Comedic star John Belushi rose to fame as an original cast member of Saturday Night Live. In 1982, he accidentally overdosed on a speedball (a mixture of cocaine and heroin). Throughout the 1950s and ‘60s, Nick Adams starred in the TV show The Rebel and appeared in multiple films.
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- Charlie ParkerJazz musician; the official cause of death was (lobar) pneumonia and a bleeding ulcer, his death was hastened by his drug and alcohol abuse.
- Perhaps Ford’s greatest legacy was the honesty she brought to the American idea of alcoholism.
- Over the years, many celebrities have struggled with addiction to drugs or alcohol, leading to public displays of erratic behavior, legal trouble, and negative media attention.
- Senator Joseph McCarthy, infamous for his anti-communist crusades, succumbed to alcohol-induced hepatitis in 1957 at 48.
Adam Rich, child actor known for Eight Is Enough, died of a suspected drug overdose due to his long history of drug use and depression. In 2013, Glee star Cory Monteith died of an accidental overdose after mixing heroin and alcohol. After rising to fame in the 1950s, Marilyn Monroe fatally overdosed on chloral hydrate, Nembutal, and other sedative drugs in 1962. She had battled depression and other mental health concerns for much of her life.
- “On behalf of everyone at ‘General Hospital,’ our heartfelt sympathies go out to his loved ones during this difficult time.”
- Emergency responders tried to revive the Brokeback Mountain star but were unable to do so.
- Brent MydlandMusician, keyboardist, of the Grateful Dead, cocaine/morphine overdose.
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- Holden’s illustrious career ended in a tragic accident linked to alcohol.
- Saturday Night Live star Chris Farley struggled with substance abuse throughout his career.
- Best known for playing Omar Little on the TV show The Wire, actor Michael K. Williams fatally overdosed on fentanyl-laced heroin in 2021.
But soon his personal life was making more headlines than his acting. He suffered a fatal, alcohol-related stomach hemorrhage on Christmas Day, 1946, at the age 66. Probably now known best as Drew Barrymore’s grandfather, John Barrymore was a pioneer in early Hollywood. But the Barrymore family isn’t only famous for acting; they were famous for putting them back, and John was no exception. US Senator Joseph McCarthy was infamous for the anti-Communist House Un-American Activities Committee hearings he led in the 1950s. Many targets of McCarthy were blacklisted from working in the government and in Hollywood.
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At the age of 27, the famous guitarist’s fire was tragically extinguished. He was found lifeless in his London flat, asphyxiated after consuming a lethal mix of barbiturates. Hendrix’s premature exit sent shockwaves through a global community that revered him. It was as though a vivid tapestry of musical possibilities was left unfinished, leaving fans and fellow musicians to wonder what sonic frontiers he would have explored next. However, like a meteor that burns too brightly in the sky, Hendrix faced a rapid descent.
The overdose involved paraldehyde and promazine, which are both central nervous system depressants. Like Steve Clark, Jeff Hanneman is another guitarist who died too young. The Slayer co-founder was 49 when he lost his life due to alcohol-related cirrhosis of the liver, on May 2, 2013. But it was a spider bite which ultimately led to Hanneman’s demise. A couple of years before he died, he developed necrotizing fasciitis (flesh eating disease) in his arm. It was treated with antibiotics, but Hanneman simply couldn’t play guitar the way he wanted to anymore.
In 2012, she died of an accidental drowning that medical examiners linked to heart disease and cocaine use. The multitalented American actor had a professional acting career that spanned over decades. However, he unfortunately died on 29th May 1942, after he collapsed on the floor and was taken to the hospital. Before his demise, he was diagnosed with alcohol-related liver cirrhosis, which led to the failure of his kidney and liver. Sadly, he died owing to complications created by chronic health issues, including the failure of liver and kidneys.


After playing Mini-Me, though, Troyer became a favorite in the comedy world, and roles in “Bubble Boy” and “Pauly Shore Is Dead” followed. He even played a small role as Griphook in the first “Harry Potter” movie — a rare American actor in the notoriously all-British series. Nowhere is this more horrifically visible than the case of Adam Rich, a young actor who came to fame celebrities who died from alcohol off the back of the 1977 sitcom “Eight Is Enough,” in which he he played Nicholas Bradford.
From Glenn Miller to Aaliyah: Popular Musicians Who Died in Airplane Crashes
Although his cause of death is disputed, it is widely believed that he succumbed to a heart attack brought on by heroin, joining the ranks of celebrities who died from drug abuse. Many celebrities have died from overdoses, often involving prescription drugs, illicit substances, or a combination. Notable cases include Heath Ledger (accidental prescription overdose), Prince (fentanyl overdose), Whitney Houston (cocaine-related drowning), and Mac Miller (fentanyl, cocaine, and alcohol). Overdose deaths highlight the dangers of substance abuse and addiction. This collection of famous people who died of overdoses, together with other prominent figures, sheds light on the complex and often heart-wrenching relationship between fame, addiction, and untimely death. Notable examples of celebrities who died of overdoses include legendary stars Marilyn Monroe, Michael Jackson, and Judy Garland.
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His bodyguard also picked up what is alcoholism a prescription, a medication used to treat Prince’s opioid withdrawal, at Walgreens. A few weeks after his passing, the New York Medical Examiner’s Office ruled that he died of acute mixed drug intoxication, including heroin, cocaine, benzodiazepines and amphetamine. Take a look at this list and you’ll see the people who bit the big one because they couldn’t put down the bottle.
