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Some secrets are so shocking, they're kept hidden until death — and sometimes beyond. Join us as we uncover the hidden truths behind some of the most famous faces in history, from concealed illnesses and secret identities to dark scandals and double lives that were buried alongside their keepers. Which revelation will leave you most speechless?
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00:00I looked like my father. I had my father's very large ears.
00:04Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at celebrities who took shocking hidden truths to their grave,
00:09some of which would be revealed after their passing.
00:11Highly anticipated documents, also mentioned theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking.
00:19Norm Macdonald.
00:20The comedy world was left stunned when beloved funny man Norm Macdonald passed away on September 14th, 2021 at age
00:2661.
00:27You know, I don't know if you remember this, but I used to actually be on this show.
00:33I used to do the weekend update news routine, you remember that?
00:37It turned out not even those closest to him knew he'd been fighting cancer for nearly a decade.
00:41Despite being surrounded by fellow comedians, friends, and collaborators during his battle,
00:46Macdonald chose to keep his diagnosis and treatment private.
00:49The Saturday Night Live veteran's death on Tuesday follows a nine-year battle with cancer,
00:54a struggle that he had decided to keep private.
00:56His producing partner revealed that he didn't want the illness to define him or alter how people saw him.
01:02Norm even filmed a secret stand-up special in 2020, just in case things went sound,
01:06which was released posthumously on Netflix under the name Nothing Special.
01:09He goes, sounds like chronic fatigue syndrome to me.
01:12I said, really? What's that?
01:13He says, well, chronic means always, and fatigue means tired, and syndrome, that means something you got.
01:24Whitney Houston.
01:26I wish you love.
01:31Without question, Whitney Houston was one of the greatest vocal talents of her or any generation.
01:36However, after the singer's 2012 passing, a deeply personal and previously unspoken part of her life came to light.
01:43In the 2018 documentary, Whitney, it was revealed through interviews with family and her longtime assistant
01:48that Houston had confided that her cousin, soul singer Dee Dee Warwick, had harmed her when she was underage.
01:54A new documentary about the late singer just premiered at the Cannes Film Festival,
01:57and it includes allegations that Houston was sexually abused as a child by soul singer Dee Dee Warwick.
02:03The claim was also echoed by her half-brother about himself.
02:06In the documentary, Houston's brother said he, too, was abused by Warwick as a child.
02:10She died in 2008, four years before Houston.
02:13Whitney never publicly discussed this alleged abuse, and it opened up new perspectives on her much-publicized lifelong struggles.
02:20Jimmy Snuka.
02:21Apparently, Superfly Jimmy Snuka's electrifying wrestling career hit a much darker chapter,
02:26one that wouldn't fully resurface until decades later.
02:28In May 1983, his 23-year-old girlfriend, Nancy Argentino, was found unresponsive in a Pennsylvania motel room
02:35and later died from traumatic brain injuries that suggested possible foul play.
02:39As the last person with her, Snuka offered multiple conflicting explanations.
02:43Basically, he dragged things out of him, and he just said that they must have wrestled a little bit too
02:47much.
02:47The case eventually went cold, lingering as a troubling mystery, until it was reopened in 2013.
02:53Snuka was charged in 2015, but by 2017, he was ruled mentally unfit to stand trial,
02:58and the charges were dismissed shortly before his death.
03:01His attorney had argued that his dementia was so bad that he didn't even realize what was going on.
03:07Leaving the truth about what happened to Argentino buried with the wrestler, Alan Rickman.
03:11Has it ever crossed your brilliant mind that I don't want to do this anymore?
03:16Celebrated for his roles in such films as Harry Potter and Die Hard,
03:20Alan Rickman passed away in 2016 at age 69.
03:23Only after his death, however, did fans learn that he had been battling pancreatic cancer.
03:27Rickman reportedly received the diagnosis in 2015, but told very few people.
03:31He even continued to work on several projects, including voicing Absalom, the Caterpillar, and Alice Through the Looking Glass.
03:37Rickman's quiet endurance reflected his reserved and dignified nature, both on and off screen.
03:43When the news finally broke, shocked fans, friends, and colleagues warmly remembered his talent and professionalism.
