Celebrity deaths are, sadly, just a way of life, and fans have gotten accustomed to hearing that their favorite performers have unexpectedly passed away. We’ve gotten so accustomed to this, in fact, that we even have morbid superstitions about celebrities always dying in groups of three within the same week or so.
However, no matter how accustomed we are to famous faces passing away, there are a few celebrity deaths that are still downright shocking. These are usually the actors who died too young, often from a health issue we only learned about at the last minute or even after they died.
Just which celebs are we talking about, and did your faves make the cut? Keep reading to discover the most shocking celebrity deaths that we’re still getting over!
Matthew Perry
At the top of our list is most certainly Matthew Perry, someone who became a household name after the breakout success of the NBC sitcom Friends. He was found dead in his jacuzzi in late 2023, and the cause of death at first appeared to be drowning. It turns out there was more to his death, though, and more heartbreaking details have now emerged.
Perry’s doctor, Mark Chavez, recently pled guilty to selling Perry the ketamine which ultimately killed him via overdose. Chavez himself got the drug using a fraudulent prescription and then helped sell $50,000 of it to Perry, leading to his death. Without this doctor and his shady business partners, it is very likely Perry would still be alive, and that fact will always haunt fans of the prolific actor.
Anthony Bourdain
For his many fans, celebrity deaths don’t get more shocking than that of Anthony Bourdain. The chef achieved fame as someone whose shows did more than help audiences discover the joy of good food. Bourdain also boosted the global travel business, encouraging audiences to travel to the most exotic places and sit down with the locals for both good beer and good food.
It seemed like we were going to benefit from Bourdain’s wisdom for many more years. However, he died due to suicide at the tender age of 61. The man’s death serves as a sobering reminder that many people are battling demons that might not be so obvious, especially if they are very successful. Fortunately, Bourdain’s wisdom lives on in his many shows and books that continue to help new generations learn how to treat each day like a five-course meal.
Angus Cloud
There is obviously no “right” age at which to lose a beloved celebrity. But there was something especially painful about losing Angus Cloud at the age of 25. As the star of shows like Euphoria and movies like Abigail, he seemed like he had a lifetime of amazing roles ahead of him. But the star died from an accidental overdose, leaving behind a mother who now has twice as much reason to grieve.
Angus Cloud’s father had recently died, and he had helped bury the man only one week before his own death. It is very likely that any drugs the actor was taking were part of a coping mechanism intended to help with the grief he felt over the passing of his father. Now, his sudden death leaves his mother with that much to mourn after losing so many family members in such a short period of time.
Bob Saget
To this day, Bob Saget’s death feels very surreal. Many of us fell in love with him after his performance on Full House, and he continued to enjoy great Hollywood success after the show was over. Saget was also a prolific stand-up comedian, and he was getting ready for his next show when he unexpectedly died in a Florida hotel room at the age of 65.
The cause of death was a major source of confusion for Saget’s fans, and the whole thing was still confusing after the official reports came out. Apparently, he hit the back of his head on something and then died due to head trauma. The creepy icing on the cake is that he likely had no idea how bad the head trauma was, which is why he didn’t call for help when he could!
Chadwick Boseman
Sometimes, what makes a celebrity’s death so shocking is that they die in what would otherwise be the prime of their life and their careers. A great example of this is Chadwick Boseman, someone who rocketed to fame by playing the Black Panther in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Audiences got used to seeing Boseman as a healthy leading man with rippling muscles, so it seemed unthinkable he would die at the age of 43.
When he passed away in 2020, the heartbreaking secret emerged: the actor had been secretly battling colon cancer for four years. Instead of taking a break from acting to try to recover, Boseman powered through, giving us one amazing performance after another until he died. It turns out that even when the cameras aren’t rolling, Boseman remains a source of strength and inspiration to us all.