# Have people ever died on air? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 7, 2003, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-people-ever-died-on-air/180251 "2003-06-07T04:20:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Aslan\_of\_Narnia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Aslan\_of\_Narnia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aslan_of_Narnia)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-people-ever-died-on-air/180251/1 "2003-06-07T04:20:55Z")
On live television, that is. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-people-ever-died-on-air/180251/2 "2003-06-07T04:41:28Z")
Yes, in SoCal we had a guy who led the cops on a high speed chase, then stopped on an overpass and unfurled a banner expressing his outrage with his HMO, then shot himself in the head. Carried live on all three networks. Close up and personal. ---
**Author:** ![doctordoowop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecc23a/32.png) [@doctordoowop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doctordoowop)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-people-ever-died-on-air/180251/3 "2003-06-07T04:44:29Z")
Some boxers were killed by a punch–not sure if they were dead in the ring. A few years ago baseball umpire John McSherry dropped dead of a heart attack during a game- but maybe game was not televised. Oswald was shot on live TV-not sure how long ,if at all he lived, after. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-people-ever-died-on-air/180251/4 "2003-06-07T05:00:50Z")
There was a semi-famous incident that prompted a lot of dialog on the role of the media. Maybe 20 years or so ago some guy alerted the media that he was going to martyr himself for some cause. TV cameras came out and filmed the guy pouring gasoline over his head and then setting himself on fire. It became an issue because many felt the cameraperson should have dropped the camera and prevented the guy from killing himself. ---
**Author:** ![wooba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/aeb1de/32.png) [@wooba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wooba)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-people-ever-died-on-air/180251/5 "2003-06-07T05:11:32Z")
There was an American guy, I believe a politician who shot himself in the mouth back in the 70’s or 80’s. I don’t recall any of the details about it however… ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-people-ever-died-on-air/180251/6 "2003-06-07T05:22:31Z")
I’ve seen at least one suicide on the air. A guy (in Milwaukee I think, but I could be wrong) jumped off a broadcasting antanae and the film crew caught the whole thing. ---
**Author:** ![Chief\_Crunch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e8c25b/32.png) [@Chief\_Crunch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Crunch)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-people-ever-died-on-air/180251/7 "2003-06-07T05:27:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by wooba \* > \*\*There was an American guy, I believe a politician who shot himself in the mouth back in the 70’s or 80’s. I don’t recall any of the details about it however… \*\* That was R Budd Dwyer. It wasn’t live, but prerecorded. At least one news station showed the clip in its entirety; however. ---
**Author:** ![Number](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/number/32/242_2.png) [@Number](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Number)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-people-ever-died-on-air/180251/8 "2003-06-07T05:28:15Z")
Lee Harvey Oswald would be the most famous case, but Ruby’s shot didn’t kill him instantly. He died afterwards at Parkland Hospital. [This](http://www.snopes.com/spoons/noose/dead.htm) Snopes article covers a number of deaths while performing, though most don’t involve television. R. Budd Dwyer’s suicide is probably the one **wooba** is thinking of. It was the subject of the song _Hey Man, Nice Shot_ by Filter. ---
**Author:** ![RawkStah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/46a35a/32.png) [@RawkStah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RawkStah)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-people-ever-died-on-air/180251/9 "2003-06-07T05:43:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by wooba \* > \*\*There was an American guy, I believe a politician who shot himself in the mouth back in the 70’s or 80’s. I don’t recall any of the details about it however… \*\* The suicide of [R. Budd Dwyer](http://www.moderntv.com/modtvweb/qtclips/budd2b.htm) was never aired. Yes, footage exists, and, yes, you can download it, but it wasn’t live, and, again, it wasn’t aired. ---
**Author:** ![mcbiggins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7c8e57/32.png) [@mcbiggins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcbiggins)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-people-ever-died-on-air/180251/10 "2003-06-07T06:18:25Z")
We might get some central europeans in here to straighten me out if I’ve got this wrong, but here it goes: Nicolae Ceausescu (along iwth his wife) was executed on live television in Romania after the fall of his regime in 1989. It appearently got huge ratings. ---
