What Was The Most Shocking Celeberty Death?

I'm too young to actually remember this one but I would say Sharon Tate who was murdered by the Manson gang

The stabbing death of Sal Mineo

John Lennon's murder

Anytime anyone famous dies from anything other than natural causes, it is a
shock; whether it's a murder victim, an apparent suicide an accident of
some kind (e.g., plane crash, automobile accident, etc.) or some disease.
Death is especially tragic when it strikes down someone young or still in their
prime. The ones that had the most impact on me personally include: George
("Superman") Reeves, 45 (1959); Ward Bond (WAGON TRAIN), 55 (1960);
Walt Disney, 65 (1966); Dan Blocker (BONANZA), 43 (1972); Freddie Prinze
(CHICO & THE MAN), 22 (1977); Elvis Presley, 42 (1977); John Lennon, 40
(1980); Michael Landon, 54 (1991); Fred Gwynne (CAR 54, THE MUNSTERS), 66 (1993); Bill Bixby, 59 (1993); Elizabeth Montgomery (BEWITCHED), 62 (1995); and George Harrison, 58 (2001).

JOHN LENNON. :(

Bob Crane's death was shocking because of the various rumors at the time and his high profile.

Yeah, definitely John Lennon. I'll never forget the day I found out he died. Everyone in America was talking about it.

Also, John Ritter's death was pretty sudden, and tragic. Here, we'd think he had found another hit show, and he dies so suddenly. No one would have ever guessed he would die at such a young age.

Bob Crane's death was shocking because of the various rumors at the time and his high profile.
That's what I was going to say.

Anytime anyone famous dies from anything other than natural causes, it is a
shock; whether it's a murder victim, an apparent suicide an accident of
some kind (e.g., plane crash, automobile accident, etc.) or some disease.

Agreed.

Bob Crane's death was shocking because of the various rumors at the time and his high profile.
I remember when that murder occurred. And to be honest, it didn't get the coverage that I would think a celebrity would get considering it was a murder. By then, Bob was not on television, that could be why it seemed to just "go away" quickly in the news. Also, the rumors of Bob and his sex life were true. His lifestyle you can pretty much say is what caused his death. The man who many believe is responsible for his murder (he has since died) wanted to continue to have the lifestyle he got while being Bob's friend. Bob was going to cut him off from that and he wasn't having it.

John Lennon's murder was terrible. He did nothing to bring on his murder. His murder was the beginning of celebrities being stalked by strangers bent on killing them. We then had the near stabbing death of actress Teresa Saldana. And then we had Rebecca Schaeffer. Because of Rebecca's stalking and murder, California changed laws regarding information that one can get from the DMV, etc.

Sharon Tate, the Tate-La Bianca murders were a brutal, heinous crime. Many believed she brought on her own death because supposedly of the type of people she hung around with and drugs was believed to have played a part in her murder. We know of course that is not true.

Some of the most shocking deaths are nearly forgotten today, as they happened back in the days of silent film....

The shooting murder of Hollywood director William Desmond Taylor remains unsolved to this day, the the main suspect was his leading lady Maybel Normand, the last person to see him alive; this along with her well-known drug addiction and close friendship with Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle destroyed her career... most
historians now believe she was innocent or any wrongdoing in this case.

And, speaking of Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, there's the case of the "murder" (Not proven) of young starlet Virginia Rappe ( Rah-pay), who was found bleeding in a bedroom at one of Fatty's notorious parties, and who died in agony a few hours later. The Hollywood studio heads, hoping to "curb" their superstar comedian's "wild ways" began to circulate false rumous that he might have been involved in her death; thinking that, put under such a spotlight, he might finally conform to their own moral standards. Unfortunately for everyone involved, the rumours spiralled into a murder trial with Fatty as the defendant....wild and untrue testimony involving Fatty, Virginia and a wine bottle were taken as true , while coroner's reports about how a badly performed abortion in Virginia's past had been the true cause of her death, were virtually ignored. Fatty went to prison, but, was later aquitted on appeal, but it was too late, his career was virtually over, and his reputation destroyed forever.

Pictures. Roscoe "Fatty" Abuckle in his movie costume, his mugshot and Roscoe takes the stand in his 1921 trial

That case of Fatty Arbuckle was considered the first HOLLYWOOD CRIME and wasn't it also called THE CRIME OF THE CENTURY? a la O.J. Simpson trial.

