Special Report

Most Shocking Celebrity Deaths

John Harrington

Published: November 24, 2023 11:00 am

To those who follow them, the death of a famous person can be almost as sad as a death in the family. Fans have invested years and sometimes decades following the triumphs and tribulations of a given celebrity, and regardless of their age, their passing can come as a shock. (Especially shocking were these 37 violent celebrity deaths.)

To determine the most shocking celebrity deaths, 24/7 Tempo reviewed data on Wikipedia pageviews for all celebrities who have died since 2018. Celebrities were ranked based on the increase in daily pageviews from their pre-death daily average to either the day of their deaths or the day following their deaths. Pre-death daily averages are calculated starting July 1, 2015, when pageview records begin.

Five well-known people on our list were 85 or older when they died, and even though they were at advanced ages, their passing came as a shock to those who cared about them. One of those was Supreme Court judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died of cancer at 87. Another cancer victim, who also left us at 87, was rock’n’roll and R&B pioneer Little Richard.

Suicide claimed the lives of “Austin Powers” actor Verne Troyer, cooking guru and TV personality Anthony Bourdain, fashion icon Kate Spade, and sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein.

Two celebrities of very different kinds – army general and U.S. secretary of state Colin Powell and the singer/actor known as Meat Loaf – both died from complications of COVID-19. (Here’s a list of 30 famous people who died from COVID.)

Two of the youngest people who died on our list, rappers Nipsey Hussle and XXXTentacion, were gunned down.

The death in 2020 from colon cancer of actor Chadwick Boseman, who starred in the groundbreaking Black action film “Black Panther” and was nominated for an Oscar in 2021 for his role in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” was particularly sad and shocking as it came when he was seemingly on the brink of superstardom – and the impact his demise had on fans manifested itself in Wikipedia pageviews upon news of his passing: They soared to 9.9 million, compared with average Wikipedia pageviews prior to his death of 6,726. 

The death of NBA superstar Kobe Bryant in a helicopter crash that same year stunned the public, too, causing Wikipedia pageviews to climb to 9.5 million, from 12,133 before his death.

43. Verne Troyer (1969-2018)

• Avg. daily Wikipedia pageviews prior to death: 1,890
• Increase in Wikipedia pageviews upon news of death: +1.0 million
• Age: 49 years
• Cause of death: Suicide

42. Tom Lister Jr. (1958-2020)

• Avg. daily Wikipedia pageviews prior to death: 1,016
• Increase in Wikipedia pageviews upon news of death: +1.0 million
• Age: 62 years
• Cause of death: Heart disease

41. Willie Garson (1964-2021)

Garson, Willie (CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED) by Lisa Franchot

• Avg. daily Wikipedia pageviews prior to death: 670
• Increase in Wikipedia pageviews upon news of death: +1.0 million
• Age: 57 years
• Cause of death: Pancreatic cancer

40. Norm Macdonald (1959-2021)

Norm MacDonald (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Greg2600

• Avg. daily Wikipedia pageviews prior to death: 2,702
• Increase in Wikipedia pageviews upon news of death: +1.0 million
• Age: 61 years
• Cause of death: Acute leukemia

39. Gilbert Gottfried (1955-2022)

MFF16-Opening-Night-Neil_Grabo... (CC BY 2.0) by Montclair Film

• Avg. daily Wikipedia pageviews prior to death: 1,840
• Increase in Wikipedia pageviews upon news of death: +1.0 million
• Age: 67 years
• Cause of death: Type II myotonic dystrophy

38. Ric Ocasek (1944-2019)

• Avg. daily Wikipedia pageviews prior to death: 1,062
• Increase in Wikipedia pageviews upon news of death: +1.0 million
• Age: 75 years
• Cause of death: Heart disease

37. James Caan (1940-2022)

• Avg. daily Wikipedia pageviews prior to death: 3,912
• Increase in Wikipedia pageviews upon news of death: +1.1 million
• Age: 82 years
• Cause of death: Heart attack

36. Dustin Diamond (1977-2021)

Dustin Diamond 2012 (CC BY 2.0) by Rob DiCaterino from Clifton, NJ, USA

• Avg. daily Wikipedia pageviews prior to death: 1,992
• Increase in Wikipedia pageviews upon news of death: +1.1 million
• Age: 44 years
• Cause of death: Small-cell carcinoma

35. Rush Limbaugh (1951-2021)

• Avg. daily Wikipedia pageviews prior to death: 2,886
• Increase in Wikipedia pageviews upon news of death: +1.1 million
• Age: 70 years
• Cause of death: Lung cancer

