# The Cruelest and Saddest Deaths In Movies/Music? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 8, 2019, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cruelest-and-saddest-deaths-in-movies-music/839877 "2019-09-08T12:18:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2019, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cruelest-and-saddest-deaths-in-movies-music/839877/81 "2019-09-09T23:30:57Z")
Katrin Cartlidge. I’m a huuuuuuge Mike Leigh fan, so this one hit me hard. ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2019, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cruelest-and-saddest-deaths-in-movies-music/839877/82 "2019-09-09T23:47:36Z")
> [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > Charlie Christian died of tuberculosis at the age of 25. He pretty much invented modern jazz guitar, and is considered by jazz historians to be one of the inventors of be-bop. It’s amazing that he accomplished so much by this age, and it’s sad to think of what else he might have done had he not died so young. Yes, Charlie for sure. Reading through the thread, I thought of Christian right away. In his very short life, he became a towering figure in jazz. Who knows what he might have achieved had he lived longer. Who knows what jazz would have become had he lived. As it is, jazz is what it is in no small part because of him. ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2019, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cruelest-and-saddest-deaths-in-movies-music/839877/83 "2019-09-09T23:48:41Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > In music, the death of Duane Allman affected me most (next to Lennon). > > Vivian Stanshall, mostly because of the circumstances: his apartment burnt down because he was smoking in bed. And, speaking of falling asleep with a lit cigarette, Luther Perkins. Damn. I am \*so \*glad I quit smoking… ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2019, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cruelest-and-saddest-deaths-in-movies-music/839877/84 "2019-09-09T23:56:34Z")
Towering musical talents who died to young: **Piaf** (47) **Elvis** (42) **Hank Williams** (29) ---
**Author:** ![koryphos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a183cd/32.png) [@koryphos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koryphos)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cruelest-and-saddest-deaths-in-movies-music/839877/85 "2019-09-10T02:19:29Z")
Chris Cornell, on May 18, 2017 (37 years to the day after Ian Curtis’s suicide), followed by Chester Bennington on what would have been Cornell’s 53rd birthday, July 20, 2017. Both deaths were ruled to be suicides. I saw Chris Cornell touring in early 2010 in support of his Scream album and was totally blown away by his performance. I never did get to see Linkin Park. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cruelest-and-saddest-deaths-in-movies-music/839877/86 "2019-09-10T02:49:02Z")
> [@koryphos](#): > > Chris Cornell, on May 18, 2017 (37 years to the day after Ian Curtis’s suicide), followed by Chester Bennington on what would have been Cornell’s 53rd birthday, July 20, 2017. Both deaths were ruled to be suicides. > > I saw Chris Cornell touring in early 2010 in support of his Scream album and was totally blown away by his performance. I never did get to see Linkin Park. I have a friend who used to work with touring productions of Broadway shows, and she was part of the team that was tasked with supplying dream choices for the cast. She lobbied hard for them to approach Chris Cornell for “Jesus Christ Superstar.” They didn’t even call his agent (and I think Cornell would have been an outstanding choice, and done a fantastic job). They called - and got - Sebastian Bach. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cruelest-and-saddest-deaths-in-movies-music/839877/87 "2019-09-10T04:36:48Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > In music, the death of **Duane Allman** … > [@Wilson](#): > > **George Gershwin**. Died at 38 of a brain tumor. These are the two that top my list. Towering geniuses still at the peak of their careers. Impossible to imagine Duane getting much better, but we’ll never know. And George certainly wasn’t diminishing when he passed. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cruelest-and-saddest-deaths-in-movies-music/839877/88 "2019-09-10T12:44:04Z")
I was introduced to the music of [Nick Drake](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3jCFeCtSjk&list=PLYgM_FnR5KabRpOdWlsvX8QXRl6o6SntO&index=1) by a guitarist friend in the late 70s, early 80s. At the time he just seemed to be a dead too young, unknown. However he has become more popular as time has gone on, which just makes his death, little known, even more poignant. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cruelest-and-saddest-deaths-in-movies-music/839877/89 "2019-09-10T12:47:57Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > Prince. Came to post this. He had so much music left to give and was quietly philanthropic. His music and his good works will be missed. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cruelest-and-saddest-deaths-in-movies-music/839877/90 "2019-09-10T13:55:15Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > They called - and got - Sebastian Bach. Who sucked big time. The saga of Steve Barton is so sad it makes me cry. He suffered from depression his whole life, moved to Europe to get away from illegal drugs and get a clean start. He was the first Raoul and the second Phantom on Broadway, was amazing in the German production of Jim Steinman’s [i/] Tanz der Vampire\*, but was passed over for the Broadway production of Dance of the Vampire for Michael Crawford. That was the nail in his coffin. He got totally depressed and eventually committed suicide by overdosing on prescription drugs. Crawford really suck in the role, and was kicked to the curb. ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cruelest-and-saddest-deaths-in-movies-music/839877/91 "2019-09-10T14:12:58Z")