That case of Fatty Arbuckle was considered the first HOLLYWOOD CRIME and wasn't it also called THE CRIME OF THE CENTURY? a la O.J. Simpson trial.
Yes. they did call it the crime of the century, until that title was taken by the Lindbergh baby kidnapping case.

It made for major changes in Hollywood, including the blackballing of actors who didnt follow a "moral code" and it led to repressive movie censorship; both under the control of the Hollywood "Hayes Office", created by the studios for these very purposes.

I would definitely say that another example of one would be Phil Hartman's.

For me it was John Lennon. It is a terrible tragedy that a man who stood for peace was shot down in cold blood. He also has so much more great music to make. Double Fantasy was his best album since Imagine with such truly great songs like "Woman" (an amazing ballad) "Beautful Boy" ("Life is what happens while your busy making other plans"-so very true) and "Watching The Wheels" (I've probably spent much of my 31 years "dreaming my life away"). Well, at least we still have John's music and no one can take that away from us.

I would definitely say that another example of one would be Phil Hartman's.
:yeahthat That happened about a week before my high school graduation. I was on my way home from the graduation rehearsal when I heard the news on the car radio. :( No one could believe it. What a sad, sad story. I'm sorry Mrs. Hartman never got the help she truly needed, and it destroyed the entire family.

I know the other deaths mentioned here shocked people the world over, but those occured either before I was born or when I was too young to remember. Phil Hartman's death I remember vividly, and it was so shocking that I'm going with that one.

John Lennon's death is the most shocking, IMO. A close runner up is James Dean's death. Also, Buddy Holly's and Elvis'.

For me personally, the deaths of River Phoenix and John Ritter were the most shocking. Both of them were among my favorite actors and they both died far too young, especially River. :(

Yes, I remember River Phoenix's death very well, too. I was in 8th grade. What a shame. ohno: John Ritter - we all grew up with him! That was a shocker, especially since one of my best friends (who was a HUGE John Ritter/Jack Tripper fan) passed on just two weeks before John. John Ritter/Jack Tripper inspired my friend to go to culinary school and become a chef. At the time of his passing, my friend was on the board at the Cleveland chapter of the American Culinary Federation.

isable sanford and Nell carter n redd foxxs death was truly shocking to me 2 all died at quite a young age n left so suddenley dont forget

carool o connors death archie bunker

Marilyn Monroe's death was shocking, rumors flew that she didn't commit suicide, but was murdered. She was alledgely involved with JFK and RFK.

George Reeves TV's Superman could have been murdered, it was rumored that he had everything going his way at the time of his death. His mother never believed he commited suicide. Mr. Reeves was involved for years with MGM studio boss' wife Toni Manix. He ended their relationship and she was not happy at all. A few weeks prior to his death he was in a car accident, someone had cut the brake lines.

Joe Flynn who played in McHale's Navy as the Captain, and who also appeared in many Disney movies of the 70's supposedly drownd in his swimming pool. Mr. Flynn had a broken leg at the time his death left questions unanswered. He also made statements about knowing things that would blow the lid off Hollywood, then he turns up dead. Hmmm.

Then there was the tragic death of Jimmy Hoffa which will remain a mystery. He was last seen at a diner and was never seen again.

There was a blonde sexkitten who was killed in a car crash, which was supposed to be questionable too. Rumor had it her head was decapitated in the accident.

I was most effected by the deaths of John Ritter, Yvonne De Carlo, and Lucille Ball. I felt really empty inside and depressed afterward.

^ Comedyfreak, the blonde I think your talking about is Jayne Manfield.

John Ritter was hard, John Lennon was shocking (wasn't around back then but just the thought), and Steve Irwin, I thought he was invincible:( !!!

For me, it was def. John Ritter. Just as he finally got back into a decent TV role, he collapses out of nowhere on the set and passes away. He died too young. :(

Rebecca Shaeffer - her death also made many celebs to this very day be cautious about who they see.

Freddie Prinze, Sr. - He could of been one of the biggest rising stars to emerge and still be around. Can't believe he died at 22 years of age. :(

You know, the same year that John Ritter passed away was also one of the years where there were so many people from TV under the age of 60 died so suddenly. Same w/ Nell Carter, who also passed away under the age of 60 that same year.