33. William Hurt (1950-2022)

History of Violence 002 (CC BY-SA 2.0 DEED) by GabboT

• Avg. daily Wikipedia pageviews prior to death: 2,690
• Increase in Wikipedia pageviews upon news of death: +1.1 million
• Age: 71 years
• Cause of death: Prostate cancer

33. R. Lee Ermey (1944-2018)

• Avg. daily Wikipedia pageviews prior to death: 2,436
• Increase in Wikipedia pageviews upon news of death: +1.2 million
• Age: 74 years
• Cause of death: Pneumonia

32. Michael K. Williams (1966-2021)

Michael K. Williams (CC BY 2.0) by Tim Pierce

• Avg. daily Wikipedia pageviews prior to death: 2,800
• Increase in Wikipedia pageviews upon news of death: +1.2 million
• Age: 54 years
• Cause of death: Drug overdose

31. Grant Imahara (1970-2020)

Grant Imahara (CC BY 2.0) by Genevieve

• Avg. daily Wikipedia pageviews prior to death: 666
• Increase in Wikipedia pageviews upon news of death: +1.2 million
• Age: 49 years
• Cause of death: Brain aneurysm

30. Little Richard (Richard Wayne Penniman) (1932-2020)

• Avg. daily Wikipedia pageviews prior to death: 3,207
• Increase in Wikipedia pageviews upon news of death: +1.3 million
• Age: 87 years
• Cause of death: Bone cancer

29. Colin Powell (1937-2021)

• Avg. daily Wikipedia pageviews prior to death: 3,393
• Increase in Wikipedia pageviews upon news of death: +1.4 million
• Age: 84 years
• Cause of death: Complications from COVID-19

28. John Madden (1936-2021)

• Avg. daily Wikipedia pageviews prior to death: 3,028
• Increase in Wikipedia pageviews upon news of death: +1.4 million
• Age: 85 years
• Cause of death: Not disclosed

27. Kenny Rogers (1938-2020)

• Avg. daily Wikipedia pageviews prior to death: 2,870
• Increase in Wikipedia pageviews upon news of death: +1.5 million
• Age: 81 years
• Cause of death: Natural causes

26. Larry King (1933-2021)

• Avg. daily Wikipedia pageviews prior to death: 3,054
• Increase in Wikipedia pageviews upon news of death: +1.5 million
• Age: 87 years
• Cause of death: Sepsis

25. Pee-wee Herman (Paul Reubens) (1952-2023)

Paul Reubens (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Gage Skidmore

• Avg. daily Wikipedia pageviews prior to death: 3,442
• Increase in Wikipedia pageviews upon news of death: +1.5 million
• Age: 70 years
• Cause of death: Acute hypoxic respiratory failure

24. Jimmy Buffett (1946-2023)

• Avg. daily Wikipedia pageviews prior to death: 2,234
• Increase in Wikipedia pageviews upon news of death: +1.6 million
• Age: 76 years
• Cause of death: Merkel cell skin cancer

23. Cicely Tyson (1933-2021)

• Avg. daily Wikipedia pageviews prior to death: 2,288
• Increase in Wikipedia pageviews upon news of death: +1.8 million
• Age: 88 years
• Cause of death: Not disclosed

22. Jeffrey Epstein (1953-2019)

• Avg. daily Wikipedia pageviews prior to death: 4,801
• Increase in Wikipedia pageviews upon news of death: +1.9 million
• Age: 66 years
• Cause of death: Suicide

21. Burt Reynolds (1936-2018)

Burt Reynolds (CC BY 2.0) by Alan Light

• Avg. daily Wikipedia pageviews prior to death: 6,689
• Increase in Wikipedia pageviews upon news of death: +1.9 million
• Age: 82 years
• Cause of death: Cardiac arrest

20. Mac Miller (1992-2018)

• Avg. daily Wikipedia pageviews prior to death: 3,679
• Increase in Wikipedia pageviews upon news of death: +1.9 million
• Age: 26 years
• Cause of death: Drug overdose

19. Ray Liotta (1954-2022)

Ray Liotta (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Gordon Correll

• Avg. daily Wikipedia pageviews prior to death: 4,518
• Increase in Wikipedia pageviews upon news of death: +2.0 million
• Age: 67 years
• Cause of death: Pulmonary edema, heart and respiratory failure

18. Aretha Franklin (1942-2018)

• Avg. daily Wikipedia pageviews prior to death: 3,355
• Increase in Wikipedia pageviews upon news of death: +2.0 million
• Age: 76 years
• Cause of death: Pancreatic neuroendocrine cancer

