10 Haunting Photos Taken Just Before Celebrity Deaths

10 Haunting Photos Taken Just Before Celebrity Deaths

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re examining 10 Haunting Photos Taken Just Before Celebrity Deaths.

For this list, we’ll be looking at the creepiest and most unsettling photographs that were taken of dying celebrities - or of celebrities that were about to die through unnatural means.

Do any of these pictures make you feel uneasy? Let us know in the comments below.

Aaliyah

Known as the Princess of R&B, Aaliyah saw success throughout the ‘90s and early 2000s with songs like “Back & Forth” and “Try Again.” In late August of 2001, Aaliyah flew to the Bahamas to shoot the music video for “Rock the Boat.” It was around this time that the haunting photo was taken. It depicts a small group sitting on a boat in the clear blue water, with Aaliyah happily flashing a peace sign at the camera. Shortly after the photo was taken, Aaliyah boarded a small plane to fly back to Florida. This plane was overloaded with too much weight and quickly crashed, killing everyone on board. Aaliyah was twenty-two years old.

Chris Benoit

Chris Benoit was known as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, accomplishing massive feats and putting on some of the most memorable performances in the ring. However in 2008, his image was forever tarnished when Benoit murdered his wife Nancy and their 7 year old son before taking his own life. Prior to these events, Benoit’s whereabouts had been shrouded in mystery as he had no-showed the WWE pay per view “Vengeance: Night of Champions” during the weekend. The very last sighting of Benoit was in a doctors office, where a fan had taken this chilling photograph of him.

Steve Jobs

This man literally helped change the world and brought it into the digital age. Steve Jobs revolutionized computing with his company Apple and made some of the most groundbreaking pieces of technology in modern history, including the Macintosh computer and the iPhone. Unfortunately, Jobs was stricken with pancreatic cancer in October 2003 at the age of forty-eight. He battled the disease for nearly ten years before passing away in 2011. One of the last photos of Jobs is haunting in nature and depicts the devastating effects that cancer can have on the body. Clad all in black, Jobs is being supported by another man and is both pale and painfully thin.

James Dean

An icon of the screen, actor James Dean saw enormous success in the mid ‘50s with acclaimed movies like “East of Eden” and “Rebel Without a Cause.” Dean was an avid car enthusiast and owned a Porsche 550 Spyder. Dean hoped to use the car in an event called the Salinas Road Race, and in September of 1955, he was driving to the race with various people, including a photographer from Collier’s magazine. Along the way, a photo was snapped of Dean and his Porsche at a gas station. Just a few hours later, Dean was in a fatal car crash on what is now California’s State Route 46 and died at twenty-four.

Tupac Shakur

With over seventy-five million records sold, Tupac is a music legend who crafted some of the most iconic hip hop songs in the genre’s history. On September 7, 1996, Tupac attended a Mike Tyson boxing match in Las Vegas. Following the event, a photo was taken of Tupac sitting in the passenger seat of a black vehicle. Behind the wheel is record executive Suge Knight, whose label Death Row Records released Tupac’s most popular album, “All Eyez on Me.” Just a few minutes after the photo was taken, Tupac was shot four times in a drive-by. He was rushed to the hospital and remained on life support for multiple days before dying on September 13.

Candy Darling

Back in the ‘60s and ‘70s, iconic artist Andy Warhol promoted what he called his “superstars.” These were personal collaborators who were often seen in public with Warhol and who would star in his subversive works. Candy Darling was one of these superstars, having appeared in some of his movies. Unfortunately, Darling was struck with lymphoma and was sent to New York’s Cabrini Medical Center. While there, she was photographed by Peter Hujar, and the eerie work is titled “Candy Darling on her Deathbed.” The photo is in black and white and depicts a heavily made-up Darling lying in her hospital bed, surrounded by flowers. She died of the cancer on March 21, 1974 at twenty-nine.

Paul Walker

While he enjoyed success in the ‘90s, actor Paul Walker became a household name after starring in “The Fast and the Furious.” Walker’s character, Brian O’Conner, was given a touching farewell in 2015’s “Furious 7,” as Walker himself died about a year-and-a-half before the movie’s release. On November 30, 2013, Walker attended a charity event in Los Angeles. He left the event as a passenger in a red Porsche Carrera GT, which was driven by a man named Roger Rodas. This departure was captured on camera, and it would be the last photo taken of Walker. Shortly after, the car crashed at high speed and caught fire, killing both occupants.

Diana, Princess of Wales

Princess Diana was one of the most famous royals of the modern age, and her fame only increased after her controversial death. In late August of 1997, Diana was visiting Paris with her romantic partner, Dodi Fayed. Their car was ambushed by paparazzi in the early morning hours of August 31. One famous photo depicts the driver, the front passenger, and the back of Diana’s head as she looks behind the vehicle. This is the final known picture of Princess Diana, as the car tragically crashed shortly after it was taken. Photographers reportedly took pictures of Diana following the crash, but these have not been made public. The accident left her with fatal injuries, and she died in the hospital just a few hours later.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Arguably the biggest name of the American civil rights movement, Martin Luther King Jr. has a monumental reputation as one of the 20th century’s most influential figures. However, not everyone agreed with his campaign, and King became the target of an assassination. On April 4, 1968, King was shot at Memphis’s Lorraine Motel, reportedly by a man named James Earl Ray. He died at the hospital one hour later. In a bone-chilling photograph, King can be seen standing on the motel balcony holding the handrail with his left hand and a briefcase in his right. One day later, he would be shot on that very same balcony, just a few feet to his left.

John Lennon

One of the most famous musicians of the 20th century, John Lennon became a worldwide megastar thanks to his work with the Beatles. His music drew the attention of one Mark David Chapman, who for various reasons, decided to kill Lennon in 1980. On December 8, Chapman met Lennon outside the latter’s New York apartment and had him sign a copy of the album “Double Fantasy.” An amateur photographer named Paul Goresh snapped a photo of this interaction, and it shows Chapman standing behind Lennon, who is actively signing the record. Just a few hours later, as Lennon was returning home from a recording session, he was shot in the back by Chapman. He was rushed to the hospital but pronounced dead on arrival.