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Remembering the Fallen Stars of 2011

Published on Friday, December 30 2011
Written by Super User

As the countdown begins to a new year, here is a brief recap of stars whose life journeys ended all too soon this past year:

One of the most talented musicians of our generation, British singer Amy Winehouse, passed away far too early at age 27 on July 23, after being found dead in her North London home. It was one of the most buzzed-about deaths, covered heavily by the media as speculation grew that her sudden death was from a drug overdose. Pathologist Suhail Baithun said it wasn’t drugs that killed the Grammy winner, but alcohol that did the singer in. The autopsy showed that Winehouse had consumed "a very large quantity of alcohol" and that her blood-alcohol limit was more than five times that of the drunk-driving limit. The Back to Black singer’s death has officially been ruled by the coroner’s office a “death by misadventure” and that her passing was an "unintended consequence" of accidental alcohol poisoning.

Just three months earlier, another one of Hollywood’s leading ladies, Oscar winner Elizabeth Taylor passed away. She died March 23 at age 79 after battling congestive heart failure. In addition to starring in more than 50 films, Taylor was also known for her eight marriages to seven different men, her over-the-top and extravagant lifestyle, and her AIDS activism. A-listers everywhere showed their condolences to the Hollywood icon; Elton John said in a statement, “We have just lost a Hollywood giant; more importantly, we have lost an incredible human being." Taylor was still in the spotlight months after her death, as the auction of her dazzling jewels was approaching. Pieces from Taylor’s lavish jewelry collection were auctioned off a few weeks ago, bringing in $116 million, a world record for a private collection of jewels. 

“Innovator,” “visionary” and “genius” are just a few of the adjectives used to describe the former Apple CEO, Steve Jobs, who passed away October 5 after a long and public battle with pancreatic cancer. Jobs may not be considered a “Hollywood star,” but he was a celebrity within the realm of technology as he revolutionized the music industry with iTunes and iPods and the way we communicate with the creations of iPhones and iPads. Jobs’s passing was felt worldwide and many celebs took to Twitter to express what his loss meant to them -- Ashton Kutcher: ”I never thought I could be so busted up about the loss of someone I never met. #stevejobs”; Ellen DeGeneres: “He was an amazing man with an incredible vision. He changed the world.”; Miley Cyrus: “Thank you for connecting all of us Mr. Jobs.” Steve Jobs was 56 years old. 

Hearts weighed heavy November 8 when 44-year-old rapper “Heavy D” (born Dwight Arrington Myers) collapsed in his Beverly Hills home and died just hours later in the emergency room at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Earlier this week, The Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office ruled that the hip-hop star’s death was caused by a pulmonary embolism, blockage in one or more arteries in his lungs, most likely caused by a blood clot. According to ABC News, the clot was probably linked with a flight Dwight had just taken from London to Los Angeles. The rapper rose to fame in the ‘90s with smash hits "Now That We Found Love" and “Is It Good To You.” Heavy D also starred in the TV show "Boston Public," appeared on "The Tracy Morgan Show," played Sid Shapiro on “Bones”, and recently guest starred on “Law and Order: Special Victim's Unit.” Attendees at his funeral included Jay-Z, Usher, Sean "Diddy" Combs, Queen Latifah, and John Legend.

MTV “Jackass” star Ryan Dunn attempted many dangerous stunts on public television and continuously survived them. However, on July 20, Dunn encountered a horrific situation that he could not survive: a fatal car crash. The accident happened in West Goshen, PA, around 2:30am, and local police reported Dunn’s 2007 Porsche flew over a guardrail, slammed into a tree, and burst into flames, killing Dunn and his passenger and friend, 30-year-old Zachary Hartwell. A police report indicated that Dunn was most likely speeding at the time of the accident. “Jackass” co-star Johnny Knoxville took to Twitter to mourn the loss of his longtime friend, writing, "Today I lost my brother Ryan Dunn. My heart goes out to his family and his beloved Angie. RIP Ryan, I love you buddy." Dunn was only 34 years old.

Hollywood has mourned the loss of all of these entertainers, and 2012 won’t be the same without them. May they all rest in peace.

 

- Audrey Cook, YH Staff