17 Celebrity Deaths That Shocked The World: Chester Bennington, Paul Walker, Naya Rivera and More

Aaron Carter, a famed musician and Nick Carter's youngest brother, died on November 5, 2022, at age 34. His housekeeper initially found his body in the bathtub in one of the rooms of his California home, leading to rumors that he died of drowning and a drug overdose.

Five months after his death, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner determined that Carter died when he drowned after taking alprazolam and inhaling difluoromethane. TMZ reported the news about his cause of death, adding that the substances he took left the singer incapacitated in the bathtub and eventually slipped under the surface of the water.

Star Trek actor Anton Yelchin tragically passed away when his car crashed and pinned him to a brick pillar and security fence at 1 a.m. on June 19, 2016. He was 27.

The Los Angeles County Coroner's Office confirmed to People that the preliminary results showed Yelchin died of head and chest injuries, but they soon determined his official cause of death as "blunt traumatic asphyxia." The authorities also estimated that Yelchin's injuries would have killed him in under a minute.

According to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, per The Guardian, the actor's car — a 2015 Jeep Cherokee — was recalled due to a rollaway risk. CBS News said more than 850,000 vehicles became part of the initial investigation.

"Drivers erroneously concluding that their vehicle's transmission is in the 'park' position may be struck by the vehicle and injured if they attempt to get out of the vehicle while the engine is running and the parking brake is not engaged," the organization said.

On January 9, 2022, Full House star Bob Saget was found dead in his Florida hotel room a few hours after performing a comedy show the night prior.

Authorities interviewed several people to recount the actor's final moments before he passed away, including an overnight valet worker revealing that Saget showed no worrying signs when he saw him for the last time.

A month after his death, his family lawyer Brian H. Bieber told EW that Saget died of head trauma after accidentally hitting his head.

"Now that we have the final conclusions from the authorities' investigation, we felt it only proper that the fans hear those conclusions directly from us," the bereaved family said in a statement following the release of the cause of death.

"They have concluded that he accidentally hit the back of his head on something, thought nothing of it, and went to sleep. No drugs or alcohol were involved," they continued.

Black Panther and Marvel star Chadwick Boseman died on August 28, 2020, following his brave battle with cancer. His family revealed his health battle in a statement his X, formerly Twitter, disclosing that the actor was diagnosed with stage III colon cancer in 2016.

However, the dreaded illness progressed to stage IV despite undergoing treatments.

"A true fighter, Chadwick persevered through it all, and brought you many of the films you have come to love so much," his family said. "From Marshall to Da 5 Bloods, August Wilson's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom and several more, all were filmed during and between countless surgeries and chemotherapy."

Only a few people besides his family knew about his deteriorating health, including Logan Cole and 42 director Brian Heldgeland.

Longtime Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington died by suicide on July 20, 2017. He was 41.

The Associated Press confirmed the news about Bennington's passing, while the frontman's representative spoke about the development in a statement to Rolling Stone.

Chief of Operations for the Los Angeles County Department Medical Examiner Brian Elias said the authorities were called in Palos Verdes Estates after receiving a call at 9 a.m. that day. They responded to the scene but eventually pronounced Bennington's death.

The "What I've Done" hitmaker, who died by hanging, opened up about his mental health struggles months before his death. He said in a February 2017 interview that he did not know if anybody knew he had a hard time with life.

"Sometimes it's great, but a lot of times for me, it's really hard," he said. "And no matter how I'm feeling, I always find myself struggling with certain patterns of behavior."

Glee actor Cory Monteith, 31, died of an apparent drug overdose on July 13, 2013, inside his Vancouver hotel room. The authorities later determined that his cause of death was due to mixed drug toxicity, alongside heroin and alcohol.

Heath Ledger, who famously appeared in The Dark Knight and The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, showed signs of deteriorating mental health status before his demise.

The actor's friend and dialogue coach Gerry Grennell spoke about Ledger's death in his 2017 interview with People, during which he recalled seeing him "exhausted, emotionally and physically." On January 22, 2008, the then-28-year-old actor was found dead in his apartment after consuming a fatal mix of prescription drugs in his system.

On September 30, 1955, around 5:45 p.m., 24-year-old actor James Dean's career was cut short after he got involved in a fatal crash in Cholame, Calif.

At that time, Dean's Porsche hit a Ford Tudor sedan that 23-year-old Polytechnic State University student Donald Turnupseed was driving. The actor's passenger, German Porsche mechanic Rolf Wütherich sustained injuries but survived, though he would soon try to die by suicide twice in the 1960s due to extreme feelings of guilt.

The Beatles John Lennon died a decade after the Fab Four broke up.

