Tragic Celebrity Deaths Ruled Accidental

The following article includes references to drug use.

Though it may not always seem this way, celebrities are just as mortal as the rest of us. That illusion of immortality, though — the hope that long after your death, people will still remember you — might just be a major reason why a lot of people want to be famous. David Giles, for example, wrote in "Postmortal Society" that fame approximates a kind of immortality. "Through media, celebrities replicate themselves to a bewildering degree," he wrote. "Thousands of images — still and moving — circulate. Words are spoken and written by and about the celebrity and reproduced in dizzying quantities. Dying tomorrow, they have left a trace in the world that can persist for centuries."

That may be true, but while they're here on Earth, we really mean it: celebrities are as mortal as the rest of us. They're as susceptible to accidents, and accidental death, as anyone else, too. When someone seems larger than life, though, it can surely come as a shock to hear that their light has been snuffed out, and it can feel senseless to know that they died at random, as a surprise, for no particular reason other than that we're all human beings. These tragic celebrity deaths were determined to be accidents.

Beloved actor Bob Saget was a big deal in the 1990s. In addition to playing Danny Tanner on the hit ABC sitcom "Full House," Saget hosted "America's Funniest Home Videos." In contrast to his family-friendly television image, Saget was also known as a dirty stand-up comic, one whose X-rated jokes would no doubt have shocked people who only knew him as the patriarch of the wholesome Tanner clan. "Offstage he was loving, kind, open, funny, a great friend and a great father. He also told filthy, disgusting, offensive jokes," remembered the magician Penn Jillette in an op-ed for The New York Times. "What Bob Saget practiced was emotional stage diving. He would fall face-first into the audience's arms."

Saget tragically died in January 2022, and though Jillette definitely didn't mean it that way, it was ruled to have been a fall that killed him. Saget was found with injuries to his skull, and the medical examiner determined that he likely fell against either the carpeted floor or the upholstered headboard, sustaining the injury. "The incident report makes clear that Mr. Saget passed away following an unexpected and tragic accident in his hotel room," the family's attorney told NBC News.

Saget was remembered by a number of his former co-stars, including John Stamos, who played his brother on "Full House." "I am in complete and utter shock," Stamos wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "I will never ever have another friend like him."

Anton Yelchin starred in a number of hit films in the 2000s and early 2010s, including "Charlie Bartlett," "Like Crazy," and "Green Room." He was perhaps best known as Chekov in J.J. Abrams' "Star Trek" films, winning fans through an adorable brand of nerdiness that he could also turn into action stardom, as in "Terminator Salvation."

In 2016, Yelchin was killed in a freak car accident in his own driveway. Authorities determined that he had gotten out of his Jeep Grand Cherokee without fully putting it in park, leading the vehicle to roll. It compressed Yelchin against a fence, rendering him unable to breathe due to the weight of the car against his chest. His cause of death was ruled to be "accidental blunt traumatic asphyxia," as People reported.

Yelchin's particular make of car contained a strange gear shifter, one that was missing the usual safety features that let people confirm whether they've parked their car. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released a statement about Yelchin's death, writing, "NHTSA is in contact with local authorities and Fiat Chrysler to understand all of the facts related to this tragic crash, including whether or not this was caused by the current issue under recall" (via Yahoo! Lifestyle).

Yelchin's parents ultimately sued over the design of the gear shifter. "In spite of our unbelievable grief, we decided to come here to prevent other families from the same tragedy," the late actor's father said, according to The Los Angeles Times. The suit was ultimately settled out of court.

David Carradine came from an acting family. His father John was a well-known B-movie horror actor, having starred in films like "Billy the Kid Versus Dracula." His brother Keith was in Robert Altman's "Nashville," among many others, and his brother Robert may be best known to millennials as Lizzie's dad on "Lizzie McGuire." David himself had a lengthy career as a character actor, one that stretched back decades, in series like "Gunsmoke" and movies like "Cannonball!"

David had a career resurgence in the 2000s thanks to a starring role in Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill" films. The second film premiered in 2004, and five years later, David Carradine was found dead. He was in Thailand to shoot a movie when he was discovered hanging; however, the unusual rope pattern led authorities to rule his death an accident, not a suicide. Namely, they believed David was engaged in "autoerotic asphyxiation," a process that involves temporarily cutting off one's breathing. Eli Coleman, Sexual Health Department chair at the University of Minnesota, explained the practice to ABC News. "People usually have safety nets and no intention to die," he said, "but something often goes wrong in their calculation."

After the "Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror" star's death, The Smoking Gun leaked documents relating to his most recent divorce. In the legal filings, David's ex-wife Marina Anderson wrote that he was into "deviant sexual behavior which was potentially deadly." Unfortunately, it was.

