15 Heartbreaking Celebrity Deaths That Shocked The World, And People Are Still Mourning

Buzz Feed

11-03-2025

We may not know celebrities personally, but it doesn't make their deaths any easier to process. In fact, Redditor Phantom30071 recently asked which death hurt fans the most, and here are 15 beloved people mentioned:
Note: These responses have been editor for length and clarity.
1. Alan Rickman died in 2016 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 69.
"Woke up to a text from my mom. Thought she fell for some clickbait headline on the internet (boomer parent problems) but then realized it was real. Cried in my bed before work. Received lots of messages throughout the day, even from ex-boyfriends, asking if I was all right. (Obviously, yes, just sad about a parasocial relationship with a celeb!)"
— ArtisticCoconut8510
"I miss his voice."
— 306heatheR
2. Robin Williams died in 2014 by suicide, according to a coroner's report. He was 63.
"He was everywhere when I was growing up. I remember watching Mork & Mindy as a kid and, of course, all of his movies and voice roles over the years. I was saddened by his passing, especially given the circumstances surrounding it."
— TheycallmeTTT
"We ain't never had a friend like him. 😔"
— ScorpionX-123
"He was the first and only celebrity death I've cried at."
— ashenelk
3. Steve Irwin died in 2006 after a stingray stabbed his chest and heart. He was 44.
"I remember being a kid, and his show was on every morning before I went to school. So, I would eat breakfast or get my hair done while he was on TV. And then, one day, my parents broke the news that he was dead, so the show wouldn't have any more new episodes. I didn't cry or anything because this was my first brush with death. And it just seemed...so unreal. Like, how could he die? Men like him were supposed to be invincible. They were supposed to get so old they broke records. Instead, he was dead? It didn't make any sense to me."
— JinxTheEdgyB
"I have a cartoon saved of Steve Irwin holding a ghost kitty, saying, 'You're alright mate, I've got you now.' Someone sent it to me when my cat died. I still lose it when I see it. He was truly an angel on earth."
— That_Cat7243
4. Maggie Smith died in 2024. Her family did not share a cause of death. She was 89.
"Her death hurt me so bad. I loved her as Professor McGonagall in the Harry Potter movies."
— Remote-Direction963
"I loved her movies."
— kateuncovered
"I find, when the older heroes pass, I can at least be happy that they had a full life well lived."
— T1nyJazzHands
5. Carrie Fisher died in 2016 of sleep apnea and other factors, according to the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office. She was 60.
"And then her mother, Debbie Reynolds, died right after.:'("
— verynotberry
"She died right before Rogue One came out. My mom and I saw it in theaters, and when Princess Leia came on the screen, my mom said, 'She looks so beautiful.'
I burst into tears."
— Tater-Tot-Casserole
"The last thing I saw on my phone before turning it off in the theatre before seeing Rogue One was a notification about Carrie Fisher's death (That's how I found out). It was ROUGH seeing Leia in that last scene."
— CrunchyFrogWithBones
"Yes, this one was deeply upsetting. I don't usually admire celebrities, but reading her books connected something in my brain about my own mental illnesses and trauma that allowed me to finally start a healing journey. I'm pretty sure I even got a job because of her. During the interview, I was speaking to someone who worked at Roundabout Theatre Company when Wishful Drinking was a stage show there, and I asked her about her time working there."
— ratherpculiar
"Princess Leia was the icon of my childhood. As a girl who loved Star Wars pre-Disney but after the prequel trilogy was released, she was like one of the few women in the series. Especially to be a badass rebel leader. Carrie Fisher just made it feel like it wasn't an all-dude club. I was so sad when she died. It hurt a piece of my childhood."
6. Andre Braugher died in 2023 of lung cancer. He was 61.
"I'm a 48-year-old man (who has watched B99 straight through five times), and I started crying the second I saw the news."
— eennrriigghhtt
"This one was so painful. Brilliant actor, lovely man — he deserved so many more great years."
— Sunnygirl66
7. Brittany Murphy died in 2009 of pneumonia and other factors, according to the LA County Coroner's Office. She was 32.
"I can't even imagine all the amazing things she'd be doing now if she was still alive! Such a great actress."
— catsandnaps1028
