Top 10 Most Tragic Deaths of All Time

The Top Ten
1 John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE (9 October 1940 - 8 December 1980) was an English singer and songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as a co-founder of the Beatles, the most commercially successful band in the history of popular music. He was assassinated by Mark David Chapman on December 8, 1980 at age... read more

I wasn't alive when John Lennon was. I'm only 13. But when my dad first introduced me to his and the Beatles' music, I fell in love with it. It is because of John Lennon and Paul McCartney that the Beatles, aka the Fab Four, aka the great and most commercially successful rock band of all time, existed! John Lennon and the Beatles have influenced my life in so many good ways and made it better.

I think I would give almost anything to bring him back to life, if only it were possible. I truly believe that if John Lennon were still living, his music would wipe both ISIS and the Taliban from existence with his songs of love and his wisdom. My favorite song is Imagine, which John Lennon wrote. May he rest in peace, and may his wisdom and music live on forever!

2 Michael Jackson Michael Jackson (Michael Joseph Jackson; August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, dancer, and songwriter. He passed away from cardiac arrest caused by a propofol and benzodiazepine overdose on June 25, 2009. He donated (at least) a remarkable 500,000,000 dollars to charity. Michael... read more

My mother loves Prince, who also sadly passed away. But I remember this video she showed me. It was Prince's house tour. This guy said (he knew Prince) that Prince was about to practice for a show and when he heard Michael had passed away he canceled practice. Prince stayed in his room for days. I know Prince loved Michael if he did all that for him.

Definitely the best thing in music ever! He inspired, cared, and had a general love for all mankind. He truly lived to make the world a better place. There was nobody like him before, and there will be nobody as influential to come after.

3 Freddie Mercury Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara, 5th September 1946 - 24th November 1991) was a Zanzibari-born British singer of Indian descent, songwriter and record producer, known as the lead vocalist and songwriter of the British rock band Queen. He also became known for his flamboyant stage persona and four-octave... read more

I would trade all these guys to have Freddie back. Nobody could ever replace King Mercury. He was the greatest showman the world has ever witnessed.

A selfless and wonderful man, missed not only by those closest to him but also by fans of his music and a generation of listeners. May he rest in peace.

The ultimate singer and frontman of all time. There isn't anybody who comes close to him. He has a huge and timeless legacy, and we'll never ever forget him. Mercury, the world will always remember you. Love you. RIP.

4 Kurt Cobain Kurt Cobain was born February 20, 1967, in Aberdeen, Washington. In 1987, he started the grunge band Nirvana, which became one of the most successful bands ever. He was a talented yet troubled grunge performer. Kurt Cobain became a rock legend in the 1990s with his band. He committed suicide at his... read more

Rest in peace, Kurt. I wish almost more than anything that I was alive when he was. His fame will never die out.

Defined a generation. World will never be the same. RIP.

It's so hard to think that he really did it. How could nobody see or feel what he killed himself for? I bet if I were there, I could tell what he was going to do.

5 John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29th, 1917 - November 22, 1963) commonly referred to by his initials JFK, was an American politician who served as the 35th President of the United States from January 1961 until his assassination. The Cuban Missile Crisis, The Bay of Pigs Invasion, the Nuclear Test Ban... read more

I was stuck between JFK and Tupac. I chose JFK because even though Tupac could change things through songs, JFK wanted to make real changes with laws.

Yes, it was painful and sad, but a lot more painful for his wife because she was right next to him.

JFK was awesome, and Steve Irwin was too.

6 Tupac Shakur Tupac Amaru Shakur, also known as 2Pac, was an American rapper and actor born on June 16, 1971 in East Harlem, New York. Tupac sold over 75 million records worldwide and has been referred to in multiple major publications such as Rolling Stone as one of the greatest music artists of all time. 2Pac was... read more

Great personality, but an outlaw... he passed a message through his lyrics. Even though he spoke about the racial issues of his days, his own people disliked him, and he had a big challenge to survive in the hood. His own friends became bitter rivals and basically started a West Coast/East Coast hip-hop war. At the end of the day, all this music inspires violence.

Tupac may have had some bad things about him, but at the end of the day, he changed people through his music.

I think Tupac is the most tragic because he was just getting popular. Everyone loved him, and then he died. It was not like John Lennon or Michael Jackson. He was great, and his songs were really great. I think he's also better than Notorious B.I.G. This is my opinion, don't be mad.