03:49Which is to give people a good time to, you know, go to the movies and have a night off
03:55from life, really, is what that is.
03:58Bing Crosby
04:06This Hollywood legend had quite the hidden saga, uncovered only years following his death.
04:10In 1999, more than 20 years after Bing Crosby passed away, certain FBI files were made public, showing that the
04:17singer and actor had received threatening letters.
04:20Someone was demanding $10,000 from Crosby, threatening his life if he didn't pay.
04:24These letters were tied to a shitty figure, and although the FBI released details of the extortion attempts, the identity
04:30of the sender has never been disclosed.
04:32The revelation painted a different picture of Crosby's pirate struggles, which had been buried beneath his smooth public persona for
04:38decades.
04:39Stephen Hawking
04:39Only after the death of renowned physicist Stephen Hawking in 2018, did a surprise link between him and a certain
04:46disgraced financier come to light.
04:48The anticipated documents also mentioned theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking.
04:53Yep.
04:54Reports revealed that Hawking once attended a scientific conference funded by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
05:00This included a submarine excursion that Epstein financed.
05:04Hawking was also mentioned in documents in the U.S. Department of Justice's release of Epstein files.
05:08Needless to say, the appearance and photos of him at Epstein-associated events raised plenty of eyebrows.
05:14While there's no evidence Stephen Hawking was involved in any wrongdoing, it underscores how even celebrated figures can have unexpected
05:20connections.
05:21If you are looking for trouble, you found it.
05:24Yeah, just try me, you-
05:26No!
05:26Richard Pryor.
05:27Many will happily tell you that Richard Pryor was a groundbreaking comedian whose raw honesty made him a trailblazer.
05:33When I was drinking, though, it was fine.
05:35I had to stop drinking, though, because I got tired, like, waking up in my car driving 90.
05:39Yet, there was one part of his life that he kept private, only to be confirmed after his death.
05:43You see, following Pryor's passing in 2005, his widow, Jennifer Lee, spoke openly about aspects of his relationships, including romantic
05:51involvements with men.
05:53She confirmed everything and then more, Charles, and it was kind of surprising how open she was, but she said
05:58Richard had no shame in this either, and he was actually very open about his bisexuality with friends.
06:04He had diaries that he wrote about it, too.
06:06I hadn't heard that, by the way.
06:07Lee's decision to share these facets of his life, which were largely hinted at but never confirmed publicly, offered a
06:13more complete picture of the comedian's complex personal identity and same-sex relationships,
06:18reportedly including one with legendary actor Marlon Brando, Elvis Presley.
06:26When Elvis Presley died on August 16, 1977, many fans assumed the king of rock and roll left behind incredible
06:33wealth, but that was not the case.
06:34At the time of his death, Presley's net worth was reported to be just around $5 million, a figure he
06:40didn't openly share.
06:41Elvis' capital was significantly eaten up by the cost of maintaining Graceland and various financial obligations.
06:47In the early 1980s, the estate faced massive tax burdens tolling around $10 million, which threatened its financial stability.
06:54Fortunately, licensing deals helped rebuild the estate's finances, and by 1989, it was worth more than $75 million.
07:01Unfortunately, tax issues continued to haunt the Presley family for years after.
07:07Falling in love with you.
07:11Gene Wilder.
07:12There's no earthly way of mowing.
07:19For generations, Gene Wilder delighted audiences with unforgettable performances and classics like Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Young Frankenstein,
07:28and Blazing Saddles.
07:29But in his later years, the beloved actor carried a heartbreaking private burden.
07:33Wilder had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, a reality he and his family chose to keep confidential until after his
07:39passing in 2016.
07:40According to his family, Wilder wanted to spare fans, especially young ones, the sadness of seeing him in decline, choosing
07:47instead to preserve the joy his characters brought.
07:50Today, we learned his own health has been failing for years.
07:53For the past three years, he struggled with Alzheimer's, but chose to keep it private, preferring his fans to remember
07:59him in his prime.
08:00As the illness progressed, Wilder quietly stepped away from the spotlight, spending his final years surrounded only by those closest
08:07to him, Jimmy Savile.
