Famous Celebrities Who Died In Their 30s

Calling Nipsey Hussle a rapper is accurate, but also doesn't fully capture his wide range of abilities. At the time of his death in 2019, he'd been successful in multiple areas. According to CNN, he'd founded his own record label, opened a clothing store in Los Angeles, founded a company centered around giving back to his community, had been nominated for a Grammy, and was planning to start a sports agency.

But it was his community work that was most important to him. At his funeral, Hussle's brother, Samiel Asghedom (via Billboard) talked about how the rapper hadn't followed the stereotypical route of a star: "A lot of people thought coming up when he first got signed, he was gonna get some money and leave. They had no clue what he really was gonna do. I want everybody to know man, Nip put his heart and soul on Crenshaw and Slauson." Former president Barack Obama even sent a statement to be read at Hussle's funeral that emphasized his was "a legacy worth celebrating."

The area Hussle had grown up in was not the safest, and he was "a devout member of the Rolling Sixty Crips," by his own admission, but was working with the police on ways to reduce gang violence. But on March 31, 2019, after tweeting that "having strong enemies is a blessing," Hussle had a run-in with fellow Rolling Sixty member Eric Holder, who he called a "snitch." Shortly thereafter, Holder shot Hussle, who was pronounced dead at the hospital. He was 33.

Brittany Murphy burst onto the scene with a hilarious and touching performance in 1995's "Clueless," and the next decade and a half saw her star in films like "8 Mile," as well as have a high-profile relationship with Ashton Kutcher. But she's probably most famous for how she died, since it was so sudden and tragic, and has led to plenty of conspiracy theories.

According to Esquire, Murphy collapsed in the bathroom of her home in 2009. The cause of death was pneumonia, which was made worse by anemia and the (legal) drugs she'd been taking. Murphy had felt terrible for some time, and doctors have since said that if she'd gone to the hospital even a day or two before she died, she could have been saved. When her husband Simon Monjack died in the same home from pneumonia and anemia six months later, even non-conspiracy theorists raised an eyebrow.

It didn't help that Brittany Murphy's estranged father announced he believed she'd been poisoned. Murphy's mother made a rare statement, writing "Angelo has shown he only wants to trade on Brittany's life, career, and good reputation — even at the cost of putting a cloud over her memory." Rather than focus on the sordid, Murphy's mother hoped people would focus on her daughter's successes. "I want my Brittany to be remembered as the darling person she was, for the giant talent she showed the world (and left behind in her movie and TV appearances) and for the friendships and loving relationships that really were part of her life."

At the time of her death in 2002, Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes was part of the then "most successful girl group in history," according to Rolling Stone. With her bandmates Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins and Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas, Lopez helped write some of TLC's biggest hits and even came up with the ideas for their videos. The group sold 21 million copies total of the three albums they released in the '90s and won four Grammy awards.

But despite how good all that looked on paper, Lopes' life was extremely difficult, and she kept making headlines for the wrong reasons. After a childhood with an abusive father and multiple moves ("The amount of change that I went through would probably drive a normal person nuts," Lopes told a Rolling Stone reporter), she couldn't even celebrate getting a record deal with TLC, as her father was killed the same day. Her relationship with the "jealous" football player Andre Rison eventually led to an argument where she burned down his house, and was later fined for arson. TLC also filed for bankruptcy.

Less than a year before she died, Lopes told an interviewer, "Everyone feels like they know me because they follow the news, and they don't have a clue as to who I am." Sadly, CNN reports that while on an extended trip to Honduras for a "spiritual retreat," Lopes was involved in a head-on collision and died at the scene. She was 30.

Princess Diana's dramatic life needs no introduction, as her story has been told in innumerable books, movies, documentaries, and splashed across the headlines of both tabloids and legitimate newspapers. After finally divorcing Prince Charles in 1996, it seemed like Diana might get to live the life she wanted for the first time. Instead, it would come to a violent and tragic end.

History reports that on August 31, 1997, Diana was in Paris with her new boyfriend, the heir Dodi Al-Fayed. They tried to have dinner at a hotel restaurant, but the press and onlookers made it impossible, so they left in a car. Shortly after, that car crashed in a tunnel, killing three of the four people inside, including Diana and Al-Fayed. She was 36. They'd been being pursued by photographers when the crash happened. At Diana's funeral, her brother would eulogize her as the "most hunted person of the modern age" (via History).

An inquest into the death stretched on for years. Blame was thrown around. The inquest found the car's driver was drunk, he was speeding to get away from the paparazzi, and that Diana and Al-Fayed might have survived if they had been wearing their seatbelts. But Diana had also refused to have police bodyguards, and the former chief told the inquest that decision also contributed: "If, as it was my wish, she had had police protection in Paris, then I am absolutely convinced those three lives would not have been tragically lost."