7 Jesus Christ Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem, Palestine. He was born to Mary, as the bible says "she was found with child of the Holy Ghost" (Matthew 1:18). He was both man and God (John 20:28). According to the bible He is God alone (Deuteronomy 6:4)... read more

The fact is that the reason we exist and post these comments is Jesus Christ. People who really believe in creation and believe that God truly exists understand that Jesus was the first creation by God in his own reflection. God does not have a beginning nor end, but Jesus Christ had a beginning. Through Jesus Christ, God made everything possible. Ref: Genesis (Bible) 1st chapter.

Jesus Christ is my savior, all of ours. He died for a good cause but didn't deserve to die. He was full of love and passion, and he was forgiving. Pray for him tonight.

8 Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an African American minister and activist who became the most visible spokesperson and leader in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968. King is best known for advancing civil rights through... read more

Truly one who changed the world. A very important and remembered person who will never be forgotten. I just wish that all his work was not in vain because America today is reverting back - not to say that many chose to change in the first place - to ignorance.

However, we are doing better, and thanks to him and his courage, we are definitely better off in one way or another. Definitely an amazing person that I look up to. There's still some hope for the world.

It is only a shame that people choose movie stars and rock stars over individuals who could have truly changed the world had they not died when they did. John Wilkes Booth was an idiot to shoot Lincoln because Lincoln was the only voice of reason in reconstructing America. However, if MLK were alive today, racism would have been discarded completely a long time ago.

9 Robin Williams Robin McLaurin Williams was an American actor and comedian. Starting as a stand-up comedian in San Francisco and Los Angeles in the mid-1970s, he is credited with leading San Francisco's comedy renaissance. He died in 2014.

His death was terrible. His death went worldwide, and people were so sad and depressed without him. Robin Williams was a very great influence on children. Comedy will never be the same without him.

This man had played in many movies, including Jumanji and Aladdin. And we all loved him.

Was a great, funny guy. Nobody can believe he's gone.

10 George Harrison George Harrison (1943 - 2001) was an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and music and film producer who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles.

George was a great musician in his own right! May he rest in peace.

He was the nicest Beatle. He wanted a peaceful life and died too early.

His death was just as tragic as John's. He died being overshadowed by the other Beatles.

The Contenders
11 Anne Frank Annelies Marie Frank was a German-born diarist. Anne for short. One of the most discussed Jewish victims of the Holocaust, she gained fame posthumously with the publication of The Diary of a Young Girl in which she documents her life in hiding from 1942 to 1944, during the German occupation of the Netherlands... read more

It is much easier for society from every corner of the world to listen to, over and over again, the numbers of murdered Holocaust victims. They are just that - numbers - which is far too impersonal. Miss Frank puts a face to the millions of victims who were subjected to the atrocities of these crimes against humanity.

Anne Frank wanted to make a difference. Little did she know at the time what a difference she would make, and what it would cost her.

Anne should be in the Top 10. Think about it: she was only 15 years old when she died. She wanted to grow up to become a writer, along with so many other things, yet she never got the chance, just because she was Jewish (she grew up under Nazi occupation). The Nazis indirectly took her ambitions away, and she ended up dying of typhus in Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.

No child deserves to die, and 15 is too young!

12 Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (December 5, 1901 – December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film producer, he holds the record for most Academy Awards earned... read more

Because of Walt Disney, my younger years of my childhood were wonderful. And now, I've just become a teenager, and his movies still give me great joy. May he rest in peace, and may his memory live on!

This world would not be the same without him. He was truly amazing and still an inspiration worldwide.

He's my favorite, and he also created my favorite. I love all of the Disney movies.

13 Dimebag Darrell Darrell Lance Abbott, also known as Diamond Darrell and Dimebag Darrell, was an American guitarist and songwriter best known as a founding member of two bands, Pantera and Damageplan, alongside his brother, Vinnie Paul. Abbott died in 2004 after he was shot by a mentally unstable fan.

He was killed by a mentally deranged fan named Nathan Gale. He was shot because Gale thought Dimebag stole songs from him. He was at the Alrosa Villa nightclub in Ohio. So, I say he should be in the top 10! RIP Dime.