Also, 1985 was also a pretty bad year for TV celeb deaths, since many of them died in the middle of a show's run.

^ Comedyfreak, the blonde I think youre talking about is Jayne Manfield.
Yes, I'm sure he means Ms Mansfield, who it was rumoured was decapitated when her car submarined under the back of a truck, however, coroner's reports indicate that her head remained attached.

Another Silent Film death that shocked millions, in 1926, was the sudden death at the young age 31, of Rudolf Valentino, of a perforated ulcer, that develloped peritonitis. At the time of his death, Valentino was THE major "romantic film idol" and his death sent millions of women into mourning, and caused the female suicide rate to spike in the weeks after his death! :eek:

Valentino in his most famous role, THE SHEIK

Freddie Prinze, Sr. - He could of been one of the biggest rising stars to emerge and still be around. Can't believe he died at 22 years of age. :(




In 1978, Maria Pruetzel (Freddie's mother) wrote a book about her son's life,
"THE FREDDIE PRINZE STORY." According to her book, she never believed he
took his life intentionally. She thought it was an accident. The troubled
young man had a history of playing with guns. Did he think the gun was
unloaded? Either way, it was a tragedy. So young. He had his whole life
ahead of him. Gone way, way too soon.:(

isable sanford and Nell carter n redd foxxs death was truly shocking to me 2 all died at quite a young age n left so suddenley dont forget

carool o connors death archie bunker
Not To Be Mean but Isabel Did Not Die Young(Aleast Not Young Like John Ritter)She Died At Age 87.

Deffinitly John Ritter.

In 1978, Maria Pruetzel (Freddie's mother) wrote a book about her son's life,
"THE FREDDIE PRINZE STORY." According to her book, she never believed he
took his life intentionally. She thought it was an accident. The troubled
young man had a history of playing with guns. Did he think the gun was
unloaded? Either way, it was a tragedy. So young. He had his whole life
ahead of him. Gone way, way too soon.:(
Not only that. His life insurance policy wouldn't pay out if he committed suicide. His mother/family wouldn't get any $$$ if that was the case. The family had to take this matter to court to get a ruling that his death was accidental. However, I don't count it as accidental since Freddie DID IN FACT leave a suicide note behind and had just hours before been talking with his assistant, talking abt how he was unhappy and so forth. He committed suicide, it was not accidental. How the courts ruled it that way, I have no clue.

John Ritter's death is one that I will never forget. :( I still remember exactly what I was doing when I heard, exactly what I said, etc.

karen capenter and john ritter

Heather O'Rourke and Dominique Dunne from the movie POLTERGEIST.

Heather because she was a young child who apparently could have been saved and not died from what ailed her.

Dominique Dunne because she was a victim of domestic violence.

Heather O'Rourke and Dominique Dunne from the movie POLTERGEIST.

Heather because she was a young child who apparently could have been saved and not died from what ailed her.

Dominique Dunne because she was a victim of domestic violence.
not to mention the Poltergeist curse. :eek:

^ Comedyfreak, the blonde I think your talking about is Jayne Manfield.( !!!
That's right, thanks.:lol:

The two main ones I think of have already been mentioned. Phil Hartman and John Ritter.

Phil Hartman was a cast member in my favorite show, "NewsRadio." Though at the time of his death, I wasn't watching it (I watched it on and off for it's original run before becoming obsessed with it in reruns). I remember coming home and my sister told me that "Phil Hartman was murdered by his wife." I knew who Phil Hartman was, of course, but for the few seconds that followed those heartbreaking words, I kept trying to picture ANOTHER Phil Hartman. But I knew who it was. I knew that it was Bill McNeal, Troy McClure, and all those characters on Saturday Night Live (oddly enough, I didn't know he was on "Pee-wee's Playhouse" until after his death). His death was brought up again that fall, when "NewsRadio" returned with a memorial episode for his character, who also died. Despite some bashing of Jon Lovitz (even some by me) it was nice to have a friend of Phil's join the show.

As for John Ritter, it's comforting in a way that he died while he had a successful show again. He had even agreed to make bonus features for the (then) upcoming "Three's Company" DVDs. So he knew the series would be out on DVD for everybody to own. It's sad he's gone (the only actor I recall ever crying for when he died) but he left us a wonderful legacy. I'll always remember when he was on an episode of Conan O'Brien. I had taped it, but sadly I lost the tape. He talks about "8 Simple Rules" coming back for a second season (the audience applauded) and talked about the episode of Three's Company, where a certain part of him is visible. He said that Nick at Nite airs both versions, because "sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't." He's deeply missed. I can't believe it's been four years.

