# This is a crappy list of "bizarre" celebrity deaths - we can do better! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 6, 2013, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-a-crappy-list-of-bizarre-celebrity-deaths-we-can-do-better/662795 "2013-07-06T16:49:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2013, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-a-crappy-list-of-bizarre-celebrity-deaths-we-can-do-better/662795/1 "2013-07-06T16:49:24Z")
Radar Online published this[list of celebrities who died under bizarre circumstances](http://radaronline.com/photos/photos-celebrities-who-died-in-bizarre-circumstances/photo/278856/). It’s quite a crappy list; while it does have a few celebrities who died in genuinely odd ways (Sonny Bono, David Carradine, Michael Hutchence), the list is also populated by a whole bunch of celebs that died because of drug overdoses and travel accidents. Honestly, who could be surprised by famous people dying because of drugs and travel? We here at the Dope can do better! Let’s come up with some more celebrities that died in really strange circumstances. To start you off: Randy Rhoads died in a plane crash, but this was no ho=hum crash! He was with the tour bus driver while they were [buzzing the tour bus in a small plane.](http://randy-rhoads-online.com/site/articles-interviews/32-the-plane-truth-the-accident-that-killed-randy-rhoads) Let’s list some others! Real life only - no Spinal Tap drummers, even if you can’t really dust for vomit! ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2013, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-a-crappy-list-of-bizarre-celebrity-deaths-we-can-do-better/662795/2 "2013-07-06T17:12:03Z")
Mike Edwards of ELO- crushed by a rogue bale of hay while driving. Quite bizarre. ---
**Author:** ![Strainger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/strainger/32/244_2.png) [@Strainger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strainger)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2013, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-a-crappy-list-of-bizarre-celebrity-deaths-we-can-do-better/662795/3 "2013-07-06T17:14:45Z")
William Holden died when he slipped on a rug, hit his head on a table, and bled to death. He may or may not have been intoxicated. Vic Morrow, along with child actors Renee Chen and Myca Dinh Le, were decapited and dismembered by a helicopter rotor when the helicopter crashed while filming a scene for Twilight Zone: The Movie. (Side note: Frankly I think John Landis should have done jail time for this one: putting the shot above actors’ safety.) ---
**Author:** ![Strainger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/strainger/32/244_2.png) [@Strainger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strainger)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2013, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-a-crappy-list-of-bizarre-celebrity-deaths-we-can-do-better/662795/4 "2013-07-06T17:17:19Z")
Jon-Erik Hexum, killed by wadding from a blank cartridge when he held the gun up to his temple and fired it. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2013, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-a-crappy-list-of-bizarre-celebrity-deaths-we-can-do-better/662795/5 "2013-07-06T17:23:42Z")
Whitney Houston. While drugs were a factor, the actual cause of her death was drowning in her bathtub. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2013, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-a-crappy-list-of-bizarre-celebrity-deaths-we-can-do-better/662795/6 "2013-07-06T17:29:17Z")
Tennessee Williams was having difficulty opening a bottle of medicine with a childproof cap. He ended up prying the cap off with his teeth and accidentally swallowed it, causing his death. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2013, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-a-crappy-list-of-bizarre-celebrity-deaths-we-can-do-better/662795/7 "2013-07-06T17:34:14Z")
Keith Relf electrocuted himself playing an improperly grounded guitar. Leslie Harvey electrocuted himself with an improperly grounded microphone. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2013, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-a-crappy-list-of-bizarre-celebrity-deaths-we-can-do-better/662795/8 "2013-07-06T17:36:53Z")
Isadora Duncan was wearing a really long scarf. She was a passenger in a car and the scarf got caught in a wheel and broke her neck. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2013, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-a-crappy-list-of-bizarre-celebrity-deaths-we-can-do-better/662795/9 "2013-07-06T17:40:07Z")
Sherwood Anderson died from accidentally swallowing a toothpick. ---
**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:** [July 6, 2013, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-a-crappy-list-of-bizarre-celebrity-deaths-we-can-do-better/662795/10 "2013-07-06T17:41:21Z")
Harry Houdini-[punched in stomach](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Houdini#Death) which ruptured his inflamed appendix. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2013, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-a-crappy-list-of-bizarre-celebrity-deaths-we-can-do-better/662795/11 "2013-07-06T17:45:05Z")
Kirsty MacColl was hit by a speedboat while scuba diving on vacation. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2013, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-a-crappy-list-of-bizarre-celebrity-deaths-we-can-do-better/662795/12 "2013-07-06T17:46:11Z")
