# Favorite actor/musician/author etc who died young? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 5, 2021, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-actor-musician-author-etc-who-died-young/948113 "2021-08-05T18:12:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2021, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-actor-musician-author-etc-who-died-young/948113/1 "2021-08-05T18:12:24Z")
I would cut it off as died before age 40. My tops are: Eva Cassidy John Belushi Keith Moon Andy Kaufman Sam Kinison ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2021, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-actor-musician-author-etc-who-died-young/948113/2 "2021-08-05T18:14:03Z")
Jim Croce. Talk about what might have been. ---
**Author:** ![cormac262](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@cormac262](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cormac262)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2021, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-actor-musician-author-etc-who-died-young/948113/3 "2021-08-05T18:14:58Z")
Bruce Lee Robert E Howard Stevie Ray Vaughn ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2021, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-actor-musician-author-etc-who-died-young/948113/4 "2021-08-05T18:16:50Z")
Randy Rhoads. (How old was SRV?) ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2021, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-actor-musician-author-etc-who-died-young/948113/5 "2021-08-05T18:57:28Z")
Jimi! j (ETA: Ponders if “Hendrix” should be specified for younger posters. Probably not.) ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2021, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-actor-musician-author-etc-who-died-young/948113/6 "2021-08-05T18:59:50Z")
Harry Chapin ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2021, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-actor-musician-author-etc-who-died-young/948113/7 "2021-08-05T18:59:51Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > (How old was SRV?) He was 35. My list: - Buddy Holly - Jim Croce - John Belushi Also, though he just misses the OP’s cutoff of 40 (he was killed two months after his 40th birthday), I would include John Lennon, who had just returned to creating music after taking five years off to raise his son Sean. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2021, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-actor-musician-author-etc-who-died-young/948113/8 "2021-08-05T19:04:00Z")
Oh, and Bill Hicks, of course, if we’re allowed stand-ups. j ---
**Author:** ![whitetho](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whitetho/32/1059_2.png) [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2021, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-actor-musician-author-etc-who-died-young/948113/9 "2021-08-05T19:13:06Z")
Buddy Holly Karen Carpenter Amy Winehouse ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2021, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-actor-musician-author-etc-who-died-young/948113/10 "2021-08-05T19:13:09Z")
**George Gershwin** (38) **Jimi Hendrix** (27) **John Belushi** (33) **Stevie Ray Vaughn** (35) **Janis Joplin** (27) **Cass Elliot** (32) **Bobby Darin** (37) And maybe most tragically … **Rebecca Schaeffer** (19) killed by a deranged stalker ---
**Author:** ![Tabco](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tabco/32/7644_2.png) [@Tabco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabco)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2021, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-actor-musician-author-etc-who-died-young/948113/11 "2021-08-05T19:16:57Z")
Off the top of my head, Stephen Crane (28). ---
**Author:** ![Chad\_Sudan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chad_sudan/32/4509_2.png) [@Chad\_Sudan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chad_Sudan)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2021, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-actor-musician-author-etc-who-died-young/948113/12 "2021-08-05T19:18:10Z")
Otis Redding. Died at 26. ---
**Author:** ![veryfrank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/87869e/32.png) [@veryfrank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/veryfrank)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2021, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-actor-musician-author-etc-who-died-young/948113/13 "2021-08-05T19:46:25Z")
Amy Winehouse (27) Ian Curtis (23) And probably saddest for me, Kirsty MacColl. At 41 she was maybe not as young as the other people cited so far, but the frustrating details of her death, and the fact that she no doubt had years of great music ahead of her, make it a rough one for me. Same thing with Adrienne Shelly, murdered at age 40. The circumstances are still enraging. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2021, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-actor-musician-author-etc-who-died-young/948113/14 "2021-08-05T19:51:20Z")
Dennis Wolfberg. One of the greats of comedy already when he developed melanoma. Duane Allman. Few have topped him on the guitar. ---
**Author:** ![Author\_Balk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Author\_Balk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Author_Balk)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2021, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-actor-musician-author-etc-who-died-young/948113/15 "2021-08-05T20:06:13Z")
In addition to Jim Croce and Karen Carpenter Terry Kath of Chicago. Accidently shot himself at 31. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2021, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-actor-musician-author-etc-who-died-young/948113/16 "2021-08-05T21:28:43Z")
Gram Parsons Robert Johnson Kurt Cobain Jimi Hendrix Bon Scott Otis Redding Nick Drake Clarence White Sandy Denny Stevie Ray Vaughan ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2021, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-actor-musician-author-etc-who-died-young/948113/17 "2021-08-05T21:37:27Z")
Sean Taylor. Had he lived, he’d be pushing 40 and probably retired from football and (this is extremely speculative but I believe he would be) waiting for a call from the Hall of Fame. ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2021, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-actor-musician-author-etc-who-died-young/948113/18 "2021-08-05T21:49:40Z")
Favorite actor: **Philip Seymour Hoffman.** At age 46, he died after the OP’s stated cutoff age of 40, but I can’t not mention him, because he was such a phenomenally talented performer. He went WAY too soon - 46 is not old for actor, he still had decades worth of amazing performances in him. An enormous loss to the world of film. Favorite musician: **Jaco Pastorius** , no question. Greatest musician to ever touch a bass. Died age 35 in a totally pointless altercation with a bartender. He had major struggles with alcohol addiction and mental illness, but he was by no means a lost cause - I do think he could have pulled it together if he had the chance, but sadly it was taken from him. Favorite author: no dice there, all my favorite authors either lived to a ripe old age or are still alive. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2021, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-actor-musician-author-etc-who-died-young/948113/19 "2021-08-05T21:57:16Z")
If it doesn’t have to be in my lifetime, then George Gershwin (age 38, malignant brain tumor). ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2021, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-actor-musician-author-etc-who-died-young/948113/20 "2021-08-05T22:23:38Z")
Musician: Kurt Cobain (27), with honorable mentions for Elliott Smith (34), Amy Winehouse, and Ian Curtis. Actor: John Belushi. And in the category of over the 40 cutoff but still way too young, Phil Hartman and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Author: John Kennedy Toole. It’s an odd choice for me because I didn’t particularly like _A Confederacy of Dunces_. But my problem was with the main character; I thought Toole’s writing was fascinating and he could have done amazing things. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-actor-musician-author-etc-who-died-young/948113.md?page=2)