Young Celebrity Deaths of the Decade: Young Stars Who Died

Videos

Elliott Smith - Needle In The Hay

see larger video

sourced by Jordan Yerman

As we compile the traditional year-end and decade-end lists, it's hard to ignore all the celebrities who died during the last ten years, from entertainment legends like Johnny Cash and Michael Jackson to young stars like Heath Ledger. Particularly poignant are the stories of the young celebrities who died this decade, whose lives were cut short in their prime, and before they had a chance to cement their legacy. This list of young stars who died in the past ten years is not in any particular order.

Heath Ledger: Died of an accidental drug overdose in New York City, 2008. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus was recast with several actors to compensate for Heath Ledger's unexpected death. His portrayal of the Joker in The Dark Knight earned him a posthumous Academy Award.

Brittany Murphy: Died in Los Angeles at age 32, 2009. As of this writing, her exact cause of death is unknown, and her husband, Simon Monjack, opposes an autopsy.

Fritha Goodey: A promising young London actor who committed suicide in 2004. A graduate of LAMDA who worked both onstage and onscreen. Fritha Goodey's career was starting to take off when her fater found her dead in her West London flat. She was 31.

Elliott Smith: Singer/songwriter who stabbed himself to death just as he was reaching mainstream fame. His website is still maintained: SweetAdeline. You've likely heard "Needle in the Hay", even if you don't know Elliott Smith by name. I was introduced to his music by my old flatmate, who was a massive fan.

Chris Henry: Wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals. Chris Henry died at age 26 in 2009 after falling from the back of a pickup truck during a fight with fiancee Loleini Tonga.

DJ AM: Adam Goldstein died in New York City in 2009. The 36-year-old DJ and friend and fellow musician Travis Barker were the only survivors of a plane crash in 2008. DJ AM died of a drug overdose.

Daul Kim: Only 20 years old, the Korean model committed suicide in Paris in 2009.

Jade Goody: The controversial Big Brother UK star became best known for her racist remarks against fellow housemate Shilpa Shetty. Jade Goody battled terminal cancer in a madd-media fishbowl, and passed away in 2009 at age 27.

Aaliyah: Aaliyah Haughton died in a plane crash in the Bahamas at age 22 in 2001, echoing the death of Buddy Holly. Aaliyah appeared in Queen of the Damned, which was released after her death; she was meant to have appeared in The Matrix: Reloaded.

Andy Hallett: Character actor and cult TV favorite, Andy Hallett died from heart disease at age 33 in 2009. Andy Hallett played the silky-voiced Lorne in Angel.

Johnny Palermo: The 27-year-old actor from Cold Case and Everybody Hates Chris died in a car accident in 2009, along with girlfriend Alessandra Giangrande.

Rob Knox: The eighteen-year-old actor was stabbed to death in Kent, England in 2008. Rob Knox had wrapped filming for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, in which he played Marcus Belby.

Big Pun: Rapper Big Pun, born Christopher Rios, died of a heart attack due to morbid obesity in 2000. He was 28 years old, and had released two albums before his death.