It’s pushing the notion of celebrity a bit, but British MP Stephen Milligan managed to die while wearing stockings, a noose round his neck, and biting into a slice of orange laced with poppers. A very dangerous wank. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2013, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-a-crappy-list-of-bizarre-celebrity-deaths-we-can-do-better/662795/13 "2013-07-06T17:47:32Z")
Jerry Fuchs was caught in a broken elevator. He fell down the shaft while attempting to escape. ---
**Author:** ![minlokwat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minlokwat/32/2844_2.png) [@minlokwat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minlokwat)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2013, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-a-crappy-list-of-bizarre-celebrity-deaths-we-can-do-better/662795/14 "2013-07-06T17:48:26Z")
**Johnny Ace** , rhythm and blues singer of the 1950’s. From wikipedia: > [@](#): > > It was widely reported that Ace killed himself playing Russian roulette. Big Mama Thornton’s bass player Curtis Tillman, however, who witnessed the event, said, "I will tell you exactly what happened! Johnny Ace had been drinking and he had this little pistol he was waving around the table and someone said ‘Be careful with that thing…’ and he said ‘It’s okay! Gun’s not loaded…see?’ and pointed it at himself with a smile on his face and ‘Bang!’ – sad, sad thing. Big Mama ran outta that dressing room yelling ‘Johnny Ace just killed himself!’ ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2013, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-a-crappy-list-of-bizarre-celebrity-deaths-we-can-do-better/662795/15 "2013-07-06T17:52:23Z")
[Drummers from Spinal Tap](http://moviemiscellany.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/untimely-deaths-of-spinal-tap-drummers.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2013, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-a-crappy-list-of-bizarre-celebrity-deaths-we-can-do-better/662795/16 "2013-07-06T17:53:39Z")
> [@Strainger](#): > > Jon-Erik Hexum, killed by wadding from a blank cartridge when he held the gun up to his temple and fired it. Was it the wadding? My recollection was that the concussive force of the blank cartridge, at that range, was enough to knock a hole in his skull, even without any projectile in the barrel. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2013, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-a-crappy-list-of-bizarre-celebrity-deaths-we-can-do-better/662795/17 "2013-07-06T17:55:56Z")
Virginia Rappe, who died of a ruptured bladder after, um, partying with Fatty Arbuckle. ---
**Author:** ![BMax](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bmax/32/4267_2.png) [@BMax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMax)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2013, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-a-crappy-list-of-bizarre-celebrity-deaths-we-can-do-better/662795/18 "2013-07-06T18:03:00Z")
[Brandon Lee](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandon_Lee#Death), son of Bruce Lee, > [@](#): > > died of a fatal gunshot wound on March 31, 1993 after an accidental shooting on set of The Crow. During filming, a blank cartridge was fired from a gun barrel in which a bullet of a real cartridge was lodged. The bullet struck Lee. He was rushed to the New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, NC where he underwent 6 hours of surgery. However, attempts to save him were unsuccessful, and Lee was pronounced dead at 1:03pm on March 31, 1993 at 28 years old. The shooting was ruled an accident. > In the scene in which Lee was shot, Lee’s character walks into his apartment and discovers his fiancée being beaten and raped by thugs. Actor Michael Massee’s character fires a handgun at Lee as he walks into the room.[5] Proper blank cartridges were used during the fatal scene; however, due to a mix up during earlier filming of gun closeups, a bullet had become lodged in the barrel without anyone noticing. Dummy cartridges had been improperly prepared and then accidentally fired, the primer charge driving the bullet part-way into the barrel, resulting in a squib load. In the fatal scene the explosive charge of the blank propelled the bullet lodged in the barrel as if the gun had been loaded with a live round, resulting in the fatal accident.[6] ---
**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:** [July 6, 2013, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-a-crappy-list-of-bizarre-celebrity-deaths-we-can-do-better/662795/19 "2013-07-06T18:03:10Z")
[Mark"The Bird"Fidrych](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Fidrych#Death)- suffocated after his clothes were tangled in a power take-up shaft on the truck he was working on. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2013, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-a-crappy-list-of-bizarre-celebrity-deaths-we-can-do-better/662795/20 "2013-07-06T18:09:36Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Virginia Rappe, who died of a ruptured bladder after, um, partying with Fatty Arbuckle. [More details from the SDMB](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=68420). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-a-crappy-list-of-bizarre-celebrity-deaths-we-can-do-better/662795.md?page=2)