Surprised nobody’s mentioned Dana and Christopher Reeve yet. She took care of him for years after he was paralyzed until his death, then found out she had developed a rare cancer and only had a few months to live herself. Brutal. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cruelest-and-saddest-deaths-in-movies-music/839877/92 "2019-09-10T14:26:24Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > And of course, D. Boon’s death at just 27 years old shattered his best friend and bandmate Mike Watt and ended one of the greatest bands to ever exist. It still upsets me to think about and it’s been over 30 years now. This one niggled at me for a while. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cruelest-and-saddest-deaths-in-movies-music/839877/93 "2019-09-10T14:45:24Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > For cruel and sad I’ll have to third Stevie Ray Vaughn. He hit the depths of substance abuse and self-destructive behavior and came out the other side. His marriage ended but he seemed to have reached a peaceful place with his ex and again found happiness with someone else. He was starting to go beyond electric blues and expanding his music. It appeared that he was in a great place in his life and hitting his stride creatively. Then after a great show on an amazing tour with Clapton the helicopter hits wires. Yep, I took this one hard. A month before he died I saw him play at the Gorge (still have the tattered t-shirt). I was a super fan at the time. ---
**Author:** ![Vic\_Parrish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Vic\_Parrish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vic_Parrish)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cruelest-and-saddest-deaths-in-movies-music/839877/94 "2019-09-10T15:19:36Z")
John Lennon, George Harrison and Tom Petty. Horribly crushed by all three. ---
**Author:** ![eunoia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eunoia/32/97_2.png) [@eunoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eunoia)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cruelest-and-saddest-deaths-in-movies-music/839877/95 "2019-09-10T16:29:46Z")
He died wealthy in his 90s with a large family, so not particularly cruel, except maybe for the date: a week before Christmas 1737. His violins are still well regarded, though. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cruelest-and-saddest-deaths-in-movies-music/839877/96 "2019-09-10T17:13:24Z")
Karen Carpenter, who died of anorexia. Heather O’Rourke, the little girl (“They’re heeeere!”) from _Poltergeist_, who died at age 12 of a bowel obstruction. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cruelest-and-saddest-deaths-in-movies-music/839877/97 "2019-09-10T17:30:27Z")
While he was “only” a TV show screen writer and producer, David Angell and his wife, Lynn, were among the passengers of American Airlines Flight 11 killed in the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cruelest-and-saddest-deaths-in-movies-music/839877/98 "2019-09-10T19:41:55Z")
If memory serves me correctly, I think both Mark Wahlberg and Seth McFarlane were supposed to be on 9/11 flights ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cruelest-and-saddest-deaths-in-movies-music/839877/99 "2019-09-10T23:54:01Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > For cruel and sad I’ll have to third Stevie Ray Vaughn. He hit the depths of substance abuse and self-destructive behavior and came out the other side. His marriage ended but he seemed to have reached a peaceful place with his ex and again found happiness with someone else. He was starting to go beyond electric blues and expanding his music. It appeared that he was in a great place in his life and hitting his stride creatively. Then after a great show on an amazing tour with Clapton the helicopter hits wires. Much like Sam Kinison, who had given up drugs and alcohol. He’d gotten clean, got married, and was on his way to Vegas (I think) to do a show. Ironically, he was killed by a drunk driver. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2019, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cruelest-and-saddest-deaths-in-movies-music/839877/100 "2019-09-11T02:41:07Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > While he was “only” a TV show screen writer and producer, David Angell and his wife, Lynn, were among the passengers of American Airlines Flight 11 killed in the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City. Berry Berenson, sister of Marisa Berenson who herself had several significant acting roles in the 1970s, also died on a 9/11 flight. Sarah Ferguson was scheduled to attend a meeting in one of the towers later that day. Barbara Olson, author and commentator, was on the Pentagon flight. If you wish to count authors here, the circumstances surrounding Michael Dorris’ suicide were some of the most horrific of those of any public figure I know of; in short, he and fellow author Louise Erdrich were getting a divorce and she accused him of molesting their daughters, 3 biological and 1 adopted, and all of the daughters have said in the years since that the accusations were true. :eek: Boston singer Bradley Delp’s suicide also followed allegations of sexual misconduct; his girlfriend’s sister was staying with them and found a hidden camera in her bathroom. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cruelest-and-saddest-deaths-in-movies-music/839877.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cruelest-and-saddest-deaths-in-movies-music/839877.md?page=6)