Okays, “Famous People Killed in Car Crashes while Having Sex”
F. W. Murnau
FIRST!
And his bandmate Berry Oakley in an eerily similar accident one year later.
Which means it leaves out off-road accidents, such as in a dune buggy.
And what a way to go! Shows you just how fickle fate is.
Interesting that Bridget Driscoll and Mary Ward are both on the list, but Henry Bliss isn’t:
I would swear I once read about an auto fatality in 1851 at the Grand Exhibition, but I can’t seem to find it. I have, however, found this:
Not listed: William Jan Berry
The Jan of Jan and Dean.
He slid his Stringray (gotta use the name) under a truck. The first on the scene assumed he was dead - there were bits of brain splattered about.
It took 38 years or so, but his death was the result of the crash.
Cliff Burton, original Metallica bassist. Tour bus accident.
Don’t tell me, let me guess… The accident happened at Dead Man’s Curve, on the way to Drag City? :dubious:
Matthew Broderick, technically.
Jan’s car wreck was actually at the corner of Sunset & Whittier, just short distance away from D.M.C.
Falco (“Rock Me Amadeus”) and Cozy Powell (drummer for Rainbow, Whitesnake and many other bands.)
Race driver Stan Fox was critically injured in a nasty wreck at the 1995 Indy 500. He survived, but was forced to retire from racing. Five years later, he died in a car crash in New Zealand.
Guitar player Randy Rhoads died when he crashed into the tour bus. Of course he was in a plane at the time so I don’t know if that counts.
Aside from those listed, first coming to mind are Drazen Petrovic and Tom Mix.
Pete de Freitas, drummer of Echo and the Bunnymen, aged 27 in 1989.
Pete de Freitas, drummer for Echo and the Bunnymen, aged 27 1989.
James Dean’s mechanic Rolf Wutherich, survived the actor’s crash but died in 1981 drunk behind the wheel.
Larry Blyden, Tony Award winner (1972 Best Featured Actor for Hysterium in A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum) and further two-time nominee (1959 Best Leading Actor as Sammy Fong in Flower Drum Song and 1975 Best Featured Actor as Sidney in Absurd Person Singular), TV Golden Age alumnus (most notably starred in the 1959 presentation of What Makes Sammy Run?), and frequent TV guest star and game show panelist/eventual emcee died from injuries in a car accident while vacationing in Morocco in 1975. Although, there has been some slight debate as to whether what actually occurred was an accident or a carjacking…
(It grieves me that this thread, of all things, is what got me to bring my most favorite underappreciated actor/entertainer’s good name out of the woodwork…but I had to rectify Larry not being mentioned on that linked list (which doesn’t surprise me at all).)
Bessie Smith
Frank Teschemacher
T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) - motorcycle accident
Billy Martin
Her Serene Highness, Princess Grace of Monaco.
Ernie Kovacs.
An interesting and relevant tidbit from that link:
“There have been three players in major league history named Aurelio (two of whom played for the Detroit Tigers), and all three were killed in car accidents between the ages of 44 and 53. See also Aurelio López and Aurelio Monteagudo.”
Sam Kinison. Damn, he was funny.