Part of the magic of movies and TV shows is that we get to live these stories over and over again. All it takes is hitting “PLAY” to transport us to the past as we laugh, cry, and even scream along with our favorite actors.
When we watch our favorite shows and movies repeatedly like this, it may seem like the actors are always going to be with us. In reality, though, many of the best actors in history have died without many of their fans knowing.
Which actors are we talking about? Keep reading to learn more about popular actors that are surprisingly dead!
Gary Coleman
Gary Coleman became a household name thanks to his starring role in Diff’rent Strokes. He also has a place in pop culture history thanks to his iconic catchphrase: “Whatchoo talkin’ ’bout Willis?”
Sadly, Coleman passed away on May 28, 2010, due to an epidural hematoma he suffered after a fall. Coleman was only 42 and might have lived longer if not for his lifelong struggle with the autoimmune kidney disease that gave him his short height and youthful appearance.
Brittany Murphy
In many ways, Brittany Murphy had a more shocking death than anyone else on this list. After becoming famous thanks to Clueless, she turned heads in movies ranging from Girl Interrupted to Sin City. It looked like she was going to be a major star for a good, long time.
Unfortunately, she was declared dead on December 20, 2009, due to a combination of anemia, pneumonia, and drugs. After her husband died five months later due to toxic mold, some speculated this also contributed to Murphy’s death. To this day, there are still many questions about her unexpected passing.
Brian Renfro
Brian Renfro hit the ground running in Hollywood. At only 11 years old, he was a hit in Joel Schumacher’s movie The Client. As he grew older, he had prominent roles in awesome movies such as Ghost World and The Informers.
Behind the scenes, though, Renfro struggled with drug addiction, and he even spent a brief stint in jail after trying to buy drugs from an undercover cop. This came to a head on January 15, 2008, when he died from an overdose of heroin and morphine in his apartment.
Lee Thompson Young
Lee Thompson Young had his whole career ahead of him. After catapulting to stardom thanks to The Famous Jett Jackson, he appeared in movies such as Friday Night Lights. And he had a regular role on the fan-favorite show Rizzoli and Isles.
Unbeknownst to many people, though, Young suffered from Bipolar Disorder. This led to him committing suicide via gunshot, and he died on August 19, 2013.
Dana Plato
Dana Plato was another child actor who starred alongside Gary Coleman in Diff’rent Strokes. Sadly, the fame proved too much for Plato, and she soon became the poster child for what Hollywood does to child actors.
While on the show, Plato was secretly using marijuana and cocaine to cope with the stress she was under. She got kicked off the show after getting pregnant, and this led to alcohol, more drugs, and appearances in adult films and magazines. She eventually got busted trying to rob a store in Las Vegas, and ultimately died of a Lortab and valium overdose on May 8, 1999.
Michael Clarke Duncan
Michael Clarke Duncan was the full package. As a physically imposing man, he towered over everybody else on screen. But rather than portraying generic tough guys, he used his powerful acting skills to give performances in movies like The Green Mile that moved audiences to tears.
Based on his career trajectory, we were expecting to see Duncan headlining entire franchises by now. But thanks to a heart attack, he died back in 2012. He was only 54 years old.
Lisa Robin Kelly
Lisa Robin Kelly may not be a household name, but fans of That ‘70s Show are sure to recognize her. She lit up the screen with every scene she was in and, as his evil sister, helped to disrupt the plans of Eric Foreman and the rest of his pothead friends.
Behind the scenes, though, Kelly was struggling with things much more dangerous than marijuana. She struggled with drug and alcohol abuse, and this public struggle led to her getting kicked from the series. Tragically, she checked herself into rehab in August 2013 but ended up dying in her sleep of an accidental overdose at only 43 years of age.
Rowdy Roddy Piper
“Rowdy” Roddy Piper led two very successful careers: one as a professional wrestler and one as an actor most famous for starring in John Carpenter’s They Live. It was in that film that he uttered a line genre nerds have been repeating for decades: “I have come here to chew bubble gum and kick ass, and I’m all out of bubble gum.”
Piper was never afraid to poke fun at himself, which was evident when he starred as a washed-out and mostly insane wrestler on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. And he might still be delighting audiences to this day if he hadn’t died in his sleep in 2015 thanks to a pulmonary embolism triggering a heart attack.
Michael K. Williams
The Wire helped turn Michael K. Williams into a genuine star. His portrayal of Omar Little was so nuanced and powerful that it made many wonder why Hollywood hadn’t previously cast Williams in more roles. His career really took off after The Wire, and he appeared in Community, Boardwalk Empire, and Lovecraft Country (the latter leading to his fifth Emmy nomination).
Sadly, we won’t see any more stunning performances from Williams. On September 6, 2021, he died from a drug overdose, and his death led to profound sadness from fans all over the world.