10 Infamous Assassinations in Entertainment History

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This is a compelling and somber topic that highlights the intersection of fame, influence, and danger. Here are some of the most shocking entertainer assassinations that have had a profound impact:  1. **John Lennon** - The former Beatle was shot and killed by Mark David Chapman in 1980. Lennon's assassination shocked the world, as he was an icon of peace and music.  2. **Sharon Tate** - The actress was brutally murdered by followers of Charles Manson in 1969. Tate's murder was a part of the infamous Manson Family killings, which horrified the public.  3. **Joan Root** - The wildlife conservationist and filmmaker was killed in her home in Kenya in 2006, a victim of a violent robbery that many believe was linked to her efforts to protect wildlife.  4. **Gianni Versace** - The fashion designer was murdered by serial killer Andrew Cunanan in 1997. Versace's death brought attention to the dangers faced by high-profile individuals.  5. **Selena Quintanilla-Pérez** - The beloved Tejano singer was killed by Yolanda Saldívar, her fan club president, in 1995. Selena's assassination was a devastating loss for the music community and her fans.  6. **Dimebag Darrell** - The guitarist for Pantera was shot and killed on stage by a deranged fan in 2004. This tragic event highlighted the potential risks faced by performers.  7. **Christina Grimmie** - The young singer and former contestant on "The Voice" was shot and killed by an obsessed fan during a meet-and-greet in 2016.  These assassinations not only robbed the world of incredible talent but also serve as stark reminders of the dangers that public figures can face due to their fame and influence.   What other assassinations in the entertainment industry do you find particularly shocking or impactful? Join the discussion in the comments.

Transcript

00:00You're about to see a dramatization of actual facts,

00:03in which some of the names have been changed.

00:05But the story is true."

00:06Welcome to WatchMojo.

00:08For this list, we're talking about popular people in entertainment

00:11targeted because of their sociopolitical and artistic viewpoints,

00:14and or by known hate groups or crime organizations.

00:18However, personal murders like Selena or Christina Grimmie,

00:21while impactful, have been excluded.

00:24Well, was it a robbery? Was it a break-in?

00:26It was so sketchy on everything.

00:31Renowned French photojournalist Christian Povera

00:33found an issue that needed more than just photographic representation.

00:37His debut documentary La Vida Loca explored horrific gang wars in El Salvador,

00:42mostly from the perspective of the 18th Street Gang.

00:44Despite the film's renown,

00:53it gave some dangerous people more exposure than they wanted.

00:56In 2009, Povera was shot dead in a hit by the 18th Street Gang

01:01facilitated by a corrupt police officer.

01:03Nearly a dozen conspirators were convicted,

01:05but one Salvadoran journalist asserted that Povera's

01:08was just one of many murders in the area that day.

01:11Povera believed in taking the ultimate risks

01:14to spread the most urgent stories.

01:16La Vida Loca remains a worthy success,

01:18but it cost a good man and important filmmaker his life.

01:32El Red del Corrido was in the right place at the right time

01:35to influence modern Mexican folk.

01:37Sadly, Chalino Sanchez was not so lucky in 1992.

01:41Four months after surviving a gunfight at Coachella,

01:44he dismissed a death threat at a concert in Culiacan.

01:47During the drive home, he was pulled over by men claiming to be state police,

01:51who needed a word with him at the station.

01:53Sanchez was found bound and dead of a gunshot the following day.

01:57The Narco Corrido trailblazer had his share of enemies

02:00as a volatile man who brought a criminal underworld to mainstream attention.

02:12Culiacan was and still is a cartel stronghold.

02:15Sanchez's killers were never identified,

02:18but his music and influence continue to expose urgent issues.

02:31Kenyan conservationist Joan Root was a groundbreaking voice

02:34in environmental documentaries,

02:36a prominent activist who took on corrupt industries and poachers.

02:42This likely contributed to four men killing her in her home with AK-47s.

02:53But no one knows who exactly was behind the killing.

02:56It could have been any number of criminal figures and syndicates,

03:00with some evidence pointing to disgruntled or corrupt associates hiring the killers.

03:04She didn't know Naivasha.

03:06She didn't know the area.

03:07She didn't know the people.

03:09Four men were eventually arrested,

03:11with robbery as a suspected motive,

03:13only to be acquitted due to flimsy evidence.

03:16For all of Root's work behind and away from the camera to bring justice,

03:20she has yet to receive any herself.

03:22Really, in her life story, it was a microcosm of what is happening

03:30not just to Kenya and Africa, but to the rest of the world.

03:35Yeah, the animal of racism is covered there with nice democratic discourse.

03:43Actor and filmmaker Juliano Meir Chamis was beloved in Palestine and Israel,

03:48a citizen and outspoken peace activist of both states.

03:51His proudest achievement was establishing the Freedom Theater in the Janine refugee camp.

03:59He was driving home from this cultural center when a masked gunman shot him

04:02five times in front of his son and babysitter.

04:05Though no one was ever convicted,

04:07it's suspected that the killer was a refugee and Islamic fundamentalist.

04:11Meir Chamis was always aware of the risks involved

04:14in trying to unify cultures with progressive ideals.

04:17Just as he brought together Palestinians and Israelis in life,

04:20he united them in mourning his senseless death.