Natalie Wood first made her name as a child star, having starred in classic films like "Miracle on 34th Street" and "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir." She aged into a teen star in films like "Rebel Without a Cause," for which she was nominated for an Oscar, and she went on to have a thriving career as an adult, too. In other words, while many child stars struggle with making the transition to adult stardom, Wood was able to secure a career and a nice life for herself, thanks to her on-again, off-again romance with Robert Wagner.

Unfortunately, it all came to an early end, and this former child star died tragically young. She was on a yacht off of Catalina Island with Wagner and her "Brainstorm" co-star Christopher Walken when she vanished, gone in the night after an argument with her husband. "We were all so shattered by the loss," Wagner later told People. "You just take it moment by moment and hope that it gets better."

Though her drowning was ultimately ruled an accident, questions remain about what exactly happened that night aboard the Splendour. The investigation has been re-opened and closed several times over the ensuing decades, thanks in part to boat captain Dennis Davern admitting that he heard more of an argument than he initially told police. And then there's Wood's fear of water... For more information about Natalie Wood's tragic death, click here.

Whitney Houston skyrocketed to fame in the 1980s thanks to her transcendent voice, an instrument beyond compare. Songs like "I Wanna Dance with Somebody" and "How Will I Know" made her a pop superstar, and then "The Bodyguard" — and its accompanying soundtrack — made her a pop-culture icon, full stop.

Unfortunately, Houston also had a much-publicized struggle with addiction, especially as she became one of the most famous women in the world. A record executive told People, "She was in pain from all the pressure she was facing and the pain from living almost a double life. She was doing ridiculous amounts of hard drugs and sacrificed her God-given talents for that."

In 2012, Houston was found dead in her hotel room, having drowned in the bathtub. While there were initially questions about her death, given that there was only about a foot of water in the tub, authorities ultimately concluded that there was no foul play involved. Instead, they said, cocaine use contributed to an accident, leading the "I Will Always Love You" singer to pass out and drown. Then-assistant chief coroner for Los Angeles County, Ed Winter, told People, "She could've passed out first due to the intoxication from the cocaine, or she could've had a heart attack and then drowned. It's probably one of those two scenarios." In a tragic turn of events, Houston's daughter Bobbi Kristina later died under very similar circumstances, drowning in her bathtub after becoming intoxicated with drugs.

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

In 2017, realizing that flamboyant celebrity fitness instructor Richard Simmons hadn't been seen in a while, podcaster Dan Taberski decided to track him down. The resulting show, "Missing Richard Simmons," tried to figure out why someone would simply choose to opt out of public life. "The concern is that he's cut off every person he knows. It's impossible not to be concerned about that," Taberski told The New York Times. "And every person I've talked to, every friend who's known him for years, everybody is concerned."

Mere days later, The New York Times ran an op-ed about how invasive the podcast was. "[It's] an invasion of privacy masquerading as a love letter," Amanda Hess wrote. "Mr. Simmons is a public figure, and that gives journalists a lot of latitude to pry. But a friend who claims to want to help Mr. Simmons should probably just leave him alone." Ultimately, that was the podcast's conclusion, too: that Simmons simply wanted to be left alone.

In July 2024, Simmons was found dead at his home. At first, details were murky, but authorities ultimately concluded that he died as the result of a fall. "The Coroner informed [his brother] Lenny that Richard's death was accidental due to complications from recent falls and heart disease as a contributing factor," the family said in a statement to People. "The Family wishes to thank everyone for their outpouring of love and support during this time of great loss."

Naya Rivera was a child star, having gotten her start on sitcoms like "The Royal Family" and "Family Matters." In 2009, she was cast as Santana Lopez on "Glee," the role that would take her career to a whole new level. Rivera's portrayal of a queer teenager of color was groundbreaking — a fact that she was mindful of. In 2017, reflecting on Santana's legacy, she wrote an op-ed for Billboard about what the role meant to her. "We are all put on this earth to be a service to others and I am grateful that for some, my Cheerios ponytail and sassy sashays may have given a little light to someone somewhere, who may have needed it," she wrote. "To everyone whose heartfelt stories I have heard, or read I thank you for truly enriching my life."

In July 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Rivera took her son, Josey, out on Lake Piru. Hours later, her son was found on the boat alone, leading to a frantic search for Rivera's whereabouts. Authorities ultimately concluded that she'd accidentally drowned while saving her son, having just helped him back into the boat. "[Her son] noticed the decedent put her arm up in the air and yelled 'help.' The decedent then disappeared into the water," her autopsy report read (via ABC 7).

