Death may be a perfectly natural part of our lives, but they still have the ability to put us all in a state of shock. This is especially true if it’s the death of a celebrity that we have been avidly watching: be it on the big screen or the small screen.
Here’s a list of the top 10 most shocking celebrity deaths revealed:
Latin singer Selena, dubbed as the “Queen of Tejano Music”, was at the peak of her career when she was murdered by Yolanda Saldivar, the president of her fan club. Jennifer Lopez first garnered her fame when she played the role of this Grammy-award winning artist in the 1997 film “Selena”.
**9. Ruslana Korshunova, 20 **
Dubbed as the “Russian Rapunzel” of the modeling world, 20-year old Ruslana shocked the world and her family when she fell from the 9th floor balcony of her Manhattan apartment. The police ruled the death as suicide, although there was no note found.
8. Sharon Tate, 26
Actress Sharon Marie Tate made a mark in the industry when she was nominated for a Golden Glob in the 1967 film “Valley of the Dolls”. Sharon and 4 other people were stabbed to death by members of Charles Manson’s family at her house. This occurred on August 8, 1969 and the actress was 2 weeks away from giving birth.
7. Princess Diana, 36
Who would ever forget the style and elegance of Princess Diana? The then 36-year old Princess of Wales died after a car accident in Paris which involved her and Dodi Al-Fayed embroiled in a movie-like chase scene with the paparazzi. English singer Elton John performed a remake of the song “Candle in the Wind” in celebration of the princess’ fairy-tale-like life.
6. Linda Boreman, 53
Linda starred in the adult film “Deep Throat” which was released in 1972. She later on became an anti-porn advocate, but died of massive trauma and internal injuries from a car crash on April 22, 2002.
5. Anna Nicole Smith, 39
Those who are old enough would have witnessed the ups and downs in the life of Playboy centerfold model Anna Nicole Smith from the death of her son to her marrying an octogenarian billionaire. It was on February 8, 2007 that Anna was found unresponsive at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood.
4. Janis Joplin, 27
Rock singer Janis Joplin rose to fame in the late 1960’s and Rolling Stones magazine ranked her number 46 on their list of “100 Greatest Artists of All Time”. On October of 1970, she was found dead on the floor of her hotel room. The official cause of death was heroin overdose, combines with the effects of alcohol.
3. Aaliyah, 22
Gone too soon was Grammy-award R&B singer Aaliyah. She **died in a twin engine plane crash **somewhere in the Bahamas on August 25, 2001 after filming the “Rock the Boat” video which was unfortunately her last.
2. Heather O'Rourke, 12
This is one death that will give any horror movie fan the creeps. Heather was the star of the Poltergeist film trilogy. The child actress was discovered by Steven Spielberg but she died on February 1, 1988 after succumbing from Crohn’s disease.
1. Marilyn Monroe, 36
Known for her iconic beauty and fashion sense, Marilyn Monroe died at her home on August 5, 1962. The cause of her death: presumed drug overdose or probable suicide.