Image Source / Robert Earl CroftTaken moments before his assassination in 1963, this photo of JFK is eerie. A beautiful summer day, smiling faces and happy scenes. All to change in an instant. Poised up ahead was Lee Harvey Oswald who shot the President from a high balcony. Safe to say that today presidential cars are bulletproof and very rarely do they travel ‘open top’.
Image Source / John KennedyStar Wars actress Carrie Fisher was captured in this photo in London the day prior to boarding a flight to LA. It was on board that she suffered a heart attack that would, four days later, lead to her traffic death. I bet the Fisher fan treasures this rare photo.
Image Source / tmz'The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus’ was Ledger’s final film before he tragically died. He was found in his New York apartment having overdosed on medication. Although his cause of death was cited as accidental, many to this day believe Ledger took his own life. RIP.
Image Source / Jonathan HordleThis English actor famous for starring in the Harry Potter series is captured here in the last known photo of him. Rickman was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the Summer of 2015 and, as many cancers so cruelly do, he quickly lost his battle. Rickman died on January 14th 2016, less than 6 months after his diagnosis.
Image Source / Vintage EverydayAnother tragic story of a life lost too soon, and another member of the 27 club. This photo is of Nirvana front man, Kurt Cobain in some bright blue sunglasses and a hate. Sadly, there is no question as to the cause of Cobain’s death - he shot himself at his home in Seattle.
Image Source / Paul GoreshUnbelievably, the man who shot and killed John Lennon is pictured here getting an autograph from the Beatles singer. Famously, after signing his autograph, Lennon asked, “Is this all you want?” to which Mark Chapman nodded and smiled. Of course that wasn’t all he wanted and four hours later, Chapman caught up with Lennon, dropping to his knees and shooting him multiple times in the back.
Image Source / WikipediaLike Alan Rickman Bob Marley lost his life to cancer. This is the final photo of him and as you can see, he was extremely frail by the end. In fact, pictured here he weighed just 35 kilograms. Marley had skin cancer which started as a small, dark mark under his toe which spread over his body and finally, sadly, killed him in 1981.
Image Source / Hana AliLegendary boxer Muhammad Ali was hospitalised in 2016 after becoming short of breath. Initially diagnosed with a minor respiratory illness, Ali caught sepsis - blood poisoning. In less than 24 hours, at the age of 74 he was pronounced dead. A true sporting and charity hero who won’t be forgotten. Here is is on a final call with his daughter Hana.
Image Source / Vanity FairMicheal Jackson’s sold-out arena tour never went ahead as he went into cardiac arrest just days before his first show. Like so many other celebrity deaths, Jackson had a high volume of drugs in his system and, despite multiple attempts to resuscitate him, he was pronounced dead at a hospital close to his LA home on 25th June 2009. This photo shows Jackson in rehearsals, what a loss.
Image Source /historyinpicsThe Queen frontman Freddie Mercury lost his life in 1991 following a long-term battle with AIDS. Mercury denied rumours that he had the illness for years until, just 1 day before he passed, he released a statement confirming everyone’s biggest fear:"Following the enormous conjecture in the press over the last two weeks, I wish to confirm that I have been tested HIV positive and have AIDS. I felt it correct to keep this information private to date to protect the privacy of those around me. However, the time has come now for my friends and fans around the world to know the truth and I hope that everyone will join with me, my doctors and all those worldwide in the fight against this terrible disease."Less than 24 hours later he died.
Image Source / APFemale pilot and aerospace pioneer Amelia Earhart spent her life setting flying records. The fact she was a woman made her achievements all the more impressive as at the time, women were generally discouraged from taking part in such pursuits. In the photo, Amelia is pictured with navigator Fred Noonan shortly before they attempted to circumnavigate the globe. On July 2nd, 1937, the plane disappeared somewhere over the Pacific Ocean and Earhart and Noonan were never seen again.
Image Source / SplashHere’s singer Whitney Houston leaving a Hollywood club just before her passing. Two days later, she was found unconscious in the Beverly Hilton Hotel in circumstances that have now become well-known. Houston was found drowned in a bathtub although it’s unlikely the water killed her - she was heavily intoxicated with a cocktail of drugs which likely made her unconscious in the most dangerous of places - the bath.
Image Source /Jacques LangevinIn the Summer of 1997, Princess Diana lost her life in a French tunnel following a paparazzi chase. Her car was speeding away from the Ritz hotel. In the photo, you can see Diana turning to look back at the aggressive press who were tailing her car so dangerously. Seconds later, the driver lost control and crashed into a pillar. Diana was critically injured and later died in hospital.
