Former Child Stars Who Met Tragic Fates

The following article includes mentions of addiction, mental health issues, suicide, and allegations of domestic abuse, child abuse, and sexual abuse.

Many child stars unfortunately seem to struggle to adjust as they grow up, whether they remain in Hollywood or leave the entertainment industry altogether. But the following young celebrities sadly left the world far too soon, be it from succumbing to personal struggles or simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

For example, Sammi Kane Kraft (pictured above) — whose only onscreen role was in the 2005 remake of "Bad News Bears" — died as a passenger in a 2012 car accident when she was 20 years old, according to the Los Angeles Times. Kraft's real-life pitching skills had been her ticket to Hollywood. Director Richard Linklater cast her as spunky pitcher Amanda Whurlitzer "after she threw a 75 mph fastball at a casting call," reported the New York Daily News. Though she never acted again, Kraft had reportedly shifted her focus to higher education and music, playing in the band Scary Girls.

Keep reading to find out more about child stars of the past whose lives took a turn for the tragic.

Lee Thompson Young was the star of Disney's "The Famous Jett Jackson" from 1998 to 2001. He then landed a role in the 2004 movie "Friday Night Lights," followed by small gigs on television and in film. His most recent part was in the crime series "Rizzoli & Isles" from 2010 to 2013. Around this time, however, Young struggled with bipolar disorder and depression, and was reportedly treating his mental health. But according to the New York Daily News, the 29-year-old died by suicide in August 2013. The cast and crew of the crime drama were understandably "devastated" by his death, releasing a statement that they were "beyond heartbroken at the loss of this sweet, gentle, good-hearted, intelligent man."

His parents later set up a foundation in his name to aid other young people dealing with mental health issues. "Some of a person's inner life, you really don't know," they noted to WISTV. "People know that Lee wasn't the only one. And for them to see everything he accomplished in the 29 years, it's more than some people accomplish their whole lives. He was able to do that with a mental illness and, yes, it ended tragically but, through that we're inspired."

If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline​ at​ 1-800-273-TALK (8255)​.

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.

Anissa Jones became famous at the ripe old age of six for her role as Buffy in the 1960s TV series "Family Affair." Despite her success, the actor was reportedly relieved when the show ended after seven years, and she could go back to being a regular 13-year-old girl. 

Co-star Kathy Garver spoke to Fox News in 2015 about Jones' subsequent downward spiral. "I really reached out and went to her 18th birthday party and her mother had come up to me and said, 'You know I wish you could spend some time with Anissa because she's in the wrong crowd,'" Garver recalled. "And that crowd was taking drugs. Unfortunately I had to go away for a project and didn't get back for two months and in that time she had died of a drug overdose." 

Her sad death at the age of 19 took place on August 18, 1976. The doctor who had been allegedly providing Jones with drugs was arrested and charged later that year, as The New York Times reported.

If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

Corey Haim had a meteoric Hollywood rise alongside best friend Corey Feldman in 1980s films such as "The Lost Boys," but behind the scenes, Feldman has insisted that the young actors were sexually abused by industry insiders. "With me, there were some molestations ... but with Corey [Haim], his was direct rape," Feldman alleged to The Hollywood Reporter in 2016. "... I believe that Haim's rapist was probably connected to something bigger and that is probably how he has remained protected for all these years."

For his part, Haim never publicly spoke about his alleged abuser. However, he sadly struggled with substance abuse and his sobriety as he grew older. As reported by People, the former child star died on March 10, 2010 at the age of 38 from a reported drug-induced pneumonia. At the time, Haim was living with his breast cancer-stricken mother in a month-to-month rental, and some reports suggested he was clean for weeks leading up to his death. However, the Los Angeles Times later reported that Haim was allegedly addicted to prescription medications and had been "doctor shopping" to be prescribed them; toxicology reports and an autopsy indicated long-term damage to his lungs and heart from years of excessive drug use. To add insult to injury, Haim was omitted from the "In Memoriam" segment at the 2011 Academy Awards, a move that didn't sit well with friends and fans.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.

If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

When Knoxville, Tennessee native Brad Renfro was 10, he starred in 1994's "The Client." The young actor went on to appear in "Apt Pupil" in 1998 alongside Sir Ian McKellen, as well as a slew of other hit movies, but Renfro reportedly had a tough time adjusting to life in Los Angeles. His parents divorced, and sources cited by TMZ claimed that he had no "real guidance from adults as he tried navigating the treacherous movie industry." He also struggled with substance abuse and drug-related crime, particularly heroin, and was even charged with grand theft for allegedly trying to steal a yacht in 2000.