08:08Once a beloved British television presenter and charity fundraiser, Jimmy Savile was knighted for his contributions in the 1970s and
08:1580s.
08:16However, after his death in 2011, a horrifying truth emerged.
08:20Hundreds of allegations of sexual abuse and misconduct were brought forward, detailing decades of predatory behaviour, including assaults on vulnerable
08:27youths in hospitals and other institutions where he had access.
08:31You used to be a wrestler, didn't you?
08:33I still am.
08:34Are you?
08:36I'm feared in every girl's school in this country.
08:38Police investigations concluded that Savile was an offender on a massive scale.
08:43The revelations tarnished his reputation irreparably, leading to inquiries into how institutions had enabled him.
08:49Posthumously, Jimmy is now a symbol of systemic failure and a stark warning about hidden abuse.
08:54May God forgive me, but I hope he's in hell.
08:57Freddie Mercury
08:57In November 1991, Freddie Mercury confirmed what many had suspected for years.
09:02The Queen frontman was HIV positive and had AIDS.
09:06A day after this statement was issued, Mercury passed away.
09:09He'd known for two years that he had AIDS, but had kept it quiet, living the life of a recluse
09:14in his five million pound mansion in West London, where fans have been paying their tributes.
09:19Although his illness had become public knowledge, there was still one secret that Mercury decided to keep between himself and
09:24his former life partner, Mary Austin.
09:27His final resting place.
09:28He'd given himself, um, a limit.
09:32And I think, personally, that when he couldn't record anymore, or have the energy to do that anymore, then it
09:44would be the end.
09:45Mercury asked Austin to bury his cremated remains somewhere private.
09:49According to Austin, this was because he didn't want anyone trying to dig him up.
09:53Austin honored Mercury's wishes, carrying his ashes in a plastic bag to a mystery location.
09:58You can ask Mercury's fellow Queen members and family, but Austin is reportedly the only living person who knows where
10:04Mercury resides.
10:11Coco Chanel.
10:12Chanel remains a prominent beauty brand, although its namesake's ties to Nazi Germany cast a dark shadow over the company's
10:19legacy.
10:19Many biographies do mention how Coco Chanel is known to have Nazi connections, in particular her relationship with a Nazi
10:27officer during World War II.
10:30During her lifetime, it wasn't exactly a secret that Coco Chanel had a relationship with Hans Guntra von Dinglich, who
10:36reportedly collaborated with Nazis.
10:38What wasn't as well known is that Chanel herself was a Nazi agent, working for the intelligence company, Zische Heinsteinst.
10:45It is an honor to be invited as you guessed.
10:49She not only answered to Walter Schellenberg, one of the agency's leading figures, but Chanel supposedly had an affair with
10:55him.
10:55She was also linked to Operation Modellhut, a failed attempt to negotiate peace between Germany and Britain.
11:01Avoiding prison, Chanel mostly managed to keep her Nazi connections under wraps, but recently, declassified documents have presented her in
11:08a very different light.
11:09Did you hear what I just said?
11:11They suspect me of collaborating.
11:14Can't possibly go to Berlin.
11:16Chadwick Boseman.
11:17Various celebrities have privately faced fatal illnesses, although few deaths blindsided the public at Chadwick Boseman's.
11:23Following several acclaimed performances, Boseman landed his most high-profile role as T'Challa in the MCU.
11:29I learned from my enemies.
11:31Beat them at their own game.
11:32You have become them.
11:34You will destroy the wild, Wakanda included.
11:36The same year Boseman made his MCU debut, he was diagnosed with colon cancer.
11:41Boseman didn't slow down, headlining the billion-dollar Black Panther while finding time for other projects.
11:46Oh, come on, Levy, we was all just having fun.
11:49Toledo ain't said nothing about you, he ain't said about me.
11:51You're just taking it all wrong.
11:52He ain't meant nothing about Levy.
11:54Levy got to be Levy.
11:56And you don't need nobody messing with him about the white...
12:00You don't know nothing about me.
12:02You don't know, Levy.
12:03You don't know nothing about what kind of blood I got.
12:05Behind the scenes, though, his cancer was advancing.
12:08Only a small group was entrusted with Boseman's secret.
