# Weird Celebrity Deaths **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 25, 2016, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-celebrity-deaths/747134 "2016-02-25T20:16:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-celebrity-deaths/747134/41 "2016-02-26T05:23:21Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > That’s not John Carpenter who made Halloween and The Thing, it’s some other guy no one ever would have heard of he wasn’t associated with Bob Crane’s death. He was Crane’s partner in porn, IIRC. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-celebrity-deaths/747134/42 "2016-02-26T05:23:50Z")
> [@Kamino\_Neko](#): > > Sorta. To his castmates’ credit (it happened during rehearsal for The Royal Family), they figured out he was having a real heart attack and called for help fairly quickly, but the delay, brief as it was, probably didn’t help his survival. Hadn’t Foxx also come to rehearsal immediately after an unpleasant meeting with the IRS regarding his many tax problems? ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-celebrity-deaths/747134/43 "2016-02-26T05:25:29Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > That’s not John Carpenter who made Halloween and The Thing, it’s some other guy no one ever would have heard of he wasn’t associated with Bob Crane’s death. Omg, glad you said that. I was about scream cite! ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-celebrity-deaths/747134/44 "2016-02-26T05:45:16Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > For more modern times, I’ll go with **Jeff Porcaro,** the prolific session drummer who worked with countless rock bands, most notably Toto. He suddenly fell ill while spraying insecticide in his garden, was rushed to the hospital and died hours later. The official cause of death was “atherosclerosis induced by cocaine use”, but that’s been challenged by many of his friends and colleagues who claim he was never a heavy cocaine user – instead, most believe it was merely a bizarre gardening accident. You beat me to it! At least he didn’t choke on someone else’s vomit. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-celebrity-deaths/747134/45 "2016-02-26T05:52:28Z")
John and Alicia Nash (of “A Beautiful Mind” fame) both died recently in an automobile accident. Talk about not knowing when or how your time will be up. ---
**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:** [February 26, 2016, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-celebrity-deaths/747134/46 "2016-02-26T06:26:08Z")
“Weird Al” Yankovic’s parents were both killed accidentally by carbon monoxide from their fireplace. Since we’re going with liberal definitions of “celebrity,” [Rob Knox](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rob_Knox), who played Marcus Belby in _Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince_m was killed in 2008 when he attempted to break up a fight between his brother and someone else. He was stabbed. Vic Morrow was mentioned upthread, but no one elaborated. Here’s wiki’s take: > [@wikipedia](#): > > The helicopter was hovering at about 24 feet (7.3 m) above them when pyrotechnic explosions damaged it and caused it to crash on top of them, killing all three instantly. Morrow and Dinh were decapitated by the helicopter rotor, while Chen was crushed by a helicopter strut. Marvin Gaye was shot to death by his father following an argument over some missing paperwork. Ironically, Gaye was living at home because he was depressed and suicidal. Tejano singer Selena was murdered by her fan-club president, who had been embezzling money from her. ---
**Author:** ![eulalia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eulalia/32/457_2.png) [@eulalia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eulalia)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-celebrity-deaths/747134/47 "2016-02-26T07:29:54Z")
Keith Relf (of The Yardbirds and Renaissance) was electrocuted playing an ungrounded guitar. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-celebrity-deaths/747134/48 "2016-02-26T12:33:40Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > He was injured so badly that virtually nothing could have saved him. One of his colleagues, who was in the crash with him, even believed that a blood transfusion might have killed him sooner. > > [Charles R. Drew - Wikipedia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_R._Drew) Thats not what MASH told me! ---
**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:** [February 26, 2016, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-celebrity-deaths/747134/49 "2016-02-26T13:39:31Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > Bobby Fuller died in a car under mysterious circumstances and was found to have gasoline in his stomach. It was probably the Law. ---
**Author:** ![mcgato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@mcgato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcgato)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-celebrity-deaths/747134/50 "2016-02-26T14:32:07Z")
[Four time Olympian from France, Jacky Boxberger](http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/bo/jacky-boxberger-1.html), was trampled by an elephant while on safari in Africa. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-celebrity-deaths/747134/51 "2016-02-26T14:51:16Z")
> [@mcgato](#): > > [Four time Olympian from France, Jacky Boxberger](http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/bo/jacky-boxberger-1.html), was trampled by an elephant while on safari in Africa. A bit offbeat, but it would be much weirder if he was trampled by an elephant somewhere else. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-celebrity-deaths/747134/52 "2016-02-26T15:28:09Z")
Bud Dwyer is the pic for this thread on Tapatalk :o ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-celebrity-deaths/747134/53 "2016-02-26T15:29:34Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > He was Crane’s partner in porn, IIRC. And a piece if Cranes brain was found in his car. The jury somehow ignored that. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-celebrity-deaths/747134/54 "2016-02-26T15:46:16Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > … “The queen and her daughter drowned when the royal boat capsized while on the way to the Bang Pa-In Royal Palace (Summer palace). Despite the presence of many onlookers, they were forbidden on pain of death to touch the queen – not even to save her life. The grief-stricken Chulalongkorn later erected a memorial to her and his unborn child at the Bang Pa-In Palace.” … Had someone saved the queen and been executed for it, that would have been an even stranger death. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-celebrity-deaths/747134/55 "2016-02-26T15:55:44Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > And a piece if Cranes brain was found in his car. The jury somehow ignored that. Well, maybe. They no longer had the tissue, only a photo of it. I don’t think it was examined at the time of the murder. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-celebrity-deaths/747134/56 "2016-02-26T16:03:50Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > Well, maybe. They no longer had the tissue, only a photo of it. I don’t think it was examined at the time of the murder. Right. It could have been a piece of anyone’s brain. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-celebrity-deaths/747134/57 "2016-02-26T16:16:30Z")
John Purroy Mitchel was mayor of New York City from 1914 to 1917, elected at age 34. After losing the election, he joined the Army Air Corps. He died in 1918 while flying in Louisiana because he fell out of his airplane because of an unfastened safety belt. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-celebrity-deaths/747134/58 "2016-02-26T17:02:52Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > Bobby Fuller died in a car under mysterious circumstances and was found to have gasoline in his stomach. > [@RealityChuck](#): > > It was probably the Law. Probably shouldn’t have fought it. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-celebrity-deaths/747134/59 "2016-02-26T17:33:02Z")
> [@mcgato](#): > > [Four time Olympian from France, Jacky Boxberger](http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/bo/jacky-boxberger-1.html), was trampled by an elephant while on safari in Africa. > [@TriPolar](#): > > A bit offbeat, but it would be much weirder if he was trampled by an elephant somewhere else. It would have been weirder still if the elephant had been in his pajamas. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-celebrity-deaths/747134/60 "2016-02-26T17:40:35Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > And a piece if Cranes brain was found in his car. The jury somehow ignored that. I saw Cranes Brain in a drive in a long time ago [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-celebrity-deaths/747134.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-celebrity-deaths/747134.md?page=4)