17. Naya Rivera (1987-2020)

Naya Rivera (CC BY 2.0) by vagueonthehow

• Avg. daily Wikipedia pageviews prior to death: 2,307
• Increase in Wikipedia pageviews upon news of death: +2.1 million
• Age: 33 years
• Cause of death: Drowning

16. Meat Loaf (Marvin/Michael Lee Aday) (1947-2022)

• Avg. daily Wikipedia pageviews prior to death: 3,975
• Increase in Wikipedia pageviews upon news of death: +2.2 million
• Age: 74 years
• Cause of death: Complications from COVID-19

15. Kate Spade (1962-2018)

• Avg. daily Wikipedia pageviews prior to death: 1,369
• Increase in Wikipedia pageviews upon news of death: +2.2 million
• Age: 55 years
• Cause of death: Suicide

14. Taylor Hawkins (1972-2022)

• Avg. daily Wikipedia pageviews prior to death: 1,071
• Increase in Wikipedia pageviews upon news of death: +2.3 million
• Age: 50 years
• Cause of death: Not disclosed

13. Kelly Preston (1962-2020)

• Avg. daily Wikipedia pageviews prior to death: 3,868
• Increase in Wikipedia pageviews upon news of death: +2.5 million
• Age: 57 years
• Cause of death: Breast cancer

12. Tina Turner (1939-2023)

• Avg. daily Wikipedia pageviews prior to death: 8,779
• Increase in Wikipedia pageviews upon news of death: +2.6 million
• Age: 83 years
• Cause of death: Long illness

11. Luke Perry (1966-2019)

• Avg. daily Wikipedia pageviews prior to death: 2,455
• Increase in Wikipedia pageviews upon news of death: +2.7 million
• Age: 52 years
• Cause of death: Stroke

10. DMX (Earl Simmons) (1970-2021)

• Avg. daily Wikipedia pageviews prior to death: 4,353
• Increase in Wikipedia pageviews upon news of death: +3.1 million
• Age: 50 years
• Cause of death: Heart attack

9. Sinéad O’Connor (1966-2023)

• Avg. daily Wikipedia pageviews prior to death: 4,450
• Increase in Wikipedia pageviews upon news of death: +3.2 million
• Age: 56 years
• Cause of death: Not disclosed

8. Nipsey Hussle (Ermias Joseph Asghedom) (1985-2019)

• Avg. daily Wikipedia pageviews prior to death: 1,816
• Increase in Wikipedia pageviews upon news of death: +3.4 million
• Age: 33 years
• Cause of death: Fatal shooting

7. XXXTentacion (Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy) (1998-2018)

• Avg. daily Wikipedia pageviews prior to death: 12,021
• Increase in Wikipedia pageviews upon news of death: +3.4 million
• Age: 20 years
• Cause of death: Fatal shooting

6. Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933-2020)

• Avg. daily Wikipedia pageviews prior to death: 8,846
• Increase in Wikipedia pageviews upon news of death: +3.6 million
• Age: 87 years
• Cause of death: Metastatic pancreatic cancer

5. Bob Saget (1956-2022)

• Avg. daily Wikipedia pageviews prior to death: 2,597
• Increase in Wikipedia pageviews upon news of death: +4.1 million
• Age: 65 years
• Cause of death: Blunt head trauma

4. Anthony Bourdain (1956-2018)

• Avg. daily Wikipedia pageviews prior to death: 5,233
• Increase in Wikipedia pageviews upon news of death: +4.1 million
• Age: 61 years
• Cause of death: Suicide

3. Cameron Boyce (1999-2019)

Cameron Boyce, 2011 (CC BY-SA 2.0) by MingleMediaTVNetwork

• Avg. daily Wikipedia pageviews prior to death: 2,257
• Increase in Wikipedia pageviews upon news of death: +4.1 million
• Age: 20 years
• Cause of death: Epileptic seizure

2. Kobe Bryant (1978-2020)

• Avg. daily Wikipedia pageviews prior to death: 12,133
• Increase in Wikipedia pageviews upon news of death: +9.5 million
• Age: 41 years
• Cause of death: Helicopter crash

1. Chadwick Boseman (1977-2020)

Chadwick Boseman (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Gage Skidmore

• Avg. daily Wikipedia pageviews prior to death: 6,726
• Increase in Wikipedia pageviews upon news of death: +9.9 million
• Age: 43 years
• Cause of death: Colon cancer