The Los Angeles Times reported that Renfro, 25, died on January 15, 2008, from an accidental heroin overdose, despite those close to him saying he'd been working on his sobriety prior to his death. The Los Angeles County coroner said, "It was possible that Renfro had injected a dose of heroin typical for his days of heavier drug use." Like Haim, Renfro was also not included in the Oscars' "In Memoriam" segment that year.

If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

Judith Barsi appeared in dozens upon dozens of commercials and had numerous bit parts on television before her big movie break in 1987's "Jaws: The Revenge." While her acting career was undeniably impressive — she also voiced Ducky in 1988's "The Land Before Time" — the child star's home life was terrifying. 

She and her mother, Maria Vivrovacz, were both subjected to domestic abuse by Judith's alleged alcoholic father, József Barsi, for years, which ultimately escalated and resulted in tragedy when authorities from social services reportedly failed to intervene, according to the Mirror. József shot and killed his wife and daughter before killing himself either on or around July 25, 1988. Judith was just 10 years old.

The following year, Judith's final film, a voiceover in "All Dogs Go to Heaven," appeared in theaters. Shortly after her death in the murder-suicide, a spokesperson for the acting agency Judith had signed with told the Los Angeles Times, "She was very successful, with every door open to her. There's no telling how far she would have gone."

If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.

If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.

For Scotty Beckett, life after "Our Gang/Little Rascals" was both brief and sad. He began acting at just 4 years old and transitioned to movies in the late 1930s. He signed on with MGM, but his busy career stalled after adolescence, and he eventually gave up showbiz.

According to the Eugene-Register Guard, Beckett was arrested multiple times on drunkenness or drunk driving charges, and in 1957, he was booked again for allegedly trying to cross the U.S.-Mexican border while possessing "250 stimulant pills." He logged a long list of other reported run-ins with the law, stemming from various alleged offences like hitting his teenage stepdaughter and writing bounced checks. "During one of Beckett's appearances in court, a judge told the former child star to 'grow up and start acting like a man,'" reported the Eugene-Register Guard. 

In 1962, Beckett reportedly attempted suicide, and on May 10, 1968, he died two days after being admitted into a rest home. The autopsy was inconclusive, but an overdose was suspected. Beckett was 38.

If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline​ at​ 1-800-273-TALK (8255)​.

River Phoenix landed his breakout role on TV's "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" in 1982, when he was just 11 years old. He went on to star in 1986's "Stand By Me" and "My Own Private Idaho" five years later. Though he had a reputation as one of the cleanest-living stars in Hollywood (he grew up in a family fervently opposed to drugs, meat, and alcohol), Phoenix died of heart failure at Johnny Depp's Viper Room on Halloween in 1993. Phoenix's close friend, musician Bob Forrest, later said that drugs were the norm within their showbiz circle.

Forrest wrote in his book "Running with Monsters" (via the New York Post), "The drug routine stayed pretty consistent for all of us. First, smoke crack or shoot coke directly into a vein for that ninety-second, electric brain-bell jangle. Then shoot heroin to get a grip and come down enough to be able to carry on a conversation for a few minutes before you start the cycle again." He added of that fateful night, "River was obviously wasted and was as unsteady as a boxer who had taken one too many headshots during a fifteen-round bout." 

Forrest claimed that just before Phoenix began seizing, he told him, "Bob, I don't feel so good, I think I'm OD'ing." Phoenix was pronounced dead at the hospital. He was 23 years old.

If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

"Poltergeist" star Heather O'Rourke had just reprised her role as Carol Anne in 1988's "Poltergeist III" when she fell deathly ill. According to the Los Angeles Times, O'Rourke died on February 1, 1988 while undergoing surgery at the Children's Hospital of San Diego. She'd been admitted for stomach pain, but doctors discovered she'd had intestinal stenosis (a bowel obstruction) since birth. The condition caused her to go into severe septic shock, which brought on cardiac and pulmonary arrest. She was only 12 years old. According to her former manager, Mike Meyer, "Of all the things she was proud of, (she was proudest) of being elected president of her fifth grade class at Big Bear Elementary School."

The tragic death of this young scream queen only added to the so-called "Poltergeist curse," as the New Zealand Herald observed. Dominique Young, who had played O'Rourke's older sister, was murdered shortly after the first film premiered in 1984. And the sequels featured the actors Julian Beck and Will Sampson, who both died from illness in the next few years.

