Remembering MJ: Snakkle Commemorates 13 Celebrities Gone Too Soon

Singer, songwriter, dancer, actor, producer, and more, Michael Jackson was a musical sensation who changed the landscape of superstardom in the music industry. Only 8 years old when he joined his brothers in the Jackson 5, Jackson was soon setting chart records with hits such as “I’ll Be There” and “ABC.” In 1979, he released solo album Off the Wall and followed with Thriller in 1983, which is still the best-selling album of all time. The King of Pop died in Los Angeles of an accidental drug overdose on June 25, 2009, at the age of 50.

Shy Lady Diana Spencer became a worldwide sensation when she married His Royal Highness Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, in 1981. Soon a devoted mother to Prince William and Prince Harry, Diana was thrown into a whirlwind of headlines detailing her marital drama, fashion escapades, and more. But Diana also dedicated much of her short life to helping the disadvantaged, including working with the homeless, elderly, and HIV-positive. She was posthumously granted the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997 for her campaign to ban international land mines. Certainly Elton John’s words proved prophetic on that sad day so long ago. “Your candle burned out long before your legend ever will,” sang the longtime friend of the Princess. And—as 15 years have shown—he was right.

One of R&B’s youngest sensations in the 1990s, Aaliyah was a star before she had even left her teens. Her debut album in 1994, Age Ain’t Nothing but a Number, became a platinum hit, while her 1996 follow-up, One in a Million, went double platinum. Her music is among the most “forward-looking R&B of its time.” Tragically, the singer was killed in a plane crash in the Bahamas on August 25, 2001. She was 22 years old.

Known as “The Intimidator” on the track, Dale Earnhardt Sr. is considered one of the best NASCAR racers of all time. Winner of the Daytona 500 in 1998 and a seven-time Winston Cup champion, Earnhardt earned a total of 76 wins during his 26-year career. He was among the first class inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. At age 49, Earnhardt was killed in a crash on the final lap of the Daytona 500 on February 18, 2001. Today, his son Dale Earnhardt Jr. carries on his father’s stock car racing legacy.

The father of grunge and a musical icon of the late 20th century, Kurt Cobain first picked up a guitar as a teenager in rural Washington State. In 1988, he settled on Nirvana for the name of his new band with bassist Krist Novoselic and, later, drummer Dave Grohl. In 1991, they released Nevermind, which raced to the top of the charts. After a longtime battle with drug addiction, the legendary rocker shot himself on April 5, 1994, in Seattle. He was 27 years old.

Amy Winehouse was an English singing virtuoso who debuted in 2003 with her album Frank. The songstress brought forth a powerful contralto to the world, covering jazz, R&B, and soul. In 2006, her follow-up album Back to Black was nominated for six Grammy awards and won five, including Record of the Year. On July 23, 2011, the 27-year-old singer, who infamously battled drugs and alcohol, was found dead in her London home. To date, Back to Black is the United Kingdom’s biggest-selling album of the 21st century.

An early arrival to Hollywood, Murphy first appeared in television in 1990’s Blossom. In 1995, she got her big break in Amy Heckerling’s Clueless, starring as the befuddled Tai. She went on to appear in classics such as Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999), Girl, Interrupted (1999), and 8 Mile (2002). The star died in Los Angeles at age 32 from pneumonia, anemia, and drug intoxication.

An Australian acting phenom who first catapulted to fame in 1999’s 10 Things I Hate About You, Heath Ledger was one of Hollywood’s leading romantic men from the start. A gifted actor who wowed critics and audiences with his performance as a tortured cowboy in Brokeback Mountain, the young thespian was compared to Marlon Brando and Sean Penn. Considering Heath Ledger was named for the dark character Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights, it’s a twist of sad irony that the actor came to his own tragic end. Ledger died at age 28 of an accidental overdose of prescription drugs in New York City on January 22, 2008. He posthumously won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role as the Joker in the second Batman installment, The Dark Knight.

In 1926, Norma Jeane Mortenson was born in Los Angeles to a mentally ill mother. Married at 16 to a merchant marine, she was a real-life Rosie the Riveter, working the assembly line at an aeronautical plant. In 1945, after a photographer took pictures of her at work, Norma Jeane quickly became a model and landed a screen test at 20th Century Fox. She went on to star in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), How to Marry a Millionaire (1953), The Seven Year Itch (1955), and The Misfits (1961). In 1962, she died at age 36 of a possible drug overdose, leaving behind a legacy that still thrives today.

Natalie Wood achieved stardom at a young age, first appearing in the 1943 film Happy Land at almost 5 years old. Her first major role, in 1947’s Miracle on 34th Street, made her an instant star. She went on to appear in such iconic films as Rebel Without a Cause (1955), Splendor in the Grass (1961), and West Side Story (1961). On November 29, 1981, the actress drowned under mysterious circumstances just off Catalina Island. She was 43 years old.

River Phoenix first made his foray into Hollywood as a commercial actor, appearing in spots when he was just 10 years old. In 1986, he appeared in his first major role in Stand by Me. He went on to appear in The Mosquito Coast (1986), Running on Empty (1988), and My Own Private Idaho (1991), for which he was critically lauded. Phoenix died of a drug-induced heart attack in Los Angeles on October 31, 1993. He was 23 years old.

Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, who helped dominate Latin music in the 1990s, began singing at age 3. Her father formed a family band, which played area events in Texas, including quinceaneras, street corners, and fairs. In 1989, Selena signed with Capitol/EMI, soon becoming a Tejano superstar. She was poised on the brink of a mainstream crossover when she was murdered on March 31, 1995, by Yolanda Saldivar, president of her fan club. She was 23 years old. Today, she has sold over 60 million albums worldwide.

Whitney Houston was a onetime choir girl and model who achieved superstardom in 1985 with her debut album Whitney Houston. She followed with more chart-toppers and a rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” sung at Super Bowl XXV in Tampa in 1991, now considered a benchmark for all singers. A six-time Grammy winner with powerhouse vocals, Houston died in Los Angeles on February 11, 2012. She was 48 years old.