# Celebrity assassinations other than John Lennon **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 30, 2004, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-assassinations-other-than-john-lennon/262224 "2004-08-30T13:44:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Steken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Steken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steken)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2015, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-assassinations-other-than-john-lennon/262224/41 "2015-03-16T18:25:20Z")
[One legendary Norwegian black metal musician](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euronymous) was murdered by [another legendary Norwegian black metal musician](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varg_Vikernes). ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2015, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-assassinations-other-than-john-lennon/262224/42 "2015-03-16T19:57:58Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > I’ll let others decide if these are “assassinations,” plain old murders, or something else: > > Soul singer Sam Cooke was shot to death by a motel manager > > Soul singer Marvin Gaye was shot to death by his father > > NFL quarterback Steve McNair was murdered by his mistress Dunno about Sam Cooke, but Marvin Gaye’s death was ruled to be self defense. Apparently, Gaye had a severe drinking problem, and was attacking his mother when his dad shot him. Neither Gaye nor Steve McNair (which on the surface sounds like a quintessential crime of passion) were assassinated, unless we really start stretching the definition. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2015, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-assassinations-other-than-john-lennon/262224/43 "2015-03-16T20:10:52Z")
> [@bup](#): > > Given that assassination means killing somebody because of their position, and not for who they are as a person or for some other reason, I’d say only the “My Sister Sam” woman qualifies of those thus mentioned. I think that if you killed a celebrity just because you wanted the fame, with no personal reasons, that it could be called a “assassination” So John Lennon yes, Bob Crane & Phil Hatman no, etc. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2015, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-assassinations-other-than-john-lennon/262224/44 "2015-03-16T20:25:46Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > I’ll let others decide if these are “assassinations,” plain old murders, or something else: > > Soul singer Sam Cooke was shot to death by a motel manager > > Soul singer Marvin Gaye was shot to death by his father > > NFL quarterback Steve McNair was murdered by his mistress I’m others! I’ll decide! They were not assassinations. ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2015, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-assassinations-other-than-john-lennon/262224/45 "2015-03-16T20:27:44Z")
Larry Flynt was left paralyzed by an assassination attempt by a militant racist serial killer: [http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph\_Paul\_Franklin](http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Paul_Franklin) I guess that falls into the political category though. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2015, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-assassinations-other-than-john-lennon/262224/46 "2015-03-16T20:54:15Z")
Don Bolles, a reporter for the _Arizona Republic_, was killed in a car bombing. That was most likely ordered by the Mafia, so it might not count as a “celebrity assasination.” [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_journalists_killed_in_the_United_States)lists a number of journalists who were murdered because of their reporting. Eddie Waitkus of the Philadelphia Phillies was shot by an obsessed fan but survived. This happened in 1949 and was the framework for the book (later movie) _The Natural_. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2015, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-assassinations-other-than-john-lennon/262224/47 "2015-03-16T21:13:46Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > Dunno about Sam Cooke, but Marvin Gaye’s death was ruled to be self defense. Apparently, Gaye had a severe drinking problem, and was attacking his mother when his dad shot him. > > Neither Gaye nor Steve McNair (which on the surface sounds like a quintessential crime of passion) were assassinated, unless we really start stretching the definition. No that’s not what happened. Marvin Gaye’s FATHER was fighting with his wife when Marvin came in the room to defend her. He and his father started arguing, it got physical and his father shot him. ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2015, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-assassinations-other-than-john-lennon/262224/48 "2015-03-17T03:21:36Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > Dunno about Sam Cooke, but Marvin Gaye’s death was ruled to be self defense. Apparently, Gaye had a severe drinking problem, and was attacking his mother when his dad shot him. > [@Guinastasia](#): > > No that’s not what happened. Marvin Gaye’s FATHER was fighting with his wife when Marvin came in the room to defend her. He and his father started arguing, it got physical and his father shot him. No that’s not what happened either. Gaye was not drunk but had traces of cocaine and PCP in his system. His parents were only arguing about some misplaced insurance papers. Gay, Sr. was yelling at his wife from downstairs so Jr. told him to come up and speak to her face to face, then warned him not to enter his room. When Sr. did enter the room Gay Jr. got physical, he shoved him into the hall and delivered at least one punch and a kick. SR. then returned several minutes later and shot his son twice in the chest. Also, it was never ruled as self-defense, Gay Sr. was charged with first degree murder but was permitted to enter a plea bargain and ended up pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2015, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-assassinations-other-than-john-lennon/262224/49 "2015-03-17T06:57:58Z")
I think it’s fair to call the Tate-LaBianca murders assassinations. Charles Manson ordered the killings under the screwy theory that they would set off a race war, which the Manson Family would survive by hiding out in the desert. Sharon Tate was a celebrity - she was an actress and model, and was married to Roman Polanski. None of the victims was a politician, although the murders were motivated by Manson’s bizarre political beliefs. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2015, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-assassinations-other-than-john-lennon/262224/50 "2015-03-17T07:10:08Z")
Filmmaker [Theo van Gogh](http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theo_van_Gogh_(film_director)) was assassinated in 2004 for making a short film critical of Islam. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2015, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-assassinations-other-than-john-lennon/262224/51 "2015-03-17T07:40:52Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > That’s what Jimmy Hoffa _wants_ you to think. No, that’s what [Dr. Nick](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_C._Nichopoulos) wants you to think. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2015, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-assassinations-other-than-john-lennon/262224/52 "2015-03-17T08:08:51Z")
My uncle was shot in the leg at Anzio, in WW2. I think it comes closer to answering the OP than most of these. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2015, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-assassinations-other-than-john-lennon/262224/53 "2015-03-17T14:42:09Z")
Was he famous? ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2015, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-assassinations-other-than-john-lennon/262224/54 "2015-03-17T17:23:41Z")
> [@Xema](#): > > Probably felt she was entitled to 15 minutes of fame. Or she was pissed that women only get 10.8 minutes for every 15 men get. ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-assassinations-other-than-john-lennon/262224/55 "2015-03-18T18:47:29Z")
> [@handsomeharry](#): > > My uncle was shot in the leg at Anzio, in WW2. I think it comes closer to answering the OP than most of these. > [@bup](#): > > Was he famous? [No, but the son of the guy killed beside him became a big rock star.](http://hub.contactmusic.com/roger-waters/news/roger-waters-discovers-truth-about-father-s-death_3902177) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-assassinations-other-than-john-lennon/262224.md?page=2)