Dana Plato starred as Kim Drummond on "Diff'rent Strokes" from 1978, when she was 14, until 1984, when her alleged drug use led to her character being written out of the show. The former child star was unfortunately unable to achieve the same level of success in her future onscreen endeavors, and subsequently turned to B-movies and eventually adult films. ABC News reported that Plato was arrested twice in the early '90s: once for allegedly forging a prescription for Valium and previously for reportedly attempting an armed robbery at a video store.

On May 8, 1999, Plato died of an alleged accidental overdose of prescription drugs. She was 34. One day prior to her death, Plato had appeared on shock jock Howard Stern's radio show and agreed to a hair follicle test to prove she was clean, with Stern later telling the New York Post that the star had later asked him not to test her hair. Sadly, the tragedy didn't end there. Plato's son, 25-year-old Tyler Lambert, reportedly died by suicide in 2010, per the New York Daily News.

If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline​ at​ 1-800-273-TALK (8255)​.

Dana Plato's "Diff'rent Strokes" co-star Gary Coleman's life was never exactly easy. The actor was born with congenital health issues that stunted his growth to 4 feet 8 inches, as well as nephritis, causing him to get two kidney transplants by the time he was 14 years old. Despite the sitcom's massive success and Coleman earning close to $100,000 per episode, he unfortunately struggled to find work after the series ended. By 1999, the star had filed for bankruptcy, losing an $18 million fortune, reported People. He faced legal issues as well as financial ones, with lawsuits and minor criminal charges plaguing his later years.

In 2008, Coleman married Shannon Price, noting that it was his first romantic relationship, but the marriage appeared to be an odd and turbulent one, as demonstrated by court docs obtained by Forbes when a legal battle over his estate ensued following his death. He was hospitalized in January 2010 for unknown reasons, then again the following month after having a seizure while working on "The Insider." By that May, Coleman was hospitalized again after a fall in his home led to him suffering a brain hemorrhage from which he never recovered. Per People, the 42-year-old actor died in the hospital on May 28, 2010, after his loved ones removed him from life support.

Starting when he was just seven years old, Carl Switzer starred as the freckle-faced Alfalfa in a series of "Our Gang" shorts, which charmed audiences throughout the 1930s. He dabbled in acting after his time as a child star had ended, but mostly worked odd jobs to get by, per History. He also weathered multiple run-ins with the law during his life, but his final days as a divorced former actor took a darker turn in January 1959.

Sadly, it seems that Switzer's life was ended over a petty fight about a $50 debt. As the Los Angeles Times reported at the time, he had covered the amount as reward money when his associate, Moses Stiltz's, lost dog was found and returned. When he went over to collect the $50 from Stiltz, the confrontation turned into a physical fight, and the actor was fatally shot. Switzer was only 31 when he died while being transported to a nearby hospital for treatment.

At just eight years old, Skye McCole Bartusiak found fame as Mel Gibson's quiet daughter in the historical epic "The Patriot," which hit box offices in 2000. She went on to star as Megan Matheson in "24" from 2002 to 2003. Afterward, the Texas-born actor landed bit parts for the next decade in TV series like "House" and "Lost."

On July 19, 2014, Bartusiak died in her sleep from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs and inhalants, as Fox News reported. Bartusiak's mother, Helen, told CNN that her daughter, who "was a kind and really beautiful girl," had been dealing with epileptic seizures before her death. Bartusiak was 21 at the time. During her funeral, the star's brother, Stephen, said (via E! News), "If you want to remember her, remember that smile and remember that laugh. If you want to know what makes Skye happy, go out and plant a tree."

If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

Norman Chaney starred as Chubby in the "Our Gang" film series from 1929, when he was 15, until 1931. His charisma and comic timing should have set him up to be a star, but health issues got in the way: he died in 1936 at just 21 years old after undergoing surgery for a glandular condition, per Time, which caused him to lose a dramatic amount of weight. 

The Baltimore Sun reported that Chaney's mother couldn't afford a headstone for her son when he died, since the young actors were only paid a small weekly stipend to appear in the "Our Gang" movies and never received royalties or residuals. But in 2012 — 76 years after his death — a number of Baltimore-based fans decided to raise enough money to purchase markers for both Chaney and his mom. "I think they were taking care of their hometown son," the man who led the campaign, rock musician Mikal, observed. "It's really Baltimore that made this happen."