I remember where I was when JFK, Jr.'s plane went down...or at least when I heard about it. That was pretty shocking to me.

Princess Diana. I remember turning on the tv and new reports said she was in an accident. I was glued to the set. Then as time went on she had died. I was blown away. A person so much in the limelight. Mother of a future King of England dead at age 36.

Oh as backed out of this post I just realized you wanted Hollywood celebrities.Well I was saddened by Lucy. She lived a good life but it was end of era.

Oh as backed out of this post I just realized you wanted Hollywood celebrities.Well I was saddened by Lucy. She lived a good life but it was end of era.
I was going to post Diana as well, but the thread read celebrities. Although Princess Diana was treated as a celebrity, she wasn't, so I didn't post her, but her death surely was one that has stayed with me for a very long time.

Shocking, but not the most shocking, was the death of John Candy. A subtle comic who was considered one of the kindest men in Hollywood. His death while shooting Wagons East brought an end to movies like Summer Rental, the Great Outdoors, Uncle Buck, Only the Lonely and the type of character that he embodied - the gentle man who loves his family, dumped on by the world, but who in the ends triumphs.

I was shocked when Reed Foxx Passed Away

Already metioned but I was most shocked by John Ritter. I cried all day when I heard that he passed away. There will never be another. R.I.P. :(

Shocking, but not the most shocking, was the death of John Candy. A subtle comic who was considered one of the kindest men in Hollywood. His death while shooting Wagons East brought an end to movies like Summer Rental, the Great Outdoors, Uncle Buck, Only the Lonely and the type of character that he embodied - the gentle man who loves his family, dumped on by the world, but who in the ends triumphs.
I remember being shocked by that one too.


I remember when Elizabeth Mongomery died. I didn't even know who she was then, but I was shocked enough to still remember it, what, 12 years later? I also remember when Blossom had a, well, I don't remember if it was a tribute per se, but something at the end of one of their episodes about when Bill Bixby died. Again, I had absolutely no clue who the man was, but it stuck in my memory. Maybe because I think they made mention of Incredible Hulk, and I thought what the hell is that? and it scared me. lol Now that I'm a huge fan, I wish I could go back and see that blurb again. :(

PEOPLE magazine is going to release a special edition book talking abt those who left us too soon, including Diana, John Ritter, John Lennon, etc.

John Ritter's death shocked me the most, he wasn't much older than my dad, about 5 years in the age difference. Dad turns 55 in January.

I'd have to say Anna Nicole Smith

PEOPLE magazine is going to release a special edition book talking abt those who left us too soon, including Diana, John Ritter, John Lennon, etc.
Do you know of a release date, Irene?

I believe, (you may all think I am insane) Yoko Ono killed Lennon. I have researched it, if you want to know more, myspace me at myspace.com/Ashiz2Ashiz

The one that was the most shocking (and painful) for me was Stanley Kamel of Monk. Because he was a frequent poster on the USA Monk board, I felt connected to him somehow. It took me literally two months to get over his death. Such a wonderful man...

A very close second would be John Ritter. I heard about this at lunch one day while at work, and it bothered me for a long time.

Andrea

I was shocked when Reed Foxx Passed Away


that was big for me to il never forget that one

thsi got nothing to do with tv but with wrestlign world when chris benoit n eddie guerreo died 2 years of each other that to me was shocking

Yeah, the chris benoit death was shocking.

I thought it was pretty shocking when Anna Nicole Smith passed away a while back...

RIP to all people mentioned above...

Some for me that have been mentioned in previous posts -

John Ritter

Phil Hartman

Princess Diana

but also

John Belushi(I had no idea about his drug use back then)

Heath Ledger

Michael Hutchence(lead singer of INXS)

Steve Irwin

OH YEAH, and Elvis' death!!!

I'm actually old enough to remember hearing about it on the news.

I also remember running into my sister's room(she was 8 at the time) and yelling "Elvis died!" She thought I was kidding with her.

The deaths that shocked me the most was Princess Diana and Rebecca Schaffer. Both ladies were so young when they died Princess Diana was 36 years old when she was killed I believe and Rebecca was 21 years old.

