Top 10 Celebrities Who Have Been Shot

Lil Wayne had a challenging childhood, as he grew up in one of the poorest neighborhoods in New Orleans. Perhaps the scariest moment in his youth happened when he was 12 years old and accidentally shot himself in the chest with the 9mm handgun he was playing with. The bullet missed Lil Wayne’s heart by just two inches. Fortunately, he was saved by Robert Hoobler, an off duty police officer, who took him straight to the hospital, where he remained on life support for two weeks. Wayne must’ve taken his survival as a sign: the shot and the brush with death it caused inspired Lil Wayne to follow his dreams, work hard, and write music.

From being trapped on an oilrig during a hurricane, to working for Donald Trump on The Celebrity Apprentice, Trace Adkins has had plenty of scary life experiences. His scariest experience, however occurred in 1994 when he was shot with a .38 pistol by his now ex-wife Julie Curtis. The bullet went through both of his lungs and both ventricles of his heart. Doctors did not expect Adkins to survive, but against all odds, he pulled through. Also shocking, Adkins chose not to press charges against Curtis, as he believed the shooting was an accident.

If you’ve seen Oliver Stone’s movies “Platoon” or “Born on the Fourth of July,” you can tell the director is clearly a harsh critic of the Vietnam War. It turns out that these films come from a very personal place, as Stone is a Vietnam veteran himself. During the war, Stone was shot in the neck, and received a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star for his service. Stone returned home from the war, both physically and emotionally scarred, but also with new passion for the arts and counterculture, which led him to screenwriting. Stone would later write Platoon, basing the film on his own personal experiences in Vietnam.

Akon’s never been afraid to make music based on his hardships. One of the greatest adversities the singer has faced occurred right when his career was taking off. In December 2004, Akon was with his friend and manager Robert Montanez outside of a New Jersey bar, when they were attacked by a man who was trying to mug rapper Capone. A fight broke out as Montanez tried to stop the man from robbing his friend, resulting in Akon being shot in the back of the shoulder. Akon was able to make a full recovery; however, Montanez unfortunately died from the altercation.

George Orwell wrote some of the most politically iconic literature of the 20th century. Like Oliver Stone, a great influence for his work came from his time fighting in a war. Despite being a British citizen, Orwell volunteered to fight in the Spanish Civil War, and it was while fighting in Spain that he was hit by a sniper's bullet, which missed his heart by the smallest of margins. Havingbeen deemed medically unfit to continue fighting in the Civil War or to serve in World War II, Orwell had time to write. His most notable works, Animal Farm and 1984, both deal with the horrors of an authoritarian government, which is exactly what Orwell was fighting against in the Spanish Civil War.

In 1968, pop-artist Andy Warhol was shot and nearly killed by radical feminist writer Valerie Solanas, who believed the artist had snubbed her professionally. Claiming Warhol “had too much control in her life,” she confessed to the shooting the following day. According to the Andy Warhol Museum, he had to wear a surgical corset for the rest of his life as a result of his injuries. After the shooting, Warhol shifted his focus more to film and photography. Even though his work changed dramatically after his near-death experience, his artistic accomplishments both before and after the incident are remembered.

In 1990, actress Kelly Preston was engaged to a man who’s no stranger to controversy: Charlie Sheen. The two were happy together and living in Malibu, until one morning when Preston accidentally shot herself in the arm with Charlie’s pistol. Captain Tiger blood himself had left his gun loaded and in his jeans pocket. A recipe for disaster, for sure, and that recipe bore fruit when Preston picked the pants up off the floor. When the revolver fell out it hit the floor, fired, and Preston was struck by... toilet shrapnel. The couple did break up after the incident, and Preston married John Travolta in 1991. But there’s no bad blood between Preston and Sheen, and Preston was one of the few people to defend Sheen during his very public meltdown in 2011.

Ol’ Dirty Bastard, known as the loose cannon of the Wu-Tang Clan, lived a dangerous life, getting arrested many times during the course of his career. He is also the only member of this list to have been shot on two separate occasions. First, he was heshot in the abdomen by another rapper, during an argument in 1994. Four years later he was shot again, this time in the back during a home invasion at his girlfriend’s apartment. Despite being very lucky to have made a full recovery after both shootings, Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s lifestyle caught up to him, taking him down with a drug overdose in 2004 at the age of the 35.

The 1970s were a difficult time for Jamaica, with tension and violence erupting between political factions. That is why Bob Marley held a free non-political concert in Kingston, with the hope of bringing unity to the country. Two days before the concert was held, Marley and his wife were shot by an unknown gunman, in what was believed to be a politically motivated attack. Despite still suffering from wounds on his arm and chest, Marley decided to perform at the concert. When asked why, Marley explained: “The people who are trying to make the world worse aren’t taking a day off. How can I?” Talk about a “show must go on” moment!

Before we get to our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

- Peter Fonda
- The Game
- Garrett Morris

While all the other celebrities on this list were lucky to survive their shooting, the fact that 50 Cent lived is nothing short of a miracle. In 2000, 50 Cent was shot at nine times at close range by an unknown gunman, believed to be working for a drug lord. He was shot in the hand, arm, both legs, hip, chest, and cheek. 50 Cent hasn’t shied away from discussing his brutal story, and even released a song titled “9 shots,” which fully describes the ordeal. Even more of a miracle than 50 Cent surviving the incident, was that he was able to make full recovery after just five months.

Do you agree with our list? Which celebrity shooting surprised you the most? For more deadly Top 10s be sure to visit WatchMojo.com