The untimely demise of some very special people, has always led to a lot grief among their fans, and others who speculate, what the world would have been, if they had lived their time. The passing away of a celebrity before his/her is true potential is recognized, is extremely unfortunate. Creative people have always had a reputation of being unique, and different, when it comes to their lifestyle. And many magnificent young artists have died young, often at their own hands, before they could only fully exhibit their true creative power. When you look at the lives of these people, who passed away before their time, the question, that naturally arises is, “Is it likely that the greatest success that they accomplished, may have come, if they had lived?”
Are creativity and suffering are two sides of the same coin, and artistry, will eventually lead to anguish.
The grim death of many celebrities, have led to a lot of public mourning, here are 10 celebrities, we mourn, and who died before their time:
1. Steve Jobs:
He co-founded Apple Computers with his friend Steve Wozniak, and his guidance, the company pioneered a series of revolutionary technologies, including the iPhone and iPad. Apple’s products are now seen as dictating the evolution of modern technology.
Jobs and Wozniak are credited with revolutionizing the computer industry by democratizing the technology and making machines smaller, cheaper, and accessible to everyday consumers.
In 2008, iTunes became the second biggest music retailer in America-second only to Wal-Mart. Half of Apple’s current revenue comes from iTunes and iPod sales, with 200 million iPods sold and six billion songs downloaded. For these reasons, Apple has been ranked No. 1 on Fortune magazine’s list of “America’s Most Admired Companies,” as well as No. 1 among Fortune 500 companies for returns to shareholders.
Apple is the new most valuable brand in the world, tipping Coca Cola.
In 2003, Jobs discovered that he had a neuroendocrine tumor, a rare form of pancreatic cancer, and on October 5, 2011 Apple Inc. announced the passing away of Steve Jobs. He was 56 years old.
2. Heath Ledger:
Heath Ledger was an Academy Award-winning Australian actor. He was best known for his roles in Brokeback Mountain and The Dark Knight. A Knight’s Tale (2001) demonstrated his ability as a true leading man. He worked steadily on many independent films until 2005. He received a Golden Globe Nomination for Best Actor and an Academy Award nomination for his performance.
The Dark Knight was released six months after his death. Before his death, Ledger explained, that he ‘feared’ the role, but wanted to make it different. Heath Leger’s role in 2008’s “The Dark Knight” may be the most indelible movie villain of the last decade.
Ledger died as the result of an accidental prescription drug overdose. He received a posthumous Best Actor Academy Award for his performance as “The Joker”.
3. John Lennon:
Famed singer-songwriter John Winston Lennon was born in Liverpool, England. Inspired by Elvis Presley, the 16 year-old Lennon to create the band called the Quarry Men. The Beatles became popular in England in 1961, with the release of mega-hits as “She Loves You” and “I want to hold your hand”. The tremendous success of the band, prompted Queen Elizabeth II, announced that the Beatles would be named a Member of the Order of the British Empire. However, the magic of Beatlemania, begun to lose its appeal by 1966.
The Beatles then suffered a huge blow Epstein died of an accidental overdose of sleeping pills on August 27, 1967. After the Beatles broke up, in 1970, Lennon released his debut solo album. He followed that project with 1971’s Imagine, the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed of all Lennon’s post-Beatles efforts.
Lennon was shot several times by a deranged fan in front of his apartment complex in New York City.
4. Kurt Cobain:
A talented, troubled grunge performer, Kurt Cobain became a rock legend with his band Nirvana in the 1990s and committed suicide at his Seattle home in 1994. Cobain started his first band, Fecal Matter, and they recorded a few songs together at his aunt’s house.
In 1988, was able to make some of his rock ambitions true, by forming the band called Nirvana. The single “Smells like Teen Spirit” – like many Nirvana tracks modulated between the soft and the thrashing. It proved to be the group’s biggest single and helped take the entire album to the top of the charts. While his personal life was in turmoil, Cobain had continued success professionally.
Cobain committed suicide, by placing a shotgun into his mouth and firing. He left a lengthy suicide note in which he addressed his many fans as well as his wife and young daughter.
5. Michael Jackson:
He was popularly known as the “King of Pop”, singer-songwriter Micheal Jackson was born in Indiana, in 1958.He went on to become one of the most internationally famous award-winning solo pop sensations to date. He made the charts in 1971, with “Got to Be There”. He won the Grammys for the singles “Thriller” and “Beat it”. Jackson broke numerous records as an artist.
