a keen interest in the silver screen. Unfortunately for Ms. Short, her horrific death on January 15^th 1947 made her more famous, than her acting prowess. Her body was found at Los Angeles Park, severed at the waist, and drained of blood. As a result of this murder, Short was nicknamed “the Black Dahlia”, who’s case has never been solved to date, with numerous people claiming that they knew the killer, the latest being Steve Hodel, who claims his dad was the killer, and has evidence to prove the same.

11. Paul Walker

Before we start narrating Walker’s ordeal, I need to ask, have you watched The Fast and The Furious movies? If not, I just don’t know what to do with you. Are you serious? Anyway, Paul Walker was one of the biggest stars in The Fast and the Furious franchse. However, his bubbling career was shockingly cut off in a horrific single-vehicle collision. On November 30 2013, Walker was a passenger in a red Porsche his friend, Roger Rodas, was driving, before it crashed into a lamp post, exploding a minute later, in Valencia, north of Los Angeles, killing the two on the spot.

10. Brandon Lee

The Crow was one of the best comic book movies of the 90s, which was actually supposed to make Brandon Lee an even bigger star in Hollywood. Unfortunately, this movie was instead linked to Brandon Lee’s tragic death. On March 31, 1993, while on set filming The Crow, Brandon, who was son of martial artist and film actor Bruce Lee, was fatally wounded after a blank cartridge was fired at him from a prop gun. It turns out that a bullet was also lodged in the gun barrel, which killed Lee after he was shot in the chest. What a tragic death for a promising young star.

9. Marvin Gaye

Marvin Gaye was at the peak of his career, popular for hits such as How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) and Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology). Unfortunately for Gaye, his dad shot and killed him, just a day shy of his 45^th birthday. This seemed to be the epitome of his longstanding conflict with his dad, dating back to childhood. On that fateful day, Gaye and his dad had argued over misplaced documents. Reportedly, Gaye had beaten up his dad, prior to the shooting. The dad received 5 years of probation, after pleading guilty to the manslaughter charges.

8. Selena Quintanilla-Pérez

On March 31, 1995, Tejano singer, Selena, met her death after being mortally shot at the tender age of 23. Her death at the Days Inn motel in Corpus Christi, Texas, was a consequence of a business relationship she started in 1991, with Yolanda Saldivar, who was a registered nurse and Selena’s fan. Saldivar suggested that they start a fan club to promote the band, which catapulted her from a mere fan, to president of the fan club, and close friend to the Quintanilla family. Unfortunately for Selena, her dad unearthed the fact that Saldivar was embezzling more than $60,000 in forged checks, and so, Selena arranged to meet her to discuss the issue. Tragically, Saldivar shot Selena in the shoulder, causing her death 2 hours later due to blood loss and cardiac arrest.

7. Anna Nicole Smith

Anna Nicole Smith, a Playboy Playmate, who turned into a reality TV star, died at a Florida hotel room in 2007, after a drug overdose. Speaking exclusively to DailyMail on February this year, her mother Virgie Arthur, revealed how she warned her daughter to be cautious of her company months before she overdosed on a cocktail of prescription drugs. The loss was very distressing to Nicole’s mom, especially because she had lost her grandson, Nicole’s son, due to accidental drug overdose, less than a year before Nicole died. Her grandson’s ordeal is actually what triggered caution in Arthur, who in turn advised her daughter.

6. Ryan Dunn

Famous for his stunts on MTV’s Jackass, Ryan Dunn horrifically ended his career after a deadly car crash on June 2011. Driving while under the influence, Dunn and his friend Zacahary Hartwell, died when they crashed into a tree in Chester County, Pennsylvania. Reports revealed that Dunn’s speed was twice the legal limit, while toxicology reports showed that his blood alcohol concentration was twice the legal amount, at 0.196%, against the acceptable maximum of 0.08%. Consequently, the two suffered blunt and thermal trauma, according to autopsy report.

5. David Carradine

David Carradine, famously known for his leading role as a peace-loving Shaolin monk, Kwai Chang Caine, in the 1970s television series, Kung Fu, was an American martial artist and actor. Carradine was found dead in the closest of a Bangkok hotel room in 2009, with a cord wrapped around his neck, wrist and genitalia. Judging by the position of the cord, Thai police suspected that the death was not a result of suicide, but of dangerous sexual practices. According to the director of the Central Institute of Forensic Science, the 72-year old actor could have died of auto-erotic asphyxiation, which is the practice of cutting off air supply to increase sexual pleasure.

4. Vic Morrow

Friday, 23^rd July 1982 was a normal day on set for Vic Morrow, until a terrifying accident took his life while filming the Twilight Zone Movie. In the scene, Morrow was supposed to escape a U.S Army helicopter in Vietnam, dragging two young Vietnamese children with him. Regrettably, while shooting the scene, the helicopter, which was hovering above the trio, malfunctioned due to a pyrotechnic explosion, causing it to crash on top of the three actors. Morrow and one of the children were decapitated, while the other child was crushed to death. You can actually find the video of this accident on YouTube.

3. Sharon Tate

Life was normal for actress and model Sharon Tate, enjoying a romantic life with husband Roman Polanski, as they waited for her to deliver their first child in two weeks. Their joy was cut short when on the night of August 8^th 1969, while entertaining friends in their home, members of Charles Manson’s ‘family’ entered their home and murdered Tate, along with her company. Tate was in fact stabbed sixteen times, five stabs of which, were reportedly enough to kill her and her son, who was a mere two weeks pre-delivery. It was a gruesome murder that shocked the nation and world.

2. Dominique Dunne

After five days on life support, on November 4 1982, Dominique Dunne, gave up the ghost. Dominique had launched her career just 3 years earlier, starring in the movie, Diary of a Teenage Hitchhiker. With a career picking up, Dunne landed several roles, notably, Cindy, in the 1982 television series Hill Street Blues. Cindy was a young woman, abused by her mother. But Dunne would need no makeup for her role because her boyfriend, John Sweeney, had already battered her. Dunne was in a romantic relationship with a violent man, who not only left her with bruises and fractures, but also eventually strangled her into a coma, leading to her death.

1. Steve Irwin

Steve Irwin was an Australian expert and television personality, who was nicknamed ‘The Crocodile Hunter’, after the popular and international broadcast television series, The Crocodile Hunter. Irwin was so passionate about nature, that he did not fear death, as long as he saved an animal. In fact, in one of his quotes, he stated that ‘I have no fear of losing my life – if I have to save a koala or a crocodile or a kangaroo or a snake, mate, I will save it.’ Well, unfortunately, he lost his life after a sting ray barb pierced his chest, while filming an underwater documentary, Ocean’s Deadliest.

Sources: whatculture.com, radaronline.com