8 Bizarre Celebrity Deaths

1. Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter, hosted a popular TV show with his wife in which he demonstrated the wonder of dangerous animals. He seemed invincible; he had a great way of respecting the animals and really seemed to understand them. However, while filming a documentary, Ocean’s Deadliest, Irwin went snorkelling in chest-deep water and encountered a stringray. When he approached, the ray stung him hundreds of times. The barb pierced his heart, and he bled to death.

2. On April 1, 1984, Marvin’s parents began to fight over a misplaced insurance document. Marvin ordered his father to leave his mother alone. All three continued to fight through the evening and Marvin warned his father not to come into his bedroom. Marvin Sr. however charged in. A scuffle ensued, and Marvin Sr. walked away. Moments later, Marvin Sr. returned with the .38 pistol Marvin had given him for Christmas. He pointed it directly at Marvin Jr’s heart and shot. The shot was fatal, but Marvin Sr. stepped closer and shot him again at point blank range.

3. Brandon Lee, son Bruce Lee, died of a gunshot wound while filming the movie, The Crow. In the scene in which Lee was shot, his character walks into a room and discovers his fiancée being raped by thugs. Actor Michael Massee’s character shoots at Lee. Due to a mix-up, Lee was struck in the stomach with a live projectile rather than the dummy round that was supposed to be in the gun. He was rushed to the hospital where he underwent six hours of surgery, but he didn’t make it. The shooting was ruled an accident.

4. Natalie Wood’s death remains shrouded in mystery to this day. She was on a boat with her husband Robert Wagner and actor Christopher Walken when she went below-stairs to go to bed. The next morning her body was discovered near Catalina Island. She had drowned, but those who knew her said she was terrified of water. It was unlike her to take the dingy into dark, cold water alone. Her death was ruled an accident.

5. Brittany Murphy passed away at the age of only 32. She collapsed on December 20, 2009 in her bathroom and was whisked to the hospital where she died hours later. The official cause of death was pneumonia complicated by iron-deficiency anemiaand drug intoxication (though all the drugs in her system were legal and prescribed for her.) Her widower died in the same house, less than six months after she did.

6. Tennessee Williams, one of America’s greatest playwrights, died from chocking on a bottle cap from eyedrops that was lodged in his throat. Alcohol abuse and drugs suppressed his gag reflex so he asphyxiated to death.

7. Jeff Buckley, best known for his heartfelt cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah”, only released one studio album, Grace, which received critical praise. He was in Memphis recording a new album when he went out for a break. He jumped into the Wolf River Harbor with all his clothes on and began to swim. A roadie moved some equipment out of the reach of the wake of a passing tugboat and when he looked back, Buckley was nowhere in sight. He had drowned. An autopsy revealed that he had no drugs in his system.

8. Ray Combs, host of the classic TV game show Family Feud, suffered from depression after injuring a spinal disc in a car crash which caused permanent pain. On June 1, 1996 police were called to his home after he trashed the home and had been banging his head against the walls. His ex-wife arrived and informed the police that he had spent the previous week in a hospital due to a suicide attempt. The police took him to a hospital where he was involuntarily committed. Early the next morning he made a noose from his bed sheets and hanged himself in the closet.