Working Right To The Very End
There have been many tragic deaths in Hollywood—but some of them happened while the actors were still on the job.
Here are the actors that have died on set.
Redd Foxx
In the 1970s, Redd Foxx starred in the sitcom Sanford and Son. However, one of his most memorable comedic bits would foreshadow his tragic end.
John E. Reed, Wikimedia Commons
Redd Foxx
Redd Foxx's character Fred Sanford had a habit of feigning cardiac arrest when wrapping up a conversation or trying to get his way: "This is the big one, Elizabeth." The audience ate these antics up, always responding with hearty laughter.
Robert Garner Attractions, Wikimedia Commons
Redd Foxx
In 1991, Redd Foxx began acting in a different sitcom, The Royal Family. He brought the popular bit back... or, at least, everyone thought he'd brought it back.
CBS, The Royal Family (1991–1992)
Redd Foxx
According to the show's production spokeswoman, Redd Foxx and his fellow actors were "clowning around, and Redd was sort of breaking people up when he collapsed. ... They all thought he was joking at first."
CBS, The Royal Family (1991–1992)
Redd Foxx
In a horrifying twist, everyone realized that Redd Foxx was not faking it. He'd stopped moving. The paramedic came to treat him, but the actor passed four hours later at the hospital. At the age of 68, a real heart attack had done him in.
CBS, The Royal Family (1991–1992)
Vic Morrow
Vic Morrow might have one of the most gruesome and tragic deaths in Hollywood—and it's all the more shocking because it happened during the filming of 1982's Twilight Zone: The Movie.
ABC Television, Wikimedia Commons
Vic Morrow
On one fateful night, Morrow had to film a scene with two child actors—seven-year-old Myca Dinh Le and six-year-old Renee Shin-Yi Chen—both of whom had been hired without a proper permit.
Warner Bros., Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983)
Vic Morrow
For this scene, Morrow carried the two children while wading in a shallow river—his character followed by a helicopter. But this stunt went terribly wrong.
Warner Bros., Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983)
Vic Morrow
A mortar effect went off too close to the helicopter, causing its rotor to break away from the tail. This, in turn, made the helicopter lose control. It crashed right into the water where Morrow and the children were.
The consequences were unbelievable.
Warner Bros., Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983)
Vic Morrow
The helicopter's rotor blades hit Morrow and Le, decapitating them, while Chen was crushed. Their deaths were likely instant.
Vic Morrow
These devastating losses led to much court time for the filmmakers who had to answer for this accident. In 1996, director John Landis said, "There was absolutely no good aspect about this whole story. The tragedy, which I think about every day, had an enormous impact on my career, from which I may possibly never recover."
Giorgio Montersino, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Vic Morrow
The fiery crash ended the relationship between director John Landis and Stephen Spielberg, who co-produced Twilight Zone: the Movie. Spielberg later confessed that the incident affected everyone working on the film, leaving them all "sick to the center of our souls."
Vic Morrow
Morrow's daughters were awarded $850,000 after they sued for negligence and wrongful death. Similarly, the parents of Le and Chen also sued—and were awarded $2 million each.
Warner Bros., Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983)
John Ritter
John Ritter was one of Hollywood's most beloved actors. He was extremely likable and had a true comedic talent. His role in the sitcom Three's Company was one of the reasons it was so successful.
Ritter also starred in films like Bad Santa and Sling Blade. However, fate had a cruel twist in store for him.
Alan Light, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
John Ritter
In 2002, John Ritter had a television comeback with 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter. The next year, the filming of the second season began—and that's when disaster struck.
ABC, 8 Simple Rules (2002–2005)
John Ritter
While on set, Ritter began experiencing chest pains. He felt nauseous and dizzy, and decided to seek medical help. The doctors at Burbank's Providence St. Joseph Medical Center thought the actor was experiencing a heart attack. However, it was something even worse.
ABC, 8 Simple Rules (2002–2005)
John Ritter
Ritter hadn't responded to treatment, and after undergoing more tests, the true diagnosis hit like a bombshell: an aortic dissection. Though he underwent surgery, the actor didn't make it. He was only 54 years old.
mo pie, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Martha Mansfield
Martha Mansfield was an Old Hollywood actress. If you haven't heard of her, maybe that's because she tragically died before she could become a massive star.
Bain News Service, Wikimedia Commons
Martha Mansfield
In 1923, Mansfield worked on the film The Warrens of Virginia—a period piece set during the Civil War. After a day of filming, the actress was in her car when her dress suddenly caught fire.