John Ritter and Rebecca Schaeffer.

Jonathan Brandis from "Ladybugs" and "Seaquest" really shocked me because I did not even know that he was dead. I did not find out until almost five years after his death.

When I saw TV Land showing a edited montage of John Ritter with the slow music as clip faded from one to another, I thought "Aww. That's nice". a tribute to John. I tried to erase the fact that it looked like a "in loving memory" tribute. When I saw the "TV Land remembers..." across the screen with the pic of John grinning, I WAS IN SHOCK! MY MOUTH DROPPED! My eyes are watering right now as I think about it. Whew. It was intense for me.

I didn't know that alot of people on previous posts were murdered. That is so sad about Bob Crane, Dominique Dunn and Rebecca Schaefer. I wasn't around when they died, but I bet it was so sad to hear about.

I remember when John Ritter died. I was 12 years old. I can't believe it has been almost 5 years already(it will be 5 years on the 11th) I remember my mom came into my room and I was still in bed and she told me that someone that I liked died and then she had me guess about John Ritter. She said he was on a tv show that you like and I said a bunch of them that I liked then she said he was on a tv show with two women and they were his roomates and I was like "John Ritter?!" It was hard to believe.

I believe, (you may all think I am insane) Yoko Ono killed Lennon. I have researched it, if you want to know more, myspace me at myspace.com/Ashiz2Ashiz


Ashley, trust me, I don't think it, I know it. You ARE insane. I know the conspiracy theory and the so called 'evidence' and none of it holds up. Sorry.

I'd sooner believe the FBI or the CIA had something to do with it, and I don't even believe that.

John Lennon was my mentor and my idol. And you're doing a huge disservice to his widow by making this accusation. I've had the pleasure of meeting Yoko, and you REALLY don't know what you're talking about.

Does John Ritter count lol? I seriously thought he wasn't going to die this young.

Nah, Yoko didn't kell Lennon...but Yoko brought up the band (The Beatles)!

As in That '70s Show, YOUR BREAKING UP THE BAND YOKO! lol.

John Ritter.

Co-Sign.

Elvis thought he would live to a right old age, Gilda Radner, John Belushi, Natlie Wood. But the death that really shocked me was Dorthy Straton what a shame to because it appeared that she was going places at the time.

Aaliyah. (VERY young, and the way she died, Oh my goodness. Reading the details is heartbreaking).

Selena Quintanilla. (Murdered by her own best friend at such a young age, shame.)

River Phoenix (he had so much youth and promise left in him i loved him in Stand By Me, sad.)

Cory Monteith. (I was surprised to find out that he was an addict in the first place. Watching Glee, i got ZERO vibes and inkling that he would have gotten involved in that, i felt sorry for him the most because i get the impression that he went through child trauma to be an addict at such a young age. Really sad for him!)

I remember being shocked and saddened when I heard Anissa Jones (Buffy from Family Affair) died of a drug overdose at age 18. She died only 5 years after Family Affair ended. It was particularly sad because she was so young, and her death was senseless and possibly preventable if someone had intervened.

Some strange deaths....

The actress Brittany Murphy dies at the age of 32 in December 20, 2009. Then five months later in May 23, 2010, her 40 year old husband a one Simon Monjack dies, in the same house under similar circumstances.

Anna Nicole Smith, the model, had a baby in the Bahamas on September 7th, 2006. Then her 20 year old son comes to the Bahamas to be with the family and he dies. People that knew the son Daniel said that he was a good kid and not into drinking or drugs and this was shocking to them. Then Anna Nicole Smith dies on February 8th of 2007. What is bizarre is that her lawyer, a one Howard K. Stern (not the radio guy, hence the "K.") claimed the kid was his, but it was the child of another man who was suing for custody. I still say that the lawyer should have been investigated for her death and the death of her son, in a foreign country with probably not the sharpest cops and investigators ever.

Barbara Colby (1939-1975), Colby was a character actress who was in an episode or two of The Mary Tyler Moore show, and was a player in the MTM show "Phyllis" with Cloris Leachman. One night her and another man were walking back to his car after an acting class in LA when both her and the male driver were gunned down by two men for no reason and fled. No one was caught, it is a mystery and after 40 plus years, it is still an open homicide. Just weird that two men would just kill complete strangers, not a robbery, and investigations must have ruled out boyfriends/drug dealers/family members as instigators of this.