He won a total of 13 Grammy Awards, eight of them in one night in 1984, and was the first artist to have five singles reaches No. 1 from the same album. In 1991, Jackson released Dangerous, featuring the hit “Black or White”.
He died of acute protocol and benzodiazepine intoxication after suffering a cardiac arrest at his home, at the age of 50.
6. Amy Winehouse:
She was popularly known for her songs, “Rehab”, “Back to Black” and “Valerie”. Amy Winehouse received five Grammy Awards for album Back to Black. Her debut album, Frank (2003), was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize as well as two BRIT awards. However, around the same time she started developing the reputation as an unstable party girl. Her affair with music video assistant, Blake Fielder-Civil, who admitted to introducing Winehouse to hard drugs, developed into dramatic situation in the public. Despite her musical success, Winehouse’s health and personal life began to deteriorate.
Her talent was overshadowed by her addiction to drugs and alcohol. She died at the age of 27 from alcohol poisoning.
7. Bruce Lee:
Iconic actor, director, and martial arts expert Bruce Lee was born in San Francisco, in the year of the Dragon.
“The martial arts are ultimately self-knowledge. A punch or a kick is not to knock the hell out of the guy in front, but to knock the hell out of your ego, your fear, or your hang-ups.”
Lee garnered recognition for his role in “The Green Hornet”, which was aired on television in 1966. Lee’s success was primarily attributed to his role in the movie “Fists of Fury” in the late 1971. By the end of 1972, Bruce lee was a major movie star in Asia.
Bruce lee, died at the age of 32, just a month before the premiere of Enter the Dragon. The cause for his mysterious death was a brain edema, caused by a strange reaction to a prescription painkiller he was reportedly taking for a back injury.
8. Princess Diana:
British royalty Princess Diana, princess of Wales, was one of the most adored members of the British royal family. He parents divorced when Diana was young, and her father won custody of her and her siblings. She became Lady Diana Spencer after her father inherited the title of Earl Spencer in 1975. She married Prince Charles, on July 1981, and many considered the wedding, the wedding of the century.
Unfortunately, the fairy tale wedding of Princes Diana and Prince Charles did not lead to a happily-ever-after marriage. During their union, Diana struggled with depression and bulimia. Even after the divorce, Diana maintained a high level of popularity. She devoted herself to charitable efforts. She used her celebrity to help raise awareness about many issues. She died on 31st August 1997, at the early age of 36, due to a car crash. Millions of people watched her funeral.
9. Marilyn Monroe:
She was the most popular sex symbols. During her career, Monroe’s films grossed more than $200 million. Her brief part the crime drama, The Asphalt Jungle, in 1950 brought her a lot of attention. The same year, she impressed audiences and critics alike with her performance in “All About Eve”. In 1953, Monroe made a star-making turn in Niagara and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. The films were a huge hit, and Monroe continued to find success. Monroe became a much-admired international star, despite her chronic insecurities regarding her acting abilities. She suffered from pre performance anxiety that sometimes made her physically. In her personal life, she had a string of unsuccessful marriages and relationships. On May 19, 1962 Monroe made famous performance at John F. Kennedy’s birthday celebration, singing “Happy Birthday, Mr. President.”
She died at age of only 36 years old by drug overdose. There has been speculation over the years that she may have been murdered. There have been rumors that Monroe was involved with President John F. Kennedy or his brother Robert around the time of her death.
Even today she is still considered the world’s most popular icon of sex appeal and beauty. She has been imitated over the years by a number of celebrities including Madonna, Lady Gaga and Gwen Stefani.
10. Anna Nicole Smith:
Before her big break, she worked as a Wal-Mart employee and a dancer. Anna Nicole Smith gained early fame as model for Guess and Playboy magazine, and later became known for her marriage to 89-year-old oil tycoon J. Howard Marshal II.
Smith reached a career milestone in 1992, when she was named “Playmate of the Year” by Playboy Magazine. In 2002, television viewers got inside view of her lifestyle, in the television series “The Anna Nicole Show”, a reality program. She also became the spokesperson for a line of diet products in 2003. She modeled for clothing companies, including Guess jeans and Lane Bryant.
She died on February 8, 2007, after being found unconscious in her hotel room. In death as in life, Anna Nicole Smith made headlines around the world.
You put Anna Nicole Smith on here but completely ignore Elvis?