12:10Even directors like Ryan Coogler and Spike Lee didn't realize what Boseman was going through.
12:16We've been dying for this country from the very get.
12:18Hoping one day they'd give us our rightful place.
12:21The world found out under the most tragic circumstances when Boseman succumbed to his illness in 2020.
12:26Like a superhero with a secret identity, Boseman continued to inspire, even while enduring personal battles.
12:37Bob Crane.
12:38Best known for playing Colonel Robert on Hogan's Heroes, Bob Crane met a violent end in 1978.
12:43I was called in in the mid-afternoon after the body was discovered.
12:48Crane's friend, John Henry Carpenter, was accused of the murder, although he'd ultimately be acquitted.
12:54While his murders remain unsolved, a secret side of Crane's life would be exposed in the process.
12:58Crane had a vast collection of explicit photos and videos that he made with his partners.
13:03There was video equipment all over the living room.
13:05There was videotapes laying about.
13:09The actor was open about his sex obsession with friends, colleagues, and even certain family members.
13:14To the public, though, he maintained a fairly clean image.
13:17It's unclear if Crane's murder was connected to his sexual activities, which Carpenter was well aware of.
13:22In any case, the revelations about Crane's sex life proved nearly as shocking as his death.
13:27Bob Crane ain't a loser.
13:28It's you who brought Bob Crane down.
13:30Bob Crane is a good guy.
13:31Jean Spangler
13:32Lending a few bitmovie parts, Jean Spangler was just getting her feet wet when she mysteriously disappeared in 1949.
13:39Last seen at a grocery store, Spangler was supposed to meet with her ex-husband and work on set, according
13:44to her sister-in-law.
13:45While her body was never uncovered, the authorities found her torn purse in the park with a note reading,
13:50Kirk, can't wait any longer, going to see Dr. Scott.
13:53Some suspected Kirk might be Kirk Douglas, who starred in a film Spangler worked on.
13:58I'm not going to be tied down to anybody or anything.
14:00From now on, I'm playing it my way.
14:02Douglas claimed he barely knew Spangler, however.
14:05Spangler was allegedly three months pregnant, possibly seeking an illegal abortion from the enigmatic Dr. Scott.
14:10Whatever Spangler was up to, any chance of getting an answer likely died with her.
14:14The nature of her disappearance has made it difficult for the police to pinpoint exactly what happened to her on
14:20that night in 1949.
14:22Charles Lindbergh.
14:23This famed aviator was at the center of a media circus when his firstborn son, Charles Jr., was kidnapped and
14:30murdered.
14:30As he did when the baby disappeared, he shuts down his emotions and buries himself in the facts.
14:37Lindbergh went on to have more children, some hidden from the public eye.
14:40While he was married to fellow pilot Anne Morrow, Lindbergh had affairs with three European women, two of whom were
14:46sisters.
14:47He gave Brigitte, Marietta, and Valeska a P.O. box, where all three sent their letters.
14:53For security reasons, he constantly changed this P.O. box.
14:58Over a roughly 10-year period, Lindbergh fathered seven children with his mistresses.
15:02Shortly before his death, Lindbergh implored the three women not to reveal the true parentage of their children.
15:07The mothers kept the secret, although one of Lindbergh's illegitimate daughters eventually connected the dots.
15:12She sat on this information for years, but went public with Lindbergh's double life after her mother and Anne Morrow
15:18died.
15:18He went to extraordinary lengths to keep it all secret, and his methods are only now becoming public.
15:27Corey Haim.
15:28One half of the two Corey's, this actor rose to fame in the 80s with films like The Lost Boys
15:33and License to Drive.
15:34Not too bad for a kid without his license, huh?
15:38Yet, Haim's all-too-short life was riddled with tragedy.
15:42Both Haim and Corey Feldman allegedly endured abuse during their youth.
15:45Nobody still knows the full story except him.
15:47Following Haim's sudden death in 2010, Feldman claimed that his late friend had been abused by a major Hollywood figure
15:53during the production of 1986's Lucas.
15:56Feldman and fellow actor, Dominic Brazia, accused Charlie Sheen, who denied these allegations.
16:01Haim's mother also asserted that Sheen was innocent, saying it was actually Brazia who had been abusive toward her son.