On December 8, 1980, an obsessed fan named Mark Chapman shot Lennon at a close range after the singer angered him with his 1966 infamous claim about The Beatles being "more popular than Jesus." The suspect traveled to New York months before the killing to plot the killing, but he returned to Hawaii after something changed his mind.

Chapman returned to New York again with his .38 caliber revolver on December 6, 1980, and he ultimately ended Lennon's life with the five bullets he fired that shredded the musician's inside.

Although the Fab Four member was still rushed to a hospital, he passed away a few moments later after losing more than 80 percent of his blood supply, the coroner's report said.

Julian Sands, who went missing for five months from January, was found dead on June 24 in Mount Baldy, Calif.

The actor's wife, Eugenia Citkowitz, reported that he was missing on January 13 after going on a hike at a mountain in the San Bernardino County area. Bill Dwyer, who was one of the hikers who found his remains, told The Los Angeles Times it was surreal when they stumbled upon Sands' dead body.

His group reportedly discovered a boot before finding another one as they trekked the mountain. In July, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said Sands' cause of death was "undetermined," which is reportedly common when they deal with cases of the actor's type.

On January 26, 2020, Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna Bryant, were among the victims of the fatal helicopter crash in Calabasas, Calif., due to foggy conditions.

"He was one of the most extraordinary players in the history of our game with accomplishments that are legendary," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said via NBA. "…but he will be remembered most for inspiring people around the world to pick up a basketball and compete to the very best of their ability."

Elvis Presley and Priscilla Presley's only daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, died on January 12 at the age of 54. The singer was rushed to a hospital in West Hills, Calif., after suffering a cardiac arrest at her Calabasas home.

Lisa Marie and her mother attended the Golden Globes a few days before her passing to support Austin Butler, who won an award for his portrayal of the King of rock and roll in Baz Luhrmann's hit biopic, Elvis.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner released the autopsy results months later, confirming that Lisa Marie died from a "small bowel obstruction caused by scar tissue that developed after a previous bariatric surgery years ago," The Hollywood Reporter cited.

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Beverly Hills 90210 star Luke Perry died on March 4, 2019, at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank after suffering a massive ischemic stroke in his Sherman Oaks home at the age of 52.

The Riverdale actor's representative confirmed his death in a statement to USA TODAY, and his family said they would not release further details after the loss.

Mac Miller, whose real name was Malcolm James McCormick, failed to launch his scheduled 2018 tour after he was found dead at his Los Angeles home on September 7, 2018. As part of the routine, her personal assistant went to his house to wake him at 11:30 a.m. prior to a music video shoot later that day.

However, the assistant found him unresponsive in his room and discovered alcohol and drug paraphernalia near his body. She also recovered a white powder in his pocket.

The Los Angeles County Coroner's Office performed an autopsy on Miller's body and determined his cause of death as a result of mixed drug toxicity. He reportedly consumed a combination of the opioid fentanyl, cocaine and alcohol.

On September 6, 2021, Michael K. Williams' nephew found him dead inside his Williamsburg neighborhood in Brooklyn's apartment. A law enforcement official told CNN that they would investigate the drug paraphernalia discovered near his body, and it helped the medical examiner to rule his death as an accidental overdose months later.

Prior to his death, he revealed in his The New York Times interview that his addiction "does not go away" and that he was still fighting despite facing an everyday struggle.

Naya Rivera became the latest Glee star to face a tragic demise.

On July 8, 2020, the model-actress was declared missing after she rented a pontoon boat for a scheduled trip at Lake Piru with her son. Divers found her body after a long recovery operation that lasted for days.

Search and rescue diver Robert Inglis told DailyMailTV the actress could have hit her head while diving into the lake, while Ventura County Sheriff Bill Ayub said the lake's currents could have caused Rivera difficulties in getting herself into the boat.

"The idea perhaps being that the boat started drifting — it was unanchored — and that she mustered enough energy to get her son back onto the boat, but not enough to save herself," he said.

Rivera's death certificate soon revealed she died "within a matter of minutes" after drowning; no drugs or alcohol were found in her system at the time of her death.

The Fast & Furious actor Paul Walker shocked the world when news about his death surfaced nearly a decade ago.

On November 30, 2013, the actor was traveling in the Valencia neighborhood in Santa Clarita, Calif., with his friend, Roger Rodas — who was driving the vehicle — when they crashed it after going over 100 mph in a 45 mph zone.

The actor died from the combined effects of traumatic and thermal injuries, while Rodas sustained multiple traumatic injuries.

The coroner who responded to the accident said the vehicle was "totaled with major traffic collision damage all around and it appeared that the vehicle was almost split in half."