When you live fast and hard like most celebrities, sometimes only the grandest of deaths is fitting. 

11.)  Frank Hayes

How he bought it:
Frank Hayes was a jockey racing in the famous Belmont stakes.  Somewhere during the race, he suffered a fatal heart attack, and his limp and lifeless body crossed the finish line soon after.  His horse won the race, which proves the theory that the horse is actually much more important than the jockey.  His horse’s name was “Dead on Arrival.”  Just kidding, but that would be seriously awesome.

 

10.)  Leslie Howard

How he bought it:
The Gone With the Wind star was killed in 1943 when the civilian aircraft he was riding in was shot down by the German Luftwaffe, who believed that Sir Winston Churchill was on board.  Another belief is that Howard was an intelligence officer with the Allied forces, and the Germans specifically targeted him.

 

9.)  Attila the Hun

How he bought it:
Attila the Hun died on his wedding night, which is a sad way to go for such a people-loving humanitarian.  Sometime after his marriage, Attila’s nose began to bleed excessively, and he died in a blood-loss induced trance.  Surprisingly, the nose bleed was not sword-induced.

 

8.)  Sonny Bono

How he bought it:
Speaking of living hard and fast, remember Sonny Bono?  He cranked out hits with Cher like “Got you babe” and “The beat goes on.”  Bono bit the dust on January 5th, 1998 when the skis he was piloting flew off course and into a tree.

 

7.)  Payne Stewart

How he bought it:
Payne Stewart was a very popular professional golfer known for his colorful wardrobe that included knickers and hats called tam o’shanter, which are awesome.  He died when the small plane in which he was a passenger lost cabin pressure.  It’s believed he and the other passengers died as a result of hypoxia, or lack of oxygen.  When F-16s flew by the unresponsive craft, they could see the windows were frosted over, inciting the belief that the passengers may have frozen to death as well.

 

6.)  Isadora Duncan

How she bought it:
Duncan was one of fashion's most famous victims when in 1927, her signature long flowing scarves became entangled in the rotor of the car in which she was riding.  She was pulled from her seat, and her neck was snapped as her body was dragged along the cobblestone street in France. 

 

 

5.)  Brandon Lee

 

How he bought it:
Sometimes you see a movie and think “Hey, that was realistic!”  But inside, you know it wasn’t real.  The actors DEFINITELY know it wasn’t real.  But on March 31, 1993 movie magic failed.  While filming a death scene (foreboding) on set, Lee was killed by a prop gun.  The gun had been loaded with deactivated REAL bullets.  When the gun was fired, one of the bullets that was supposed to be fake was actually not fake, and got lodged in the barrel of the gun.  No one noticed.  When the gun was re-used for Lee’s death scene, the bullet in the barrel dislodged and ended up in his spine.  He died shortly after.

 

4.)  Tennessee Williams

How he bought it:
The famous writer died a ridiculously unnecessary death in the Hotel Elysee in New York City after choking on…no, not food…but on the cap to his eye drop bottle.  Williams liked to put the cap of the bottle in his mouth, tilt his head back, and drop the refreshing eye liquid in.  The cap must have fallen out of his mouth’s tight grasp, and entered his airway. 

 

3.)  Owen Hart

How he bought it:
On May 23, 1999, Hart fell 78 feet to his death during a stunt he was performing at the WWF pay-per-view event Over the Edge.  The harness holding him failed as he was being lowered into the ring, and his chest struck the turnbuckle.  He died during the show, which continued on regardless.  See kids, sometimes wrestling is real.

 

2.)  Jon-Erik Hexum

How he bought it:
Hexum played a weapons expert on the CBS show Cover Up, which, in hind-sight, is probably disappointing for him.  He was known to play carelessly with the prop weapons on-set to the point of annoying his co-stars.  One day, Hexum fell asleep on set.  When he awoke, he picked up the prop .44 Magnum and put it to his head.  Eyewitness accounts say that his last words could have been “Let’s see if this one gets me” or “I wonder if this will do it” or “Hey, I’m very stupid.”  When he pulled the trigger, the paper wads used in blanks crushed his temple, sending a piece of his skull into his brain.  He died a few days later after being taken off life support.

 

1.)  Felix Faure

How he bought it:
This dude was president of France when, in 1895, he had the life literally sucked out of him.  He was in his presidential office receiving oral sex from an actress (not a secretary, as more contemporary presidents prefer) when he passed away.  Police at the scene were overheard saying "That's the way to go."