14 Robert F. Kennedy Robert Francis "Bobby" Kennedy, commonly known by his initials RFK, was an American politician from Massachusetts.

Madly in love with this brilliant, cutting-edge, kind, transformative hero!

I love the Kennedys. JFK is my favorite president.

15 Cliff Burton Clifford Lee "Cliff" Burton (February 10th 1962 - September 27th 1986) was an American musician, best known as the second bass guitarist for the American thrash metal band Metallica, recording three studio albums... read more

Died so young and wasn't with Metallica for long. He only did 3 albums with the band and never got to play songs such as One, Enter Sandman, Nothing Else Matters, The Day That Never Comes, and Unforgiven. But he is famous for his bass playing without a pick. Today, he is regarded as the number 1 best bass player of all time, behind Flea and Geddy Lee.

I love you, Cliff! Your death was horrible. You were too young. Rock on in heaven, baby.

If he didn't die, St. Anger might have never happened. Think about that.

16 John Denver Henry John Deutschendorf Jr., known professionally as John Denver, was an American singer-songwriter, actor, activist and humanitarian, whose greatest commercial success was as a solo singer, starting in the 1970s.
17 Josephine Gay

She was a child who was a Sandy Hook victim. How is she not on this list, and what is Adolf Hitler doing on this list?

Because she was only a child and was murdered and had a very short life.

18 Steve Jobs Steven Paul Jobs (February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011) was an American entrepreneur and business magnate. He was the chairman, chief executive officer (CEO), and a co-founder of Apple Inc., chairman and majority shareholder of Pixar, a member of The Walt Disney Company's board of directors following... read more

Steve has touched everyone in so many ways that most people don't even know. He died way too young with so much more to offer.

19 Heath Ledger Heath Andrew Ledger was an Australian actor and director. After performing roles in Australian television and film during the 1990s, Ledger left for the United States in 1998 to develop his film career.

He had the potential to be one of the greatest actors ever and managed to deliver one of the best performances ever before his death as the Joker. And while that may be his most memorable part, the rest of his work was no less impressive. It's so tragic that he had to leave this world just as he was hitting his stride.

I wish this man were still alive. He had a bright future ahead of him. If he were still alive, we would have definitely seen him in The Dark Knight Rises. He would have been in so many great roles and would easily have grown up to become one of the greatest actors of all time. Wish he were alive...

20 Buddy Holly Buddy Holly, born Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959) was an American musician and singer-songwriter who was a central figure of mid-1950s rock and roll. He was a rising star when a tragic plane crash struck him down at age 22... read more

It was an airplane crash, and he was only 23. I feel so bad!

Wow, nobody here mentioned this?

21 Steve Irwin Stephen Robert "Steve" Irwin, nicknamed "The Crocodile Hunter", was an Australian wildlife expert, television personality, and conservationist.

I remember my brother and I loved watching his show. That was the only thing we did together that was super fun. He died a sad death.

Steve Irwin was a great man. I wish the best for the Irwin family.

Alligator hunter killed by stingray. Stabbed by the stinger.

22 Princess Diana Diana, Princess of Wales (born Lady Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 - 31 August 1997), was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, who is the eldest child and heir apparent of Queen Elizabeth II, and the mother of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex... read more

May her memory live on forever in our hearts.

23 Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was the preeminent leader of the Indian independence movement in British-ruled India.

Even in death, Gandhi was the most forgiving man on Earth, besides Jesus, of course. After getting shot several times, he begged everyone around him not to kill the man who shot him. The world will never know a more tragic and depressing death.

24 Christina Grimmie Christina Victoria Grimmie (March 12th 1994 - June 10th 2016), known on YouTube as zeldaxlove64, was an American singer-songwriter known for participating in The Voice and for her covers of hit songs by contemporary pop musicians. She was shot dead during a meet-and-greet in Orlando, Florida, by fan... read more

Such a waste of potential. A girl with a beautiful voice and such talent.

It's very sad because no one deserves to die early at a ripe young age, and she sounded like an angel. I admit she was very beautiful. Rest in peace.

25 Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer, actress, producer, and model. In 2009, Guinness World Records cited her as the most awarded female act of all time. Houston is one of pop music's best-selling music artists of all-time, with an estimated 170–200... read more

Oh that national anthem... At least she was alive when I was born nana nana boo boo on my sister

8Load More
PSearch List