 11 Celebrity Women with Tragic Endings The pain we experience when beloved celebrities' lives are abruptly cut short can frequently catch us off guard. We didn't know these people directly, but the national outpouring of grief following the passing of well-known celebrities shows just how much of an influence these celebrities can still have on our lives. Now it is obvious that fame and riches go hand in hand, but unfortunately, sometimes things don't always go as planned and has resulted in the terrible and tragic end of many promising careers. Today we will look at 11 women whose lives were cut short far too soon. Marilyn Monroe, arguably the most recognizable American actress, singer, sex idol and model in history, passed away in her 30s. Monroe was raised in foster homes and had modest beginnings before landing a modeling job that launched her acting career. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, Monroe's career took off and in 1953 she appeared on the cover of the inaugural Playboy issue. Monroe had three marriages and had love relationships with a number of well-known men including Marlon Brando, Frank Sinatra, Robert F. Kennedy and President John F. Kennedy. Although Monroe's brilliant career made it seem glamorous, her later years were not as spectacular. On the evening of August 4th, 1962, Marilyn Monroe died at age 36 of a barbiturate overdose inside her home at 1-2-3-0-5 Fifth Helena Drive in Brentwood, Los Angeles, California. Her body was discovered before dawn the following morning on August 5th, a tragic end to such a promising career, and Marilyn Monroe's legacy lives on as she is still loved by millions. And many still wonder to this day what really happened. Dorothy Ruth Hooke Stratton, known professionally as Dorothy Stratton, was a Canadian model and actress, primarily known for her appearances as a Playboy Playmate. Stratton was the Playboy Playmate of the Month for August 1979 and Playmate of the Year in 1980 and appeared in three comedy films. She was murdered shortly after starring in the movie Galaxena at the age of 20 by her estranged husband and manager Paul Snyder, whom she was in the process of divorcing and breaking business ties. Snyder took his own life after he murdered Stratton. Stratton's passing inspired two movies, a book and several songs, the 1981 TV movie Death of a Centerfold, the Dorothy Stratton story, the 1983 theatrical motion picture Star 80, the book The Killing of the Unicorn and the Song's Californication by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Best Was Yet to Come by Brian Adams and Cover Girl by Prism. Amy Winehouse was a British singer and songwriter who was born in London, England on September 14, 1983. She sang in a variety of musical styles, such as soul, jazz and rhythm and blues, with a rich expressive contralto voice. She learned to play the guitar at age 13 after being influenced by her family's initiation of jazz and music. She joined 19 Management, run by Simon Fuller in 2002, and produced a handful of songs before inking a publishing contract with EMI. She gained notoriety in 2006 with the release of her critically acclaimed and Grammy award-winning album Back to Black, but her personal life was plagued by substance addiction issues, erratic conduct and a tumultuous marriage. At the age of 27, she passed away from alcohol poisoning on July 23, 2011. After her death, the singer broke the Guinness World Record for the most songs by a woman to simultaneously appear on the singles chart. Brittany Murphy charmed a generation with her distinct voice and captivating presence in movies like Clueless, 1995, and Uptown Girls, 2003. She also made a name for herself as a voice actress and singer, portraying Gloria in Happy Feet, 2006, and scoring a number one hit on Billboard's Hot Dance Club play chart. She passed out on December 20, 2009, at the house she shared with her mother Sharon and her husband Simon Monjak. She experienced cardiac arrest on the way to the hospital, and at the age of 32, she passed away. Her cause of death was pneumonia, with anemia and accidental overdose of prescription drugs, also playing a role. Monjak was also found dead from pneumonia and anemia in the same home five months later. Since the two deaths, a number of theories have emerged, with many contending that the residents' black mold played a role. Additionally, there have been tales of Monjak's domineering actions and his peculiar behavior after Murphy's passing, which have led some to believe foul play was involved. The late Dana Plato was originally an ice skating Olympian candidate, but she is best known for her portrayal of Kimberly Drummond on different strokes. Sadly, following that sitcom, her career took a turn for the worst, and she spent the years that followed doing drugs, to legal trouble and making bad financial decisions. At 34 years old, she overdosed on drugs and died on May 8, 1999. Her 25-year-old son passed away from a self-inflicted gunshot wound 11 years later. Her co-stars from Strokes also had difficulties. Gary Coleman passed away on May 28, 2010, at the age of 42, after falling in his home. Tragic ends to once-thriving careers. Natalie Wood was a naturally talented actress who began her career as a child actor in movies like Miracle on 34th Street, 1947, went on to become a teen star in movies like Rebel Without a Cause, 1955, and then found popularity as an adult starting with Splendor in the Grass, 1961. While on a boat excursion with her husband Robert Wagner, the ship's captain, and Christopher Walken, a cast member of her final movie, Woods died under the strangest of circumstances. It has never been established how or why Woods abandoned the boat in the