Michael Jackson was to me the most shocking death. I found out one morning turning on my computer to read the news. I have been following Michael Jackson for years and thought he was a fascinating person, and I felt cheated because I wanted to find out what the rest of his life would have been like. MJ sort of cheated me out of that. I wanted to see what MJ would have been like at 70, broke as a joke, probably in jail, or still touring, or his face more comically disfigured. I think this is some of the reason why he died, because he was turning into a joke and a punchline, and being asleep, drugged out of one's mind is an escape mechanism. You can't take one drug to wake you up, another drug to keep you functioning and another drug to put you to bed. That ***** will kill you. It killed him, it also killed Elvis (see below).

Michael Jackson made probably a BILLION dollars over his lifetime and when he died was in deep debt, living in a rental home and was more or less forced to do a 50 show tour in London at an arena (O2). His confidants were saying that if the drugs did not kill him, the tour would have. Jackson had to do this in the UK because his name was so tarnished in the USA for being a pedophile (which I think he was, and had to pay money to settle with families in order to avoid court for a long time).

I grew up in Memphis and remember the day Elvis died. It was August, hot as hell, and I walked in my house after getting into a fight with a punk kid on the street, after that, I retreated to my air conditioned house to relax to my late afternoon 60's sitcoms. They did a "Special Report" thing and I saw Mason Granger (on Channel 5 in Memphis, YouTube this, this is what I literally saw) announsing that Elvis was DEAD. When he said ..dead, I remember my heart just sinking. This was a famous man, and he actually lived in my area of the city.

In the next couple of days, literally (I hate the use of the word "Literally" in this context, but...) a 100,000 or more people invaded Memphis, Tennessee. There was not a hotel room for over a hundred mile radius. In front of Graceland, Elvis' house, the four lane street in front of his home (called Elvis Presley Blvd., before his death) was just packed with wall to wall people. People on top of people. I have looked on YouTube to find these videos, but they are unfortunately few and far between. It was also strange because unlike places like California, or New York, Memphis is somewhat of a podunk midsized, nothing city, and it had to have strained the police, transportation, and everyday life in the area. Lots of businesses actually closed or changed hands after Elvis' death. I wish they would do a movie about that week.

With the exception of Colby, all of the above died by abusing prescription medication, and/or drugs given to them by a doctor. Not street drugs.

For me, the murder of Adrienne Shelly. I became a fan of hers after seeing her in two Hal Hartley directed films at the theater back in the late 80s/early 90s: The Unbelievable Truth, and Trust. I remember going to see Hexed at the theater specifically because she was in it.

She was even becoming an accomplished director, including the excellent Sudden Manhattan, and she had just finished making Waitress.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/07/nyregion/07actress.html?_r=0

I remember being shocked and saddened when I heard Anissa Jones (Buffy from Family Affair) died of a drug overdose at age 18. She died only 5 years after Family Affair ended. It was particularly sad because she was so young, and her death was senseless and possibly preventable if someone had intervened.

Anissa Jones spent her entire childhood working. Even when Family Affair was not shooting, her greedy mother made her perform a never-ending round of personal appearances. She was made to drag around a Mrs. Beasley doll until she was thirteen.

Anissa was very small for her age, so she was cast in Family Affair as a baby-faced six year old when she was actually nine. The show was a booming success, and cute little Buffy was the main reason, so TPTB refused to let the character grow up. She was forced to wear those dated, Shirley Temple pig tails, pinafore dresses and Mary Janes until she was thirteen years old (as previously mentioned) when the show was finally, blessedly canceled.

Fed up with TV, she turned down a role in Brian Keith's next sit-com. Another sad thing for Anissa, is that when she tried supporting herself as a counter girl at a donuts shop, so many customers recognized her and asked her embarrassing questions about why she was working there, that she had to quit.

Anissa became a teenage runaway. She shoplifted, did time in juvenile hall, and developed a habit for recreational drugs. When she gained control of her TV earnings, she and her brother rented a pad and embarked upon a drug-fueled lifestyle. After ingesting a combination of cocaine, PCP, Seconal, and Quaaludes, Anissa turned up dead in the bedroom of a teenage friend. The coroner said it was the most severe overdose he had ever seen. She was only eighteen,

Her brother also died of a drug overdose, at age 24 in 1984.