Image Source / WikipediaAmy Winehouse is a name that will surely live on forever. At just 27 when she died, she truly was a talent lost too soon. In this photo, taken near her London home, she can be seen looking dishevelled and intoxicated. Just over 1 week later she died. She has various drugs in her system and her blood alcohol content more than 5 times over the drink-drive limit. This, partnered with her tiny frame (Amy struggled with eating disorders), makes it easy to see how she slipped away.
Image Source / vintag.esThis man’s name has become far more popular after his death than when he was alive, thanks to the electric car brand of Elon Musk. So who was Tesla? Well, he was an inventor, physicist and all-round smart man, most famous for his work on electricity (hence the car brand). He died on 7th January 1943 and this is the last known photo of him.
Image Source / WikipediaApple Founder Steve Jobs contributed so much to the world before he died in 2011. As with Alan Rickman, Jobs had pancreatic cancer and as the photo sadly shows, it wiped him of all his strength in his final few weeks. He passed peacefully at his California home with his family by his side. Reassuringly, his final words were:“Oh wow, oh wow, oh wow.”Perhaps hinting at the happy realisation of what lies beyond life.
Image Source / Robert CallPresley shot to fame in the 50s, where his swinging hips and strong jawline made him an overnight sensation. As he aged, he succumbed to poor diet and lifestyle choices and died of a heart attack in his Graceland bathroom.
Image Source / Buddy GrecoOf a similar era to Presley, Marilyn Monroe was the ultimate Hollywood superstar. Famed for her curvaceous body and stunning smile she appeared to exude the Hollywood dream. Sadly though this wasn’t always the case - she had been suffering with mental health problems for years and was found dead by her psychiatrist following a suspected drug overdose.
Image Source / Leonard JeffersonThe details surrounding Tupac’s death remain a mystery and conspiracy to this day. In this photo, the rapper is pictured just moments before he was shot multiple times in a drive-by attack. The allegations soon began to emerge - who could possibly kill Tupac? Rumours were directed towards his rival Notorious B.I.G yet nothing was ever found to connect the fellow rapper to the crime.
Image Source / Anne Frank Fonds BaselThe story of Anne Frank is, quite rightly, taught all over the world. This young lady hid in a secret apartment for years as they sought to avoid capture by Nazi soldiers. The details of their time confined together are recorded in Anne’s famous diary. Here however is a rare photo of the teenager taken before she was eventually found and sent to a concentration camp where she lost her life. What an incredibly brave young woman.
Image Source /PinterestIn this mysterious looking paparazzi shot, Prince can be seen outside a pharmacy near his Minnesota home. Looking frail and thin, the pop star died just 13 hours after this photo was taken. He was found in an elevator - perhaps on his way to seek help. Drug tests showed he had taken too much of his opioid pain medication Fentanyl - which perhaps he was collecting in the photo. There was limited evidence that he killed himself and yet like so many drug-related deaths, the truth behind this is impossible to know.
Image Source / TalindaBSeen smiling and looking content alongside his beautiful family, it’s hard to imagine that just days later Chester Bennington would take his own life. He was found hanged at his California home following a struggle with depression and addiction.Tragically, just days before he took his own life, he told friend Rene Mata, "We have to stick together, and we have so much to live for."
Image Source / Monika DannemanThis candid shot of legendary guitarist Jimi Hendrix was taken by his girlfriend Monika Danneman in their garden. Just a day later he died after choking on his own vomit. Yet again, he had a concoction of drugs - including sleeping pills - in his system which may or may not equate to suicide.
Image Source / therobinwilliamsPictured here with his unusual choice of pet, Williams is just 20 days away from death. The acclaimed actor had been wrongly diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease which in fact turned out to be a form of dementia causing severe paranoia. It was presumably this symptom which led him to kill himself as he was found hanging at his home. Tragic.
Image Source / christophermccandless.infoMuch like Tesla, McCandless’ fame emerged after his death. Having ventured into the Alaskan mountains, McCandless had hoped to live a nomadic life, living off the land. Sadly, this wasn’t possible and he died of starvation in August 1992. This photo, discovered on his camera, was found after he died. The film, Into the Wild, documents his incredible story.
Image Source / AP/Charles KellyCivil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. is pictured with other campaigners standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. Just 24h later, he was assassinated in practically the same spot by James Earl Ray. Like many assassinations, speculation and conspiracies circulated with some claiming Earl Ray was in fact innocent and framed for the killing.
Image Source / CorbisTaken the day he died, this photo shows James Dean at a gas station which is apt as he loved cars and racing. Sadly, he died after crashing the pictured Porsche. He was said to have been swerving to avoid an oncoming car. Very spookily, when chatting to actor Alec Guinness, Dean asked his opinion of the sports car. Guinness said to Dean: "If you get in that car, you will be found dead in it by this time next week." Tragically, what was presumably a lighthearted quip turned out to be true.