8. Chris Cornell died in 2017 by suicide, according to an autopsy report. He was 52.
"I woke up to texts from friends telling me the news. I had seen him on his last solo tour and had tickets to his then-current tour with Soundgarden but couldn't make it. I thought oh, they'll tour again. I'll catch 'em next time. One of my top favorites."
— Terrilickle
"I was a wreck the day I found out. Ended up spending my whole day playing Soundgarden and Audioslave songs for my 9th graders, talking about grunge and mental health and everything I felt like. Still miss him."
— Velfar
"This is the only celebrity death that ever hurt me. He was my favorite all-time vocalist. Wish I would have been able to see him live. 😔"
— C_IsForCookie
9. James Earl Jones died in 2024. He was 93.
"I felt like I did when I was a little kid back when The Lion King first came out and Mufasa died."
— ThisistheHoneyBadger
"I teared up at his tribute in the beginning of Mufasa: The Lion King."
— NJbeaglemama
"He lived a long, accomplished life. When someone passes in their 90s, there is a bit of celebration as they have successfully lived longer than 90% of other people. Idk, that's my logic on it."
— suspicious_hyperlink
10. Betty White died in 2021. She was 99.
"She was one wild lady."
— ECU_BSN
"Betty White was a treasure. Imagine living to 99, and yet people say you died too soon."
— shesadollyrocker
11. David Bowie died in 2016 after a battle with cancer. He was 69.
"He was the first musician I remember legitimately being into as a kid. I was in college when he died and had an open morning to study. I got on the internet and saw everyone posting pictures of him and thought oh, how nice, some Bowie appreciation! Then I put two and two together, googled it, and sat on the couch the rest of the morning watching old concert videos and crying."
— hypnogogick
"My mum texted me out of the blue about Bowie like a family friend had died, and it truly felt that way.
It's not like we were the biggest fans or Bowie was the soundtrack to my childhood, but he was just always there and we weren't quite ready to miss that I guess.
'Life on Mars' will always be the most beautiful song to me, though, and that song will always be there."
— PercussiveRussel
12. Prince died in 2016 of an accidental overdose, according to the Associated Press. He was 57.
"Got engaged after my first Prince gig. Can't believe I'll never dance with him again. (Prince, I mean. Still dancing with my husband 21 years later. There's joy in repetition.)"
— moodyfloss
"Prince was the absolutely most devastating celebrity death to me. Our entire city is still in mourning."
— myjah
13. Chester Bennington died in 2017 by suicide, according to the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office. He was 41.
Chiaki Nozu / WireImage
"I had to leave work when I heard it happened."
— jllewis30
"My son was a young teen and absolutely idolized Chester. His dad and I didn't want him to hear it on the news, so we told him. All three of us were in tears."
— somuchyarn10
14. Freddie Mercury died in 1991 from complications of AIDS. He was 45.
"I lost so many good friends to AIDS in the late '80s and [throughout the] '90s. So thankful it's not a death sentence anymore, but so sad at how many good people lost their lives."
— anaserre
"I remember waking up to the news on my clock radio.
In retrospect, it was just so unnecessary. I really think Freddie's death brought on a lot of awareness of HIV, took away shame, showed it could happen to anyone, and made safe sex a topic which could be discussed."
— Wretched_Colin
15. Finally, Chadwick Boseman died in 2020 of colon cancer. He was 43.
"As a loyal MCU fan, I know he would've been a key player in the franchise post- Endgame. Plus, from what I hear, he wanted to make T'Challa (who was very serious most of the time) have a bit more fun, similar to the version he played in What If...?"
— n_mcrae_1982
"This one made me a lot more sad than it should have.
I didn't really know much about the guy. I saw Black Panther but didn't really have an opinion about it either way. I never saw an interview with him or saw any other movie he was in. But when he died and I heard that he knew he had cancer and was still working and still smiling, it really broke me. I felt bad for the guy. So it was less a 'celebrity' thing and more just a human thing."
Dial 988 in the US to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Other international suicide helplines can be found at befrienders.org. The Trevor Project, which provides help and suicide-prevention resources for LGBTQ youth, is 1-866-488-7386.