Died at their Post.
by christopherbkk | created - 27 Mar 2012 | updated - 10 Apr 2013 | Public
1. Brandon Lee
Actor | The Crow
Born on February 1, 1965 to Bruce Lee (Martial Arts idol) and Linda Lee Cadwell. Brother to Shannon Lee. In 1970-71, they moved to Hong Kong, where Brandon lived until age eight, becoming fluent in Cantonese. By the time he was able to walk, he was already involved in learning about martial arts ...
Accidental gunshot wound from faulty prop revolver fired during filming. Age 28
2. Tyrone Power
Actor | Witness for the Prosecution
Tyrone Power was one of the great romantic swashbuckling stars of the mid-twentieth century, and the third Tyrone Power of four in a famed acting dynasty reaching back to the eighteenth century. His great-grandfather was the first Tyrone Power (1795-1841), a famed Irish comedian. His father, known ...
Had a heart attack during a dueling scene with George Sanders. Age 44
3. Vic Morrow
Actor | Combat!
Vic Morrow was born in the Bronx, New York, to Jean (Kress) and Harry Morrow, an electrical engineer. His parents were Russian Jewish immigrants. Morrow dropped out of high school at 17 to join the U.S. Navy. When he left the Navy, he used the G.I. Bill to study pre-law at Florida State. While ...
Helicopter crashed on top of him whilst filming a scene. Age 54
4. Sidney James
Actor | Carry on Cleo
The star of the Carry On series of films, Sid James originally came to prominence as sidekick to the ground breaking British comedy actor Tony Hancock, on both radio and then television. Born in Johannesburg, South Africa and named Solomon Joel Cohen, James arrived in England in 1946, second wife ...
Had a heart attack onstage (opposite actress Olga Lowe). Aged 62
5. Nelson Eddy
Soundtrack | Let Freedom Ring
The only career Nelson Eddy ever considered was singing. His parents, Isabel (Kendrick) and William Darius Eddy, were singers, his grandparents were musicians. Unable to afford a teacher, he learned by imitating opera recordings. At age 14 he worked as a telephone operator in a Philadelphia iron ...
Had a stroke whilst onstage. Age 65
6. Tiny Tim
Soundtrack | Insidious
Tiny Tim, the ukulele-playing singer of 1920s ditties who was a true icon of the 1960s, was born Herbert Khaury on April 12, 1932, in New York City. The son of a Lebanese father and Jewish mother, the young Khaury grew up in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan. A high school dropout, his ...
Heart attack during a concert singing his signature song, Tiptoe Through The Tulips. Aged 64
7. Harry Einstein
Actor | Night Spot
Harry Einstein was born on May 6, 1904 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for Night Spot (1938), Badminton (1945) and The Yanks Are Coming (1942). He was married to Thelma Leeds, Lillian Anshen and Jennifer Ann Boyd. He died on November 24, 1958 in Los Angeles, ...
Just after filming his stand up comedy routine he had a heart attack (in the presence of Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz and Milton Berle).
8. Irene Ryan
Actress | The Beverly Hillbillies
Before becoming known to millions as Granny on The Beverly Hillbillies (1962), Irene Ryan was already an established vaudeville, radio and movie actress, though not as famous prior to her television stint. She accompanied Bob Hope on his famous military tours and she was known as "the gal who makes...
Had a stroke whilst onstage. Age 70
9. Jack Randall
Actor | Where the West Begins
Romantic leading man and singing cowboy star whose career was far eclipsed by that of his brother Robert Livingston. He acted and sang on Broadway prior to entering films, then appeared in a number of non-Western films before signing with Monogram Pictures in 1937 as a singing cowboy. Unfortunately...
Singing cowboy who had heart attack whilst doing a scene riding a horse. Aged 39.
10. Kenneth Horne
Actor | This Is the BBC
Probably best known for his radio shows of the 1960s. "Beyond Our Ken" and "Round the Horne" broke away from staid formulaic comedy shows. The anarchic and risqué sketches pushed censorship to the limits, the collection of writers and performers trained here paved the way to let TV audiences see ...
Had a heart attack hosting an awards show. Aged 61
11. Redd Foxx
Actor | Sanford and Son
Redd Foxx began doing stand-up comedy on the infamous "Chitlin' Circuit" in the 1940s and 1950s. Foxx was one of the premier "blue humor" comedians. Blue humor was very dirty, too dirty for white audiences. For years his party albums were not available in white record stores. In the 1960s his ...
Had a heart attack during rehearsals. Aged 68
12. Jon-Erik Hexum
Actor | Voyagers!
In the early 1980s, this ruggedly handsome young American actor of Norwegian parentage was seen as the "next big thing", and then suddenly he was dead from an accident via a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The son of Thorleif Hexum (born in Norway) and Gretha Paulsen (born in Minnesota), Jon-Erik ...
13. Eric Morecambe
Soundtrack | The Morecambe & Wise Show
Eric Morecambe was born on May 14, 1926 in Buxton Street, Morecambe, Lancashire, England, UK. He was an actor and writer, known for The Morecambe & Wise Show (1968), Night Train to Murder (1984) and The Intelligence Men (1965). He was married to Joan Morecambe. He died on May 28, 1984 in ...
Had a heart attack whilst onstage. Aged 58
14. Tommy Cooper
Actor | The Cool Mikado
After leaving the army Tommy Cooper took up show business in 1947 and so started his long career of comedy derived around visual humour, magic tricks that didn't work and his trademark red fez, a prop that started from his days in the army. The BBC described him as an "Unattractive young man with ...
Had a heart attack live on TV. Aged 61
15. Gordon Reid
Actor | Mansfield Park
Gordon Reid was born on September 6, 1939 in Hamilton, Lanarkshire, Scotland, UK. He was an actor, known for Mansfield Park (1999), The Others (2001) and Doctor Who (1963). He died on November 26, 2003 in London, England, UK.
16. Dick Shawn
Actor | It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
One-of-a-kind comedian Dick Shawn was as intriguingly clever and off-the-wall as they came. As such, he proved to be rather an acquired taste on film and TV. A counterculture favorite far ahead of his time, it became a hit-and-miss effort in proper vehicles for this man's eccentric genius. He ...
Had a heart attack on stage. Aged 63
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