Image Source / Price/face to face/MediaPunchAppearing here for the premiere of his musical, 'Lazarus,' it’s hard to believe this was Bowie’s last sighting before he died. He’d been battling liver cancer for the best part of a year and, when this photo was shot, would have known his end was in sight. His final album ‘Blackstar’ is packed full of references to death and is an eerie epilogue to his music career.
Image Source / RankerIn this photo the Nazi leader can be seen greeting soldiers. He had come to survey bomb damage in Berlin and just two days later, on April 30th 1945 he shot himself. Why? To avoid Soviet capture as troops marched into the city with him in their sights.
Image Source / TMZCaptured aboard his boat ‘Croc 1’ with marine biologist pal Chris Jones, this photo of Steve Irwin is the last known before he died, 2 days later, having been stung directly into his heart with a stingray’s poisonous spine. He tragically left behind two adorable children who are now all grown up.
This was Benazir Bhutto standing outside of her bulletproof (2002, December 27th) car to wave to people, just moments before a man standing near shot the three fatal bullets at her and then detonated his suicide vest and she tragically died as did other people in the incident.
This is one of the last pictures ever taken of James Gandolfini before he died. Here he was dining in Rome with his family while they were all on vacation together. But soon after he died, on June 19th, 2013, of a heart attack in his hotel. It came after a day of sight seeing in the city.
This was Brittany Murphy during her last public appearance, a red carpet event. Just some days after this she collapsed in her bathroom due to cardiac arrest and sadly passed away. She was suffering with pneumonia and she also died from drug intoxication from a mixture of legal drugs.
This was the last picture of Franklin D. Roosevelt, taken just the day before he died. It was 1945 when he passed away after having a stroke. He is amongst 8 American presidents who have died during their term of office. There was a great outcry of grief from the public.
This was River Phoenix just two days before he died of a drug overdose after a mixture of drugs were found in his system. That nigh he performed at a nightclub and by the early hours of the morning he had died, at the tragically young age of 23 years old.
The well loved George Harrison very sadly passed away after battling with throat cancer. This was a picture of him before he died. First he battled with throat cancer and after it went successfully it came back in the form of lung cancer which he could not fight.
Robert F. Kennedy was taken moments after his shooting at the Ambassador Hotel which happened in Los Angeles by Sirhan Sirhan on June 5, the year 1968. Robert F. Kennedy died in the early hours of the next morning. Sirhan was arrested the very next day after being held by the authorities.
This picture was taken that very morning, just hours before the fateful car crash that took his life. He was in his friend in the car on the way to a charity event. His friend driving lost control of the car and the both of them died instantly from the impact of the crash.
Here Joan Rivers is posing with a fan, she was singing and performing right up until her death. She had only gone into hospital for what was called a minor throat operation. But, during the procedure there were some major difficulties and she stopped breathing.
Phillip Hoffman had struggled for decades with addiction - approximately 23 years he had managed to stay sober. But, then he suffered a relapse. After his support circle around him trying to get him back on track he did not manage and he was found dead from an overdose surrounded by bags of heroin.
Aaliyah's singing career was just at it peak - she had recorded a string of singles and she was boarding this plane with her friends on the way to a holiday destination. This is literally before she died on this very plane when it tragically crashed killing 8 passengers on board.
Chris Benoit's story is an extremely disturbing one. He was a pro-wrestler who turned into a murderer in a killing spree. Benoit murdered both his son and then his wife in a killing spree by strangling her at his home before committing suicide himself.
This is a picture of the historical icon Mahatma Ghandi making his way through a crowd before his very last moments. He was confronted by his assassin who was named Nathuram Godse. Godse fatally shot him three times in the chest on January 30, 1948.
This is Mark Twain surrounded by people in April 1910 when he died of a heart attack the very same day. This last photo of him captures his very final moments before he passed away - it has become a historical photo. Twain could not be saved and he died moments later.
This is Albert Einstein n Princeton, NJ, in March 1955 - one of the most famous figures to ever walk the planet. Einstein died in 1955 after he suffered an abdominal aortic aneurysm which caused severe internal bleeding that he could not be saved from and passed away.
This is Avicii the world famous DJ (whose real name was Tim Bergling) pictured with a fan, it is his final moment out in public before he died a very premature death after tragically committing suicide in the year of 2018 whilst he was on holiday in Oman, Muscat.
Bruce Forsyth was the legendary British entertainer and long time Strictly Come Dancing host who was adored by fans. He died in 2017 at the age of 89 after a long battle suffering illness and ill health. This is his last photo out and about in public.