middle of the night, and she also had a number of mysterious bruises. Despite the fact that Woods was infamously afraid of the water, she perished after leaving the vessel to board a dinghy during the night. When Woods passed away, accidental drowning and hypothermia were listed as the official causes of death. To add even more mystery to Woods' tragic passing, in 2011, the ship's captain modified his version of events and claimed Wagner had argued with her and was reluctant to take action. The cause of death was officially altered to undetermined factors. Wagner was named as a person of interest in her death in 2018, despite his denial of any wrongdoing. Judy Garland, one of the greats of the Golden Age of Hollywood, Garland won the hearts of millions with her singing, dancing, and acting in timeless classics like The Wizard of Oz, 1939, Meet Me in St. Louis, 1944, and A Star Is Born, 1954. She had popularity performing live, selling out shows at the London Palladium and the Palace Theatre in New York City, where she set attendance records. Garland, like many successful child stars, struggled with substance abuse, dysfunctional relationships, and bad financial decisions in her personal life. At the age of 47, Garland was discovered dead in the bathtub of her rented London house. A barbiturate accidental overdose was the cause of death. Diana, Princess of Wales, will always be known as the People's Princess and was unlike any other royal in history. Her modest demeanor and kind personality won over the hearts of people all around the world. Diana was active in a number of charities and took a special interest in traveling to see patients who were near the end of their lives. She was placed under even more intense scrutiny after her marriage to Prince Charles of Wales and subsequent divorce. Hasnot Khan, a cardiac surgeon, and Doty Fayed, the son of successful billionaire Muhammad Al Fayed, were both connected to Princess Diana. Diana, Princess of Wales, was traveling in a car with Doty Fayed in Paris on the last day of August 1997 when it was involved in a high-speed chase with paparazzi, resulting in a crash that claimed the lives of the Princess, Fayed, and the driver. Diana, Princess of Wales, was only 36 years old. Christina Grimmie was an American singer, songwriter, actress, and YouTuber. Tina and Albert Grimmie welcomed their daughter into the world on March 12, 1994, in the town of Marlton, New Jersey. Both of her parents were employed at Verizon Communications. Her mother worked as a receptionist. Up to the time, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Marcus, Christina's older brother, was the one who handled all of her road management responsibilities. After uploading cover versions of well-known songs to her YouTube channel, Christina gained a significant following. Her notoriety grew after she competed in the NBC singing competition The Voice, in which she finished in second place. She tragically passed away on June 10, 2016, after a fan with a mental illness opened fire on her after a concert in Orlando, Florida. When the shooter, who had been following her for years, opened fire, she was in the middle of signing autographs for adoring fans. Christina was brought to the hospital, but she was unable to recover from her injuries and passed away. Another heartbreaking conclusion to a career that held so much promise. She was only 22 years old. American actress and comedian Michelle Thomas was born in Brookline, Massachusetts. She was the daughter of Dennis and Finjar Thomas, who were both active in the entertainment industry. Her mother worked on stage while her father was a saxophonist and founding member of the band Cool and the Gang. She took after both of her parents. Michelle became well-known for her performances as Justine Phillips on The Cosby Show, Myra Monkhouse and Family Matters, and Callie Rogers in The Young and the Restless. Additionally, when she was younger, she competed in and won a number of beauty pageants. A particularly uncommon form of stomach cancer known as intraabdominal desmoplastic small round cell tumor was the cause of Michelle Thomas's death. In August of 1997, she was given a diagnosis of this particular malignancy. She was a vegan and never smoked or drank alcohol, but she nevertheless passed away at the young age of 30. This was despite the fact that she led a healthy lifestyle. This unfortunate conclusion to such a bright career exemplifies the fact that calamity can befall anybody, anywhere, at any moment. Gilda Radner first garnered recognition as a member of the original cast of Saturday Night Live, for which she was awarded an Emmy in 1978 for performing characters such as Roseanne Rosanadana and Baba Wawa. Radner is now considered to be one of the most prominent female comedians in the history of the comedy industry. During the filming of a movie in 1985 with her husband Gene Wilder, Radner began to experience exhaustion and pain. It would be several months before she was given a diagnosis of stage 4 ovarian cancer. She had surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy over the course of the subsequent two years, all of which she describes in detail in her memoir titled, It's Always Something. She was able to go into remission for a period of time, but unfortunately the illness returned and she passed away at the age of 42. After her death, she was awarded the Grammy for best spoken word recording for her song, It's Always Something. Radner had multiple family members who had passed away from ovarian cancer, but early on doctors were unable to establish this relationship. Her passing brought attention to the significance of early detection and familial history in cancer cases.