Hollywood's Addiction: 24 Stars Who Died From An Overdose
Nov. 3 2015, Updated 10:39 a.m. ET
They were all wild and crazy. These famous icons -- such as Elvis Presley, Chris Farley and Judy Garland -- died from drug overdoes.
12 overdose gal
Cory Monteith
Corey Monteith: At age 31, who played Finn Hudson in the Glee TV series, was found dead in his Vancouver hotel room after taking a lethal cocktail of heroin and booze. He was believed to be alone when he died - hotel video and electronic records indicated he returned to his room by himself in the early hours after a night out.
Sid Vicious
Sid Vicious: The bassist for the punk rock band Sex Pistols died in his sleep after partying with heroin the night of his 1979 release from New York's Rikers Island jail. The dealer of the drug on that fateful night? His mother.
Dee Dee Ramone
Dee Dee Ramone: The founding member, bassist and main songwriter of the punk rock band the Ramones, died of a heroin overdose. The Los Angeles coroner established the musician had a long history of heroin abuse. Authorities found a syringe with "possible drug residue" and five balloons with "possible drug contents" in the musician's Hollywood apartment.
Kurt Cobain
Kurt Cobain: The Nirvana frontman was found in 1994 at his Lake Washington home by an electrician who had arrived to install a security system. Though he killed himself -- a suicide note was found -- a high concentration of heroin and traces of diazepam were also found in his body.
Peter Farndon
Peter Farndon: In 1983, the founding member of the rock band The Pretenders, famous for their song, "Back on the Chain Gang," was discovered in his bathtub by his wife following a heroin overdose.
Lenny Bruce
Lenny Bruce: The standup comedian died in 1966 after reportedly overdosing on heroin.
Jim Morrison
Jim Morrison: The Doors frontman died on July 3, 1971, at age 27. He was found in a Paris apartment bathtub. Though no autopsy was performed because the medical examiner, it's though Morrison was the victim of a heroin overdose, having insufflated what he believed to be cocaine.
Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday: The jazz singer struggled with heroin and alcohol abuse during his career, including a 1947 arrest for drug possession. She served a year in prison.
Paula Yates
Paula Yates: The partner of INXS rocker Michael Hutchence died of a heroin overdose in the wake of his death. The coroner ruled that it was not a suicide, but a result of "foolish and incautious" behavior -- heroin use.
Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix: Guitarist Jimi Hendrix was arrested in 1969 for possession of heroin, but he was acquitted of those charges after testifying that the drugs were planted in his belongings. He died in 1970 of a drug overdose.
Hillel Slovak
Hillel Slovak: Cops discovered the founding member of the Red Hot Chili Peppers dead in his Hollywood apartment on June 27, 1988. During his autopsy, it was determined that he had died two days earlier from a heroin overdose.
Judy Garland
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Judy Garland: The superstar singer/actress was found dead at age 47 by her fifth husband in the bathroom of their rented house in London in 1969. The coroner determined the cause of death was an unintentional overdose of barbiturates.
Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley: The King of rock and roll, 42, died on Aug. 16, 1977. After being found unresponsive on the bathroom floor at his Graceland home, Elvis was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. Although the coroner said the cause of death was cardiac arrhythmia, what had caused his heart to beat irregularly was an overdose of prescription drugs, including codeine, valium, morphine, and Demerol.
Chris Farley
Chris Farley: Just 33, the comedian died in 1997 after a night spent partying with a hooker. After he collapsed on the floor of his Chicago apartment, she left, and Chris’ brother John found his body the next day. An autopsy revealed a cocaine and morphine overdose.
John Belushi
John Belushi: The Animal House comedian was found dead in his room at the Chateau Marmont hotel in 1982 of a speedball—a combined injection of cocaine and heroin. After his companion Cathy Evelyn Smith admitted to giving Belushi the fatal drug shot in an interview, she eventually pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter and served 15 months in prison.
Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston: Last year, the world was shocked when the famed diva, 48, was found unconscious and submerged in the bathtub of her suite at the Beverly Hills Hotel, where she was getting ready for a pre-Grammy party. Attempts to revive her failed and although the coroner ruled the death accidental, cocaine and other drugs were found in Whitney’s system.
Corey Haim
Corey Haim: The former child star was just 38 in 2010 when his mom called 911 to have him rushed to the hospital after he’d collapsed at their home in Burbank, CA. He was pronounced dead at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center and it was ruled an accidental overdose. Later, it was reported that Corey had used aliases to obtain prescription drugs in the month prior to his death.
Janis Joplin
Janis Joplin: The legendary “Me and Bobby McGee” singer’s manager found her dead at her house in Hollywood in 1970. Only 27, she died of an overdose of heroin and was wedged against a bedside table with a cigarette in her hand.
Heath Ledger
Heath Ledger: In 2008, Batman’s Joker was found unconscious in bed by his housekeeper, who first frantically called his friend, actress Mary-Kate Olsen, for help, then dialed 911. Paramedics couldn’t revive the star and Heath, 28, was later ruled to have died from “acute intoxication” from the combined effects of six different prescription drugs.
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe: America’s greatest screen sex symbol of all time was discovered dead in her Brentwood bedroom by her psychiatrist. The coroner determined Marilyn’s death at 36 was the result of “acute barbiturate poisoning” and “probable suicide.” But many fans have long questioned the strange circumstances of her death.
River Phoenix
River Phoenix: The actor, 23, was set to perform with his friend, Flea, of the Red Hot Chili Peppers in 1993 at Hollywood’s Viper Room nightclub when he snorted an overdose of cocaine and heroin in the bathroom. He collapsed on the sidewalk outside the club and after his brother Joaquin called 911 and sister Rain couldn’t revive him, he died of drug-induced heart failure.
Dana Plato
Dana Plato: The former Diff’rent Strokes child star and her fiancé Robert Mechaca stopped to visit his mom in Oklahoma on Mother’s Day in 1999. Dana overdosed on the painkiller Lortab along with Soma in her RV parked outside the Mechaca’s mom’s house. The sad passing occurred almost 11 years to the day Dana’s son, Tyler, had killed himself with a gunshot to the head.
Anna Nicole Smith
Anna Nicole Smith: Friends of the Playboy model and reality TV star tried to revive the 39-year-old with CPR when they found her unresponsive at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, FLA. But they had no luck and Anna was rushed to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead on arrival. Her death was ruled to be from combined drug intoxication, with the sleep drug chloral hydrate the major cause.
Philip Seymour Hoffman: The Oscar-winning actor was found dead from an apparent heroin overdose on February 2, 2014. He was 46 years old.