00:0025 years after Brian Jones' death, a new twist was added to his controversial story.
00:07Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we'll be discussing cases of celebrities who perished
00:13under shadowy circumstances, or whose demise featured controversial talking points after
00:19the fact.
00:20He hated her.
00:21Bad, and he wanted the whole world to know it.
00:25Casey Kasem.
00:27That wraps up our special countdown of the top 10 songs of the year 1991, a prelude of
00:32some of the great songs to come in this still young decade.
00:36The long and strange story of Casey Kasem's illness and death could take up an article
00:41all its own.
00:42The legendary radio personality was diagnosed with a serious illness in 2007, and eventually
00:47lost the ability to speak.
00:49A contentious back and forth between Kasem's wife, Jean, and the children would follow
00:54in the aftermath of this diagnosis.
00:56A conservatorship was eventually granted to Carrie Kasem, a daughter with previous
01:01wife Linda Myers.
01:10More arguments over visitation rights would follow, while the DJ's wife Jean moved Kasem
01:15from California to Washington state without any notification.
01:18Finally, the Kasem children sued Jean for wrongful death and elder abuse, later settling
01:23these suits.
01:25Jean waited six whole months to enter her husband's body in Oslo, Norway.
01:34Bobby Fuller The rock and roll singer and songwriter will
01:43always be remembered for the versions of I Fought The Law he recorded with his group
01:48The Bobby Fuller Four.
01:49However, he'll also be known for his mysterious death.
01:53The reasons for which continue to elude fans and authorities.
01:57Fuller was found unresponsive in his car back in 1966, with small hemorrhage marks along
02:02his face and body.
02:13Initial reports pointed to self-destruction as the cause of Fuller's death, yet conspiracies
02:17continue to abound as to whether or not this was true or a cover-up.
02:22Years after his death, the cause was changed to accident, suggesting there's more here
02:27than meets the eye.
02:34Barbara Colby This relatively unknown but talented character
02:49most memorable impact on the Mary Tyler Moore show, where she played a sex worker.
02:54Barbara Colby's realistic and down-to-earth approach to the role was a notable breath
02:59of fresh air when compared to the often exaggerated performances seen at the time.
03:14This perhaps spoke to Colby's dedication to improving her craft.
03:18As evidenced by her frequent visits to city acting classes.
03:21However, it was outside one of these very classes where Colby was gunned down in a shooting
03:27that's yet to be solved.
03:29Reports suggest that the actress didn't know her attackers, yet she also wasn't robbed.
03:34Could this have been a completely random incident, or was she targeted?
03:48Dr. Hang S. Knorr
04:01This Cambodian physician wasn't a trained actor prior to his Academy Award-winning performance
04:06in 1984's The Killing Fields.
04:09Yet it was Dr. Hang S. Knorr's experience living under the real-life Khmer Rouge regime
04:14of Pol Pot that made his performance so compelling.
04:18Knorr was the first performer of Asian descent to win the Best Supporting Actor award, and
04:23he parlayed this experience into further acting gigs after escaping to the United States.
04:36Knorr also did humanitarian work in the aftermath of his success, yet he was tragically gunned
04:41down outside his home on February 25th, 1996.
04:46Gang violence and robbery have both been offered up as reasons for Knorr's killing, while
04:51others believe that the actor was specifically targeted due to his political beliefs.
05:04George Reeves
05:13The 2006 film Hollywoodland remains a compelling look into the mysterious death of George Reeves,
05:19the first Superman.
05:21The actor's tenure as the Man of Steel back in the 1950s earned him love and acclaim,
05:26but it also limited his options.
05:28Rumors swirled around Reeves' supposed oppression due to personal finances and lack of creative
05:33opportunities.
05:46Reeves died of a gunshot wound on June 16th, 1959, yet there was an argument as to whether
05:52or not the wound was self-inflicted.
05:54The crime scene investigation was messy as well, thanks to the handling of bullet and
05:58fingerprint evidence that could have potentially shifted Reeves' cause of death away from
06:03self-destruction.
06:04The fact that Reeves' demise occurred during a house party also resulted in conflicting
06:09statements from guests.
06:21Bob Crane
06:29This star of the television hit Hogan's Heroes also received a film adaptation of his life
06:34and death in the form of 2002's Autofocus.
06:37That film offered speculatory evidence to a long-standing theory behind Bob Crane's
06:42murder in 1978.
06:44Said theory claimed that Crane's friend, John Henry Carpenter, was actually responsible
06:49for the murder after the pair had a personal falling out.
06:58Carpenter also allegedly assisted Crane in videotaping the TV star's numerous sexual
07:02encounters.
07:03Carpenter was arrested in 1992 and ultimately acquitted in 1994, yet there remain those
07:09who insist the man got away with murder.
07:24Brian Jones
07:31The Rolling Stones are a rock and roll institution, so much so that many fans forget the tragic
07:37death of a man often called the founder of the group.
07:40The guitarist and songwriter was found in his pool, drowned at the young age of 27 back
07:45in July 1969.
07:57Yet there are many that claim Jones was murdered.
08:00One consistent theory was that Jones was murdered over a financial dispute with a local
08:04construction worker, Frank Thorogood.
08:06The 2005 biopic dramatization, Stoned, leaned into this theory, while the official statement
08:12at the time of Jones' demise remains, death by misadventure.
08:28Elizabeth Short Most of the people on this list were celebrities
08:41before their death, but it was Elizabeth Short's tragic demise that earned her celebrity status.
08:47Known today as the Black Dahlia, Elizabeth Short was an aspiring actress who was killed
08:52in Los Angeles in 1947.
08:54Her murder is remembered today for its shocking violence, with Short's nude body grotesquely
09:00posed, mutilated, and drained of blood.
09:03The surgical precision of her wounds intrigued law enforcement, yet the wealth of misinformation
09:07and tabloid titillation regarding the case impeded their investigations.
09:12There were also instances of police ineptitude, such as when a prime suspect, embalming assistant
09:18Leslie Dillon, was held against his will and not given the right to an attorney.
09:22The case remains unsolved.
09:35Sonny Bono This prolific songwriter and musician didn't
09:50stop working after his personal and professional relationship with former wife Cher came to
09:54an end.
09:55Sonny Bono continued to write, record, and perform music, and even transitioned successfully
10:00into the world of politics.
10:02A successful bid for mayor of Palm Springs turned into a turn in the United States Congress,
10:07where Bono served in the House of Representatives.
10:20Bono tragically died in 1998 after hitting a tree while skiing, yet it was the behavior
10:25of his fourth wife, Mary, that raised eyebrows.
10:29Bono's widow, and eventual winner of his congressional seat, insisted that dependence
10:33upon prescription medication led to his death.
10:36This was not consistent with toxicology reports, which uncovered no evidence to support her
10:41opinion.
11:07Natalie Wood The career of Natalie Wood took off at a
11:17very young age, and continued to thrive in the years prior to her tragic death in 1981.
11:23The actress reportedly couldn't swim and was said to be terrified of the water.
11:27This makes her demise all the more confusing, since it took place during a yacht excursion
11:32with her husband, Robert Wagner, and friend, Christopher Walken.
11:43Accusations were leveled at Wagner for years after Wood's death, with some pointing to
11:47the tumultuous nature of their marriage as a motive.
11:50Still, others want to know what, if anything, is being hidden by Walken, who officially
11:55maintained that it was a tragic accident.
12:09Who is your most missed celebrity?
12:11What did you love about them?
12:12Let us know in the comments.
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