04:25Sports fanaticism can become dangerous.

04:27In a case like Andres Escobar's, it can become fatal.

04:30The Colombian footballer was a hugely popular defender and public figure.

04:35Alas, his reputation plummeted after a 1994 World Cup match

04:39between Colombia and the United States,

04:41in which Escobar accidentally deflected the ball into his own team's goal.

04:45This helped seal Colombia's defeat and Escobar's fate.

04:49Five days later, he was shot once for each of the six goals

04:52called during that unfortunate game.

04:54Humberto Castro Munoz, a cartel enforcer whose boss allegedly bet big on Colombia,

05:00was later convicted on a guilty plea.

05:03A descendant of Vincent Van Gogh's brother,

05:06Theo Van Gogh was a prolific and enlightening filmmaker.

05:09But controversy erupted around the first installment in his documentary series,

05:13Submission, which dealt with violence against women in Muslim societies.

05:20Life with my husband is hard to bear, but I submit my will to you.

05:25The short film was written by Ayaan Hirsi Ali,

05:28a Somali-born former Muslim who's been accused of Islamophobia.

05:32The backlash culminated in Islamic extremist Mohamed Bouyeri

05:35shooting and cutting Van Gogh to death.

05:37He then pinned a death threat against Hirsi Ali to the body.

05:40The very public assassination and murder trial gripped Dutch media.

05:44Van Gogh is now considered a defining figure of the importance

05:48of modern documentary filmmaking and a reminder of its dangers.

05:56Adolfo Bresciano was an icon of Canadian pro-wrestling under the name Dino Bravo.

06:01But he was also swept up in violent enterprises outside of the ring.

06:05After retiring in 1992, he became a rising star in Canada's untaxed cigarette trade.

06:11It's assumed that he worked for his late uncle-in-law

06:14Vincenzo Catroni's notorious Montreal Mafia.

06:17Whatever he was up to,

06:18Bresciano's wife and daughter found him dead in his home with 17 gunshot wounds.

06:29Fellow wrestler Rick Martel speculates that his friend was targeted

06:32after police caught onto a cocaine operation he became involved in.

06:35Little is known about Bresciano's double life, let alone his unsolved murder.

06:40It's still all but certain that Canada's strongest man

06:42was finally brought down by organized crime.

06:47But he seems to be aggressive and he definitely has an attitude problem.

07:04Pierpaolo Pasolini's shocking films and writing made him one of Europe's most prominent,

07:08if divisive, Marxist artists.

07:10His personal life was also steeped in controversy for his involvement with teenage boys.

07:15After Pasolini was run over and beaten to death,

07:17teenager Giuseppe Pelosi confessed to killing him in self-defense.

07:21The slaying quickly became one of the most notorious in film history,

07:25especially for evidence suggesting Pelosi's innocence.

07:28After being released from prison,

07:29he claimed that his confession was coerced by several men who likely assassinated Pasolini.

07:34It's now popularly believed that the left-wing figure fell victim

07:37to the right-wing terrorism that pervaded Italy by the 1970s.

07:41In 2023, a formal plea to investigate evidence

07:44implicating a politically-affiliated crime syndicate was submitted.

07:48Listen, you insignificant, wretched nothings.

07:50You are here solely for our pleasure.

07:53Expect none of the kindness you knew in the outside world,

07:56like cliberty or the ridiculous idea of showing pity to others.

07:59Sharon Tate

08:05The senseless murder of actress Sharon Tate,

08:08along with several others at the home she shared with director Roman Polanski,

08:12is a cultural touchstone of the 1960s.

08:14An eight-and-a-half-months-pregnant Tate and four friends had been stabbed to death.

08:19Police soon arrested members of Charles Manson's bohemian cult.

08:22While there is debate about their motivations,

08:25the leading theory is that Manson intended to frame Black people for high-profile murders,

08:29thus inciting an apocalyptic race war he dubbed Helter Skelter.

08:33The bizarre incident has since gained an almost mythical reputation

08:37in the true crime and Hollywood zeitgeists.

08:39The fact remains that six lives were tragically and brutally lost.

08:43Two years ago, the hippie commune led by Charles Manson

08:46moved it into this old Wild West film set just outside Los Angeles.

08:50And it was here that they were living on the night the alleged murders took place.

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09:11John Lennon

09:19One of the most influential musicians of all time,

09:22John Lennon was also one of the most outspoken pacifists of his time.

09:26Mark David Chapman was a devoted fan,

09:28but resented what he saw as the hypocrisy in the wealthy pop star's humanitarianism.

09:32The Christian convert was also offended by Lennon's famously misinterpreted

09:36more popular than Jesus comment.

09:38If you give me the opportunity, I will do it.

09:44After months of planning, Chapman flew to New York City,

09:47followed Lennon into his apartment complex,

09:49and shot him four times in the back.

09:52This tragedy has become recognized as a defining symbol of violence in the modern age.

09:56Chapman himself now deeply regrets his actions.

09:59He also admits to his true motivation for such high-profile violence,

10:04to achieve his own fame.

10:06What entertainer assassinations did you find the most shocking?

10:09Join the discussion in the comments.

10:21Check out this other recent clip from WatchMojo,

10:24and be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos.

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