Her heartbreaking final post was a tribute to her son. On X, formerly Twitter, she captioned a photo of her and Josey: "just the two of us."

Once upon a time, Donald and Ivana Trump were media sensations. The New York City tabloids breathlessly covered their every move, including and especially their scandalous split amid Donald's affair with Marla Maples. The affair was such headline news that a Vanity Fair exposé revealed all sorts of sordid details, including quoting Donald Trump Jr. as having told his father, "How can you say you love us? You don't love us! You don't even love yourself. You just love your money." Ivana, for her part, was said to have orchestrated her media narrative perfectly.

Decades later — after Donald's marriage to Melania and even a presidency — Ivana Trump died. In July 2022, paramedics were called to her apartment for someone believed to be in cardiac arrest, but her death was ultimately ruled to have been the result of an accident, likely a fall down the stairs, that resulted in "blunt impact injuries," according to the New York City Medical Examiner (via NBC News).

Donald and Ivana's daughter Ivanka wrote on Instagram, "Mom was brilliant, charming, passionate and wickedly funny. She modeled strength, tenacity and determination in her every action. ... I will miss her forever and will keep her memory alive in our hearts always." Perhaps in his own effort to keep her memory alive, Donald buried his ex-wife at one of his golf courses.

Jacky Oh appeared in multiple seasons on MTV's "Wild 'N Out" as one of the show's models. She was also an actor, having been in films like "Scheme Queens" and "Switched at Love." She was a YouTuber and a social media personality with more than a million followers on Instagram. She often showed off her family life online, including in a post from May 2023, which saw her posing for a photoshoot with her three children. "i do a lot," she wrote, "but being a mommy is my favorite. God chose me 3X."

Unfortunately, later that very month, Oh was found dead. "We are deeply saddened by the passing of Jacklyn Smith, known to the world as Jacky Oh, a talented 'Wild 'N Out' family member whose impact will be forever treasured and missed," a BET spokesperson said in a statement to People. 

It took several months for authorities to reveal Oh's cause of death. TMZ was the first to report on the news, noting that Oh had undergone a cosmetic surgery procedure known as a Brazilian butt lift (or BBL) shortly before her death. "The autopsy report states Jacky had swelling in her brain and extensive bleeding of the skin around her torso," they reported. The outlet suggested that Oh's doctor might face criminal responsibility for her death. However, People spoke with a rep for the Miami Police Department, who stated that the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner confirmed Oh's death was "accidental due to complications from cosmetic surgery."

Diana, Princess of Wales was one of the most famous people who ever lived. She's also one of the most famous people to ever die accidentally. Diana, who married and divorced then-Prince Charles, was in Paris in 1997. Her car was pursued by paparazzi into a tunnel, and a waiter who was nearby later told People, "There was this huge, violent, terrifying crash followed by the lone sound of a car horn." They'd crashed, killing the driver and Diana's boyfriend, Dodi Fayed, instantly. When the paparazzi came upon the crash, instead of helping, they took photos of the injured princess.

People quoted a source who spoke with the New York Post about the way the news reached King Charles III and their two sons, Prince Harry and Prince William. "[Charles] said how he and their mother loved them very much, and he soberly explained that [she] had been in a very serious accident," the source said. "He gently led into the fact that ... Diana was dead."

From all available evidence, her death was, indeed, an accident. Almost immediately, however, conspiracy theories sprang up around the incident, suggesting that the royal family was somehow responsible for Diana's death. Though no evidence exists, questions remain. In an address to the nation, Queen Elizabeth II reflected on her former daughter-in-law. "She was an exceptional and gifted human being," she said (via TIME).

Before Angus Cloud was cast as Fezco on "Euphoria," he hadn't acted much. That's part of what made his performance so special, according to co-star Zendaya. "I got to watch him create and I got to watch him discover the fact that he was an actor. A damn good one at that, and as many times as I would tell him or compliment his performance, I don't think he ever truly believed it, she told People.

In July 2023, when he was only 25 years old, Cloud was found dead. He'd been open about his struggle with addiction, and it turned out that he passed away from an accidental overdose. According to BBC News, the Alameda County Coroner's Office attributed his cause of death to "acute intoxication due to combined effects of methamphetamine, cocaine, fentanyl and benzodiazepines."

His mother told People that she takes solace in that. "He got tired from lack of oxygen. Everything just slowed down, and eventually his heart stopped and he went to sleep. But he didn't kill himself," she said. His short stardom touched many fans, many of whom expressed their love of Cloud to his mother. "He went out at his total power, his total beauty, his total influence, and the reaction that everyone has had is very moving to me," his mother added. "You know, he's not just an actor who overdosed. He was a beautiful soul, and that's why people miss him so much."

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).