16:07She also accused Feldman of exploiting Haim.
16:10Whatever the truth is, Haim sadly left this world with much unresolved.
16:13What is it like to be you?
16:17It's awful.
16:17It's empty.
16:18It's loneliness.
16:19It's just, it's not the greatest thing in the world.
16:20It's, uh, it's being alone.
16:24Who the f*** wants to be alone?
16:25Billy Tipton.
16:25When this jazz musician and band leader passed away in 1989, the paramedics realized he had been assigned female at
16:32birth.
16:32Really, at the moment that Billy passed away and the moment the EMTs ripped his shirt open to try and,
16:38you know, keep him alive, was the moment that Billy's story, you know, became something completely different.
16:44This didn't just come as a surprise to the public.
16:46Most of his bandmates, romantic partners, and children had no idea that Billy Tipton was transgender until he died.
16:52I have no anger about anything that happened, because I understand that he, his love of something, is why he
17:07did what he did.
17:08While Tipton never married, he was involved with five women, who'd go by Mrs. Tipton.
17:12Only non-Earl Harrell knew Tipton was trans.
17:15He told the other four that his body was damaged in a car accident.
17:18Tipton had been binding his chest since the 30s, when he broke out on the music scene.
17:23Tipton's secret is one that many can identify with, showing how trans people have been hidden figures for much of
17:29human existence.
17:30There are so few accounts of us having access to, like, history that belongs to us, that is being created
17:38by us, that is being curated by us, that allows our voice and our vision to be a part of
17:42the process.
17:43Rock Hudson.
17:44Mere months before his death, it was confirmed that legendary actor Rock Hudson had been receiving treatment for AIDS.
17:51Hudson died quietly in his sleep this morning at his home in Beverly Hills.
17:55Although Hudson went forward with his diagnosis, he never officially came out to the public.
17:59It was something of an open secret in the industry that Hudson was gay.
18:03The revelation that Hudson had AIDS only seemed to confirm the rumors.
18:06As you know, Hudson was diagnosed more than two years ago.
18:09It got very serious about two months ago, when he checked into UCLA after coming back from France.
18:15His friend, novelist Armistead Maupin, even claimed that he outed Hudson around this time.
18:20Amid the press and speculation, though, Hudson remained tight-lipped about his sexual orientation.
18:25It wasn't until after Hudson died that the public started seeing his life through a different lens.
18:30Hudson hid his double life to protect his career, but his diagnosis and death perhaps left the world more accepting.
18:35I want you to make this the type of place that, well, you'd feel comfortable in.
18:49Before we continue, check out this single from Sound Mojo's Adia, Songs from Iran,
18:55reimagining Persian melodies as modern rock, metal, and pop songs.
18:59Check out the full track and album below.
19:01Oh, nature bring dawn to this darkness.
19:13Spring has come, flowers bloom.
19:19Clark Gable and Loretta Young.
19:21In 1935, actress Loretta Young gave birth to her daughter, Judy Lewis.
19:26Although she claimed Judy was adopted, people couldn't help but notice a resemblance to Young's
19:31Call of the Wild co-star, Clark Gable.
19:33Why, Jack, I never suspected.
19:35The world doesn't understand me.
19:37At heart, I'm an artist.
19:39Indeed, Gable was her biological father, but Lewis wouldn't learn this until several years after his death.
19:44I was put into an orphanage, and at 19 months old, my mother announced to the world that she had
19:53adopted me, but it was all a smokescreen, and it fooled nobody.
19:58Before he died in 1960, Gable had only met with Lewis once.
20:02Lewis briefly told Gable about her life, before he left with a kiss on the forehead.
20:06And it wasn't until I was 31 that I finally did ask my mother and did hear the truth from
20:12her, but by that time, my father had died.
20:15While Lewis wrote about her parentage, Young still refused to go on the record.
20:19Young would confess the truth to her biographer, albeit with a strict stipulation that the book not be published until
20:24after her passing.
20:26Releasing posthumously, Young's autobiography formally confirmed the secret.
20:30Which of these celebrity secrets surprised you the most?
20:32Let us know in the comments down below.
20:39Let us know in the comments down below.
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