Famous Celebrities Who Died From Alcohol And Drugs Heath Ledger, Amy Winehouse, Mac Miller Cause of Death

movie stars who died of alcoholism

As the story goes, Reed, who was renowned for being a heavy drinker but who had apparently been off booze for months prior, got involved in a drinking match that ultimately killed him. When he did pass in 1984 at the age of 58, it was due to an intracerebral hemorrhage. His actual death was sudden, but his health had been declining for many years due to alcoholism. Remembered as one of the founding cast members of the iconic sketch comedy show „Saturday Night Live,“ John Belushi began his career on stage, quickly emerging as one of the decade’s most promising comics.

movie stars who died of alcoholism

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  • Hollywood is almost like another world, a city of bright lights, brighter stars, and extraordinary excess that could feel alien to everyone else.
  • Drinking has, apparently, gotten in the way of his career and personal relationships.
  • When they met in 1980, she was 16 years old and he was 42.43 In his final years, Reed and Burge lived in Churchtown, County Cork, Ireland.
  • Years after leaving „That ’70s Show,“ Kelly admitted that her struggle with alcohol had contributed to her departure.
  • Kelly checked into a rehab facility — Pax Rehab House in Altadena, California — after her DUI arrest in 2013, but she died in August that year.

Following a high-profile trip to rehab, Efron appeared to go on drinking and even injured himself so severely in a fall that doctors had to wire his jaw shut. The 2000s were looking to be a definitive decade for Ledger, now in his 20s, as he went on to star in Oscar-nominated films such as „The Patriot“ and „Brokeback Mountain,“ a title that garnered him a Best Actor nomination. In 2007, production began on the second Christopher Nolan-led „Batman“ film, with Ledger cast to play the caped crusader’s most infamous nemesis, the Joker.

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According to Gold Derby, Hayworth was the first actress to team with iconic Hollywood dancers Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly. She was one of the first pin-up girls of the 40’s, the first American actress to marry a prince, and later, the first well-known celebrity to publicly bring awareness of Alzheimer’s Disease. Betty Ford, the wife of former President Gerald Ford, suffered from alcoholism and addiction to painkillers. She raised public awareness of addiction by confessing to her long-time battle with alcoholism in the 1970s.

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Phoenix was unresponsive when emergency personnel arrived and was declared dead when he arrived at the hospital. Toxicology reports blamed his death on a mixture of cocaine and heroin. Phoenix was replaced by Christian Slater in „Vampire,“ which is dedicated to his memory.

movie stars who died of alcoholism

The woman whom actress Shelley Winters once found sleeping under coats at a Hollywood bash following a good cry was nothing like the „whole different personality who came out for the camera,“ said choreographer Hermes Pan. Hayworth began suffering from Alzheimer’s in 1971, was diagnosed in 1980, and died in 1987. Mel Gibson has publicly admitted to battling alcoholism for all of his adult life. In a previous 2006 arrest, made on the basis of suspected drunk driving, the arresting officer claimed he made anti-Semitic remarks.

  • In 2010, Rafferty was put on life-support due to multiple organ failure, finally succumbing to liver failure at the age 63.
  • The star comedian seemed visibly out of sorts during his appearance, too, often so out of breath that „Weekend Update“ host Norm Macdonald joked that he needed extra rest between sketches.
  • I regret the necessity.” King’s not about to pretend he didn’t have struggles with alcohol, nor does he think he should hide it, either.
  • But soon his personal life was making more headlines than his acting.
  • When he did pass in 1984 at the age of 58, it was due to an intracerebral hemorrhage.

In 1969, after one last night of drinking rye, Kerouac complained of stomach pains. He passed the next day from a hemorrhage caused by cirrhosis, at the age of 47. Belushi was found dead in movie stars who died of alcoholism a Hollywood hotel, the Chateau Marmont, where he had been staying. Coupled with frequent drinking and other drug use, Garland developed major problems later in her career. Though Garland rebounded after „A Star Is Born“ and her star began to rise again, her career didn’t remain on the rise for long.

  • Perhaps Ford’s greatest legacy was the honesty she brought to the American idea of alcoholism.
  • Famous pop/rock musician Billy Joel has admitted to struggling with alcohol abuse in his adult life.
  • Peter Cook was a key figure in British comedy and satire in the 1960s, along with his comedy partner Dudley Moore, but despite his success, Cook’s personal and professional lives were often marred by his heavy drinking.
  • His actual death was sudden, but his health had been declining for many years due to alcoholism.
  • He even regularly highlighted these struggles as a part of his stand-up routines.

This list of celebrities who died from alcoholism includes information like the victim’s hometown and other biographical information when available. Unfortunately many famous people’s lives have been cut short because of alcoholism, including actors, musicians and athletes. His most successful work was his semi-autobiographical road novel, On the Road, which extensively explored what the Beats called “the derangement of the senses”. Veronica Lake, with her iconic peek-a-boo blonde hair, was particularly well-known for playing film noir femme fatales in the 1940s. In real life, her drinking, most likely a form of self-medication for her issues with mental illness, led to her end in 1973 at age 50. Reed got his first significant role in Hammer Films’ Sword of Sherwood Forest (1960), again directed by Fisher.

movie stars who died of alcoholism

„I’ve waited for you five years, and now I’ve got you,“ he allegedly muttered, pulling Rappe into an adjoining room. Minutes later Rappe was screaming in pain, dying days later from a ruptured bladder. Arbuckle was tried for manslaughter three times, and although Delmont never testified, she talked plenty to the press. Arbuckle was finally acquitted but his reputation and money were gone. Today Virginia Rappe rests in Hollywood Forever cemetery, the truth behind her death unsolved. In 2013, King opened up to The Guardianabout his former alcohol addiction, describing how he’s not ashamed of his past.

movie stars who died of alcoholism

These famous figures sadly couldn’t beat their demons

He went back to small roles for His and Hers (1961), a Terry-Thomas comedy; No Love for Johnnie Drug rehabilitation (1961) for Ralph Thomas; and The Rebel (1961) with Tony Hancock. He played the role of Sebastian in the ITV series It’s Cold Outside, which was popular with teenagers, making him an idol for the first time. Found dead in his Los Angeles home, the final verdict wasn’t suicide, though, but an accidental drug overdose, with the autopsy report revealing a combination of heroin, cocaine, and other drugs in his system.

While many deaths may be due to misuse of illegal substances, these drugs are not always illicit – and an overdose may not always be intentional. When they met in 1980, she was 16 years old and he was 42.43 In his final years, Reed and Burge lived in Churchtown, County Cork, Ireland. Reed appeared in The New Spartans (1975), then acted alongside Karen Black, Bette Davis, and Burgess Meredith in the Dan Curtis horror film, Burnt Offerings (1976). He was in The Sell Out (1976) and The Great Scout & Cathouse Thursday (1976) with Lee Marvin. During this time, he appeared in some ITV Playhouse productions, “Murder in Shorthand” (1962) and “The Second Chef” (1962), and guest-starred in episodes of The Saint.