**Author:** ![mcbiggins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7c8e57/32.png) [@mcbiggins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcbiggins)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-people-ever-died-on-air/180251/11 "2003-06-07T06:25:05Z")
Oh, the gasoline soaked suicide **Whack-a-Mole** was refering to more than likely was one involving a budhist monk in vietnam protesting the war. Other memorable on-air deaths from the Vietnam War not involving U.S. soldiers (memorable b/c I was born in 1979 and I’ve seen these all on t.v.) were the cameraman who was shot during combat and his camera hit the ground so that every american watching the news over dinner got to see his death rattle, and the South Vietnamese offical shooting the captive in the temple right in front of an american news crew. And that generation complains about the violence their kids are watchin on t.v. today!?! ---
**Author:** ![Dahnlor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dahnlor/32/533_2.png) [@Dahnlor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dahnlor)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-people-ever-died-on-air/180251/12 "2003-06-07T07:06:49Z")
Live TV? Watch much auto racing? Dale Earnhardt is probably the most famous example, but there have been dozens of fatal accidents which had been broadcast live during these events. D ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-people-ever-died-on-air/180251/13 "2003-06-07T07:18:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by RawkStah \* > \*\*The suicide of [R. Budd Dwyer](http://www.moderntv.com/modtvweb/qtclips/budd2b.htm) was never aired. Yes, footage exists, and, yes, you can download it, but it wasn’t live, and, again, it wasn’t aired. \*\* It most certainly was aired. I watched it. I grew up in the Harrisburg area and the local TV stations showed it on the evening news. I remember it vividly. I was a kid at the time and it gave me nightmares. ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-people-ever-died-on-air/180251/14 "2003-06-07T07:36:05Z")
Hmm. Not only that, but it appears it actually was [aired live.](http://meltingpot.fortunecity.com/belarus/651/full.html) > [@](#): > > As the _live televised conference_\* began, Budd read a long detailed statement. A portion of this statement can be read and heard here. A few mintues into his statement, a few cameramen began wraping up their footage and putting their equipment away. Budd noticed this and paused for a second before saying “Those of you who are putting your cameras away might want to stay because we’re not finished yet.” It was obvious that Budd wanted cameras rolling, in what would be, the final moments of his life. \*Italicization mine ---
**Author:** ![bonzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/45deac/32.png) [@bonzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bonzer)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-people-ever-died-on-air/180251/15 "2003-06-07T10:44:38Z")
[Comedian Tommy Cooper on British TV.](http://smacbroon.com/ukhumour/library/weekly/aa100700a.htm) ---
**Author:** ![jimmmy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/73ab20/32.png) [@jimmmy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimmmy)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-people-ever-died-on-air/180251/16 "2003-06-07T11:59:41Z")
Folks jumping from the burning WTC was carried live ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-people-ever-died-on-air/180251/17 "2003-06-07T12:01:38Z")
A bunch are listed here: [http://www.snopes.com/horrors/freakish/onstage.htm](http://www.snopes.com/horrors/freakish/onstage.htm) Most facinating is the story of **Chris Chubbuck** , an news anchor who shot herself in the head on live TV… ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-people-ever-died-on-air/180251/18 "2003-06-07T13:42:57Z")
The best known case of a man dying on the set of a TV show was J.I. Rodale, the publisher and health-food enthusiast, who died while being interviewed on the Dick Cavett Show, moments after telling Dick that he was the healthiest man alive, and would surely live to be 100. HOWEVER… and this is a BIG “however,” that episode was never broadcast. And yet, I must have met a dozen people in my life who insist they saw it happen. And from what I’ve read, people come up to Dick Cavett all the time, SWEARING they saw ROdale die on his show! ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-people-ever-died-on-air/180251/19 "2003-06-07T15:06:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mcbiggins \* > **Oh, the gasoline soaked suicide Whack-a-Mole was refering to more than likely was one involving a budhist monk in vietnam protesting the war.** No, this was in the US and only a few years ago. I’ll see if I can find a reference to it. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-people-ever-died-on-air/180251/20 "2003-06-07T15:28:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Padeye \* > \*\*No, this was in the US and only a few years ago. I’ll see if I can find a reference to it. \*\* It was in Texas, IIRC, and the guy didn’t die or didn’t die right away. He was some kind of mentally disturbed street preacher, IIRC. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-people-ever-died-on-air/180251.md?page=2)