Bain News Service, Wikimedia Commons
Martha Mansfield
Though the film's lead actor Wilfred Lytell sprung into action and smothered the flames with his coat, it was already too late. Mansfield had sustained serious burns.
University of Washington, Wikimedia Commons
Martha Mansfield
Though doctors attempted to treat her wounds at the hospital, Mansfield didn't survive. She passed the next day from "burns of all extremities, general toxemia and suppression of urine." She was only 24 years old.
Underwood & Underwood, Wikimedia Commons
Martha Mansfield
The cause of the fire that took Mansfield's life became something of a mystery. Some claimed that they'd seen a match enter the car, while others believed the actress had been attempting to have a smoke.
Alfred Cheney Johnston, Wikimedia Commons
Brandon Lee
Everyone believed Brandon Lee had a bright future ahead of him. After all, he was the son of the legendary Bruce Lee. His lead role in The Crow promised a dark, but powerful, performance from the actor. However, the project would end up being overshadowed by a real-life tragedy.
Brandon Lee
In March 1993, Brandon Lee was working on set when a scene went terribly wrong. Lee's co-star Michael Masse pointed a fake firearm at him and pulled the trigger. It was supposed to be completely harmless, but someone had loaded the prop incorrectly.
Brandon Lee
Though the prop should have been loaded with blanks, it actually contained a dummy round that had been incorrectly made. When Masse pulled the trigger, the projectile hit Lee right in the abdomen.
Brandon Lee
Though the actor was rushed into surgery, he passed six hours later. For a month, Brandon Lee's sudden death halted the production of The Crow—but it was eventually completed with special effects and body doubles.
John Candy
During the 1980s and 1990s, John Candy was one of the most popular comedians around. He stole audiences' hearts with his roles in films like Cool Runnings, Uncle Buck, and Planes, Trains & Automobiles.
John Candy
Candy's final role was a 1994 Western comedy called Wagons East. The actor traveled to Durango, Mexico for filming. He had no clue that this was the beginning of the end.
John Candy
On March 4, 1994, Candy wrapped up his scenes and indulged in a celebratory evening. Before going to bed, he cooked dinner for his assistants and then called his children to wish them goodnight.
John Candy
Sadly, after Candy closed his eyes for the night, he never woke up. He had a heart attack during the night and passed. He was 43 years old.
Tyrone Power
Tyrone Power was a big name in Hollywood from the 1930s to the 1950s, and was known for his swashbuckler films, such as The Mark of Zorro. However, in 1958, his career came to a screeching halt.
Movie studio, Wikimedia Commons
Tyrone Power
Power had been cast in Solomon and Sheba, and traveled to Spain to shoot on location. However, there was one dueling scene that got the best of him.
20th Century Fox, Wikimedia Commons
Tyrone Power
Power smoked three to four packs a day and had hereditary heart disease, so when he went up against his co-star George Sanders in a rigorous dueling scene, things went terribly wrong.
Yousuf Karsh, Wikimedia Commons
Tyrone Power
Power started to feel terrible; he'd suffered a heart attack, but he didn't survive the trip to the hospital. He was only 44 years old.
Trailer screenshot, Wikimedia Commons
Jon-Erik Hexum
Jon-Erik Hexum was a 26-year-old actor and model, who died on the set of Cover Up. In one scene, his character had to load a handgun. He was given one that had blanks... it ended badly.
Jon-Erik Hexum
During a filming delay, Hexum began messing around with the prop and pretended to play Russian roulette. He pointed it at his temple and pulled the trigger. He had no clue that this was the most dangerous thing he could possibly do.
Jon-Erik Hexum
The shot was forceful enough to fracture a part of Hexum's skull, which damaged his brain. Hemorrhaging heavily, the actor ended up in the hospital. Though doctors worked on him for five hours, he passed six days later.
Steve Irwin
Known as "The Crocodile Hunter," Steve Irwin had an infectious personality, which made his nature show such a hit. However, it wasn't a crocodile that sent him to an early grave.
Featureflash Photo Agency, Shutterstock
Steve Irwin
In 2006, while working on a documentary about the Great Barrier Reef, Irwin and the cameraman were navigating shallow waters in a small boat. That's when they spotted a large stingray, which was eight feet wide.
Steve Irwin
They tried to maneuver the boat closer to the stingray so that they could get a good shot of it swimming, but that's when the exciting moment took a horrifying turn.
Bernard DUPONT, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Steve Irwin
The stingray may have mistaken Irwin's shadow as a potential threat, and so it lashed out at him. The cameraman later explained that the stingray landed "hundreds of strikes in a few seconds"—its barb piercing Irwin's chest and releasing venom. The beloved show host didn't survive. He was 44 years old.
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