List Of Celebrities Taken By Drug Use Tragic And Growing

They say fame is a drug, as addictive as a narcotic and even harder to find. Heath Ledger doesn’t appear to have been one of those chasing that rush, although his face was familiar to moviegoers worldwide. An autopsy conducted on Wednesday failed to show exactly how the young star died Tuesday afternoon in his New York City apartment.

But Ledger had complained about an inability to sleep while completing his role as the darkly disturbed Joker in the new Batman movie. And he had publicly commented that he was taking sleeping pills that no longer seemed effective. That’s led to speculation that an accidental drug overdose may be behind his sudden and shocking demise at the age of just 28.

If more tests show that to be the case, Ledger will join a long and tragic parade of celebrities who’ve been led to a premature passing by their use – and abuse – of drugs, alcohol or a lethal combination of both. It’s a growing list that’s robbed the world of some of its brightest talent. And in some cases, like John Belushi and Chris Farley, it came when their lights were just starting to shine the brightest.

Here’s a look at some of the other famous names that were taken by narcotics too soon. Although a few were deliberate, most had their lives cut short by accident or due to complications from their substance abuse. And while this is only a partial list, it speaks volumes about the pressure of stardom and the temptations of easy money at an early age. The oldest person on the list was just 49. 

Marilyn Monroe
Who: Actress/50s & 60s sex symbol
Died: August 5, 1962
Cause: Overdose of sleeping pills, although many still believe foul play was involved
Age: Forever 36

Dorothy Dandridge
Who: Actress/first black star ever nominated for Best Actress Oscar in “Carmen Jones”
Died: Sept. 8, 1965
Cause: Overdose of prescription drug
Age: 41

Lenny Bruce
Who: Groundbreaking comic
Died: August 3, 1966
Cause: Overdose of heroin
Age: 40

Brian Epstein
Who: Music manager and original believer in the Beatles
Died: August 27, 1967
Cause: Overdose of sleeping pills and alcohol
Age: 32

Judy Garland
Who: Actress/Singer/Dancer, “Dorothy” In The Wizard Of Oz
Died: June 22, 1969
Cause: After a lifetime of being given slimming drugs by the studios, she became addicted. She died from an overdose of sleeping pills while on tour in London, England. 
Age: 47

Jimi Hendrix
Who: Guitar god, whose performance of the “Star Spangled Banner” At Woodstock added to his legend.
Died: Sept. 18, 1970
Cause: Choked on own vomit after taking too many barbiturates
Age: 27

Janis Joplin
Who: Phenomenal blues and rock singer
Died: Oct. 4, 1970
Cause: Heroin overdose
Age: 27

Anissa Jones
Who: Buffy, the little girl on Family Affair
Died: Aug. 28, 1976
Cause: Massive overdose of barbiturates, phencyclidine, cocaine and methaqualone
Age: 18

Elvis Presley
Who: Rock and roll pioneer, the genre’s first big superstar and showbiz legend
Died: August 16, 1977
Cause: Cardiac Arrhythmia caused by large drug intake
Age: 42

Keith Moon
Who: Eccentric drummer, The Who
Died: Sept. 7, 1978
Cause: Overdose on Clomethiazole, a drug used to help kick alcohol
Age: 32

Sid Vicious
Who: Punk rock pioneer with The Sex Pistols
Died: Feb. 2, 1979
Cause: Heroin overdose
Age: 21

John Bonham
Who: Led Zeppelin drummer
Died: September 25, 1980
Cause: Asphyxiated on vomit after too much drinking
Age: 32

River Phoenix
Who: Actor
Died: October 31, 1993
Cause: Overdosed outside of the Viper Room, an L.A. club, despite being known for a ‘healthy lifestyle’
Age: 23

John Belushi
Who: Actor/Comedian
Died: March 5, 1982
Cause: Heroin and cocaine overdose in Sunset Strip hotel
Age: 33

Margaux Hemingway
Who: Actress in TV and movies
Died: July 1, 1996
Cause: Suicide by overdose of sedative
Age: 42

Chris Farley
Who: Comic sketch actor/emerging movie star
Died: Dec. 18, 1997
Cause: Overdose of morphine and cocaine
Age: 33

Rob Pilatus
Who: one half of Milli Vanilli, the Grammy Award-winning-then-losing lip synching duo
Died: April 2, 1998
Cause: Prescription drug overdose
Age: 32

Dana Plato
Who: Actress, best known for “Diff’rent Stokes”
Died: May 8, 1999
Cause: Suicide by overdose
Age: 34

Robert Pastorelli
Who: Actor, best known for playing Eldin the painter who never leaves Murphy Brown’s apartment in the Candice Bergen series
Died: March 8, 2004
Cause: Accidental cocaine-heroin overdose
Age: 49

Anna Nicole Smith
Who: Heiress, sometime actress, model and personality, known best for simply being famous
Died: Feb. 8, 2007
Cause: Accidental overdose of prescription drugs
Age: 39