10 Celebrities Who Took Shocking Secrets to the Grave

10 Celebrities Who Took HUGE Secrets to the Grave

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today were looking at celebrities who took huge secrets to the grave, some of which would be revealed after their passing.

Freddie Mercury

In November 1991, Freddie Mercury confirmed what many had suspected for years. The Queen frontman was HIV positive and had AIDS. A day after this statement was issued, Mercury passed away. Although his illness had become public knowledge, there was still one secret that Mercury decided to keep between himself and his former life partner, Mary Austin: his final resting place. Mercury asked Austin to bury his cremated remains somewhere private. According to Austin, this was because he didnt want anyone trying to dig him up. Austin honored Mercurys wishes, carrying his ashes in a plastic bag to a mystery location. You can ask Mercurys fellow Queen members and family, but Austin is reportedly the only living person who knows where Mercury resides.

Coco Chanel

Chanel remains a prominent beauty brand, although its namesakes ties to Nazi Germany casts a dark shadow over the companys legacy. During her lifetime, it wasnt exactly a secret that Coco Chanel had a relationship with Hans Günther von Dincklage, who reportedly collaborated with Nazis. What wasnt as well-known is that Chanel herself was a Nazi agent, working for the intelligence company Sicherheitsdienst. She not only answered to Walter Schellenberg, one of the agencys leading figures, but Chanel supposedly had an affair with him. She was also linked to Operation Modellhut, a failed attempt to negotiate peace between Germany and Britain. Avoiding prison, Chanel mostly managed to keep her Nazi connections under wraps, but recently declassified documents have presented her in a very different light.

Chadwick Boseman

Various celebrities have privately faced fatal illnesses, although few deaths blindsided the public like Chadwick Bosemans. Following several acclaimed performances, Boseman landed his most high-profile role as TChalla in the MCU. The same year Boseman made his MCU debut, he was diagnosed with colon cancer. Boseman didnt slow down, headlining the billion-dollar Black Panther while finding time for other projects. Behind the scenes, though, his cancer was advancing. Only a small group was entrusted with Bosemans secret. Even directors like Ryan Coogler and Spike Lee didnt realize what Boseman was going through. The world found out under the most tragic circumstances when Boseman succumbed to his illness in 2020. Like a superhero with a secret identity, Boseman continued to inspire even while enduring personal battles.

Bob Crane

Best known for playing Colonel Robert on Hogans Heroes, Bob Crane met a violent end in 1978. Cranes friend John Henry Carpenter was accused of the murder, although hed ultimately be acquitted. While his murder remains unsolved, a secret side of Cranes life would be exposed in the process. Crane had a vast collection of explicit photos and videos that he made with his partners. The actor was open about his sex obsession with friends, colleagues, and even certain family members. To the public, though, he maintained a fairly clean image. Its unclear if Cranes murder was connected to his sexual activities, which Carpenter was well aware of. In any case, the revelations about Cranes sex life proved nearly as shocking as his death.

Jean Spangler

Landing a few bit movie parts, Jean Spangler was just getting her feet wet when she mysteriously disappeared in 1949. Last seen at a grocery store, Sprangler was supposed to meet with her ex-husband and work on set, according to her sister-in-law. While her body was never uncovered, the authorities found her torn purse in the park with a note reading, Kirk: Cant wait any longer, Going to see Dr. Scott. Some suspected Kirk might be Kirk Douglas, who starred in a film Spangler worked on. Douglas claimed he barely knew Spangler, however. Spangler was allegedly three months pregnant, possibly seeking an illegal abortion from the enigmatic Dr. Scott. Whatever Spangler was up to, any chance of getting an answer likely died with her.

Charles Lindbergh

This famed aviator was at the center of a media circus when his firstborn son, Charles Jr., was kidnapped and murdered. Lindbergh went on to have more children, some hidden from the public eye. While he was still married to fellow pilot Anne Morrow, Lindbergh had affairs with three European women, two of whom were sisters. Over a roughly ten-year period, Lindbergh fathered seven children with his mistresses. Shortly before his death, Lindbergh implored the three women not to reveal the true parentage of their children. The mothers kept the secret, although one of Lindberghs illegitimate daughters eventually connected the dots. She sat on this information for years, but went public with Lindberghs double life after her mother and Anne Morrow died.

Corey Haim

One half of the two Coreys, this actor rose to fame in the 80s with films like The Lost Boys and License to Drive. Yet, Haims all-too-short life was riddled with tragedy. Both Haim and Corey Feldman allegedly endured abuse during their youth. Following Haims sudden death in 2010, Feldman claimed that his late friend had been abused by a major Hollywood figure during the production of 1986s Lucas. Feldman and fellow actor Dominick Brascia accused Charlie Sheen, who denied these allegations. Haims mother also asserted that Sheen was innocent, saying it was actually Brascia who had been abusive toward her son. She also accused Feldman of exploiting Haim. Whatever the truth is, Haim sadly left this world with much unresolved.

Billy Tipton

When this jazz musician and bandleader passed away in 1989, the paramedics realized he had been assigned female at birth. This didnt just come as a surprise to the public. Most of his bandmates, romantic partners, and children had no idea that Billy Tipton was transgender until he died. While Tipton never married, he was involved with five women whod go by Mrs. Tipton. Only Non Earl Harrell knew Tipton was trans. He told the other four that his body was damaged in a car accident. Tipton had been binding his chest since the 30s when he broke out on the music scene. Tiptons secret is one that many can identify with, showing how trans people have been hidden figures for much of human existence.

Rock Hudson

Mere months before his death, it was confirmed that legendary actor Rock Hudson had been receiving treatment for AIDS. Although Hudson went forward with his diagnosis, he never officially came out to the public. It was something of an open secret in the industry that Hudson was gay. The revelation that Hudson had AIDS only seemed to confirm the rumors. His friend, novelist Armistead Maupin, even claimed that he outed Hudson around this time. Amid the press and speculation, though, Hudson remained tight-lipped about his sexual orientation. It wasnt until after Hudson died that the public started seeing his life through a different lens. Hudson hid his double life to protect his career, but his diagnosis and death perhaps left the world more accepting.

Clark Gable & Loretta Young

In 1935, actress Loretta Young gave birth to her daughter, Judy Lewis. Although she claimed Judy was adopted, people couldnt help but notice a resemblance to Youngs Call of the Wild co-star, Clark Gable. Indeed, Gable was her biological father, but Lewis wouldnt learn this until several years after his death. Before he died in 1960, Gable had only met with Lewis once. Lewis briefly told Gable about her life before he left with a kiss on the forehead. While Lewis wrote about her percentage, Young still refused to go on the record. Young would confess the truth to her biographer, albeit with the strict stipulation that the book not be published until after her passing. Released posthumously, Youngs autobiography formally confirmed the secret.

Can you think of any other celebrities who died with secrets? Let us know in the comments.