On August 26, 1990, Stevie Ray Vaughan played a concert in Wisconsin with other musicians, including Eric Clapton. Earlier that day, Guitar World says Vaughan had mentioned a weird dream he had where he'd died and was watching his own funeral. Sadly, that dream would be proficient, and the show would be his last.

Eric Clapton told Rolling Stone the show was incredible. Vaughan had been sober for three years, and it showed. Clapton recalled, "When he played that night, he had all of us standing [there] with our jaws dropped. I mean, Robert Cray and Jimmie Vaughan and Buddy Guy were just watching in awe. There was no one better than him on this planet. Really unbelievable."

But after the show ended, they all wanted to get back to Chicago quickly, and piled into helicopters. "There was a convoy of helicopters, about five of them, and they had to go back through this very thick fog up to about 100 feet above the ground," Clapton explained. "And once we came out of that, we just took off for Chicago. When I got back, I went straight to bed. And I was woken about seven in the morning by my manager, Roger Forrester, saying that the helicopter with Stevie Ray and our chaps hadn't come back. And then a bit later, someone discovered the wreckage. That was it." The helicopter carrying Vaughan and others, including Clapton's agent, crashed into a mountain, killing all on board. Vaughan was 35.

Bob Marley introduced a whole new audience to reggae around the world. According to the BBC, Time magazine would name Marley's 1977 album "Exodus" the best one of the entire 20th century. In his next to last concert, at the iconic Madison Square Garden in 1980, Marley was opening for the Commodores, but it sounds like he was really the main event. "The reggae star had the majority of his listeners on their feet and in the palm of his hand," according to then-New York Times critic Robert Palmer (via History). "After this show of strength, and Mr. Marley's intense singing and electric stage presence, the Commodores were a letdown."

The fact he was able to play at all, let alone at the top of his game, was made even more astonishing considering what happened next. Only a few days after that performance, Marley collapsed and was taken to the hospital, where he learned that a small cancerous growth on his toe that he'd been diagnosed with in 1977 had metastasized. There was no hope, as it had already spread to many of his major organs. Tragically, the cancer was probably related to an old soccer injury, and Marley loved soccer just as much as music. He once said, "Playing [soccer] and singing is dangerous ... I sing about peace, love and all of that stuff ... [but] if a man tackle you hard it bring feelings of war."

Eight months later, on May 11, 1981, Bob Marley died, aged 36.

Marilyn Monroe's death at just 36 in 1962 sent shockwaves around the world. While her problems were well-known, no one thought someone so beautiful could just die like that. The iconic actress who would inspire songs, films, and endless imitators was found in her bed, holding the phone as if she was trying to call for help before she died. She was surrounded by empty pill bottles. According to History, an investigation found her death was "caused by a self-administered overdose of sedative drugs and that the mode of death is probable suicide." Forensic pathologist Cyril Wecht told People that, more specifically, it was caused by "acute combined drug toxicity, chloral hydrate, and Nembutal."

Some people agreed Monroe was in a bad place at the time. A photographer said, "Life had put her in a corner and she was trying to get out." But others thought the idea Monroe would actually kill herself was ludicrous. "It is my feeling," her live-in housekeeper said, "that Marilyn looked forward to her tomorrows." And photographer George Barris recalled, "She told me, 'These are my champagne days.'"

Still others think there is something very sinister about her death, and there are plenty of unanswered questions. "With the number of capsules she would have to have ingested," Wecht told People, "there should have been some evidence of it." Others mention her connection to the Kennedys, but despite the conspiracy theories, it was probably an accidental overdose.

When you are a famous professional athlete, it can be easy to forget the little people. Then there's Roberto Clemente. Sportscasting calls him "one of the hardest working and most caring professional athletes of all time." So it is unbelievably tragic that his death occurred because he was helping people in need.

The baseball player famous for playing on the Pittsburgh Pirates was equally well-known for his charity work, especially in Latin America and the Caribbean. In 1972, there was a large earthquake in Nicaragua and Clemente was sending supplies for the survivors. However, there had been issues, as some people had gotten their hands on the supplies that were not interested in helping others in need. Clemente "had received reports that some of the food and clothing he had sent earlier had fallen into the hands of profiteers," according to his friend Cristobal Colon (via the New York Times). A member of the committee working with Clemente explained why the baseball player got on a plane to go to Nicaragua: "We sent a ship loaded with supplies during the week ... Roberto went on the plane ... to get there before the ship arrived to see the supplies were distributed properly." But the plane was in serious need of repair, and exploded after takeoff, killing all on board. Clemente was 38.

In his memory, Major League Baseball gives the annual Roberto Clemente Award to the player who "best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual's contribution to his team."