14-year-old Tara Correa-McMullen starred as a former gang member who was turning her life around in the TV series "Judging Amy," which aired from 1999 to 2005. However, reality began to mirror Correa-McMullen's onscreen fate after her character was depicted in 2004 being violently murdered in prison. In October 2005, Correa-McMullen was tragically killed in a suspected gang-related shooting in Inglewood, California. According to the Los Angeles Times, authorities noted that she was an "innocent victim of a gang-related shooting" while simply "hanging out with friends in front of an apartment complex." The young actor, who had also appeared opposite Martin Lawrence in the basketball movie "Rebound," was only 16 years old at the time of her death.

As NBC Los Angeles reported, her killer was found guilty of first-degree murder. Damian Watts, who had shot her — as well as killed a 31-year-old man named Thomas Sanders — was given five life sentences without the option of parole.

"Everybody Loves Raymond" star Sawyer Sweeten and his identical twin, Sullivan Sweeten, got their start as babies on the hit sitcom in 1996. The boys didn't act after the series ended in 2005, and the National Enquirer (via Radar) reported that Sawyer was in debt and struggling with depression after dealing with bullying and loneliness. At the age of 19, the former child star died by suicide on April 23, 2015 while he and his twin visited family in Texas, per the Daily Mail.

Speaking on "The Dr. Oz Show" in 2016, Sullivan said his brother had a tough time contending with all the normal childhood experiences he'd missed by acting. "Afterwards, he had a bit more a cynical attitude toward it," he said. "We both definitely enjoyed being on the show. I think it was afterwards when we realized how much school we missed and how little we got to socialize with other kids. ... I think he kind of blamed Hollywood for that a little bit."

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.

If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline​ at​ 1-800-273-TALK (8255)​.

Billy Laughlin wasn't the only child star from the "Our Gang" film franchise to meet a sudden and tragic fate, but he was the youngest member of the gang to die.

At eight years old, Laughlin was talent-spotted and cast as Froggy, the character who would make his onscreen debut as part of "Our Gang" in 1940. He stood out because of his distinctive croaky voice, which justified his onscreen counterpart's nickname. When the long-running series ended four years later, he only made one more motion picture before leaving show business. 

At age 16, Laughlin's attempt to become a normal teenager with a paper route went disastrously wrong. He was struck by a car while delivering newspapers on a motor scooter alongside a friend. The young actor's injuries turned out to be fatal and he died on August 31, 1948. As biographers such as Laura June Kenny in the "Fleeing the Fates of the Little Rascals" book have noted, his well-publicized death didn't stop imitators with similar voices from trying to claim they were the original Froggy for years afterward.

By 1991, 15-year-old Christopher Pettiet was the star of the 1991 film "Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead," as well as the Western TV series "The Young Riders," which aired from 1989 to 1992. Unfortunately, he struggled to find work as an adult. Pettiet almost managed a comeback in 1999 with the MTV series "Undressed," but he was only on the series for six episodes. His last project was a guest role in "Judging Amy" that same year. 

Sadly, Pettiet died from an accidental drug overdose on April 12, 2000. He was 24 at the time of his death. "I have no profound words to express adequately what is in my heart," his friend, Kevin McDermott, wrote in part in an online tribute. "... Thank you, Chris, for allowing me the honor of working with you, the pleasure of knowing you and the privilege of watching your talent in television, film and within my class for so many years. I will miss your generous and compassionate spirit, your magnificent talent, your fiery passion and most of all ... your friendship."

If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

Josh Ryan Evans got his showbiz start on the sitcom "Family Matters" in 1996 when he was 14 years old, followed by a breakout role in the TV series "Ally McBeal" in 1998, and then his best-known role as Timmy on the soap opera "Passions." His dwarfism allowed him to keep playing child characters like the younger version of Jim Carrey's titular character in 2000's "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," as The Washington Post noted, because he only ever grew to 3'2". Evans reportedly had a mantra that allowed him to stay positive in the face of his medical issues, being quoted by Reuters as saying, "It's not the size of the dreamer, it's the size of the dream."

According to USA Today, Evans died at the age of 20 on August 5, 2002, the same day his onscreen character was killed off on "Passions" (though the episode had reportedly been filmed the month prior). On the soap, Timmy had been gravely injured during a physical altercation. In real life, Evans died from complications associated with a congenital heart condition.

Matthew Garber was a British child actor, most famous for starring as Michael Banks in the magical Disney classic "Mary Poppins" in 1964 when he was only eight years old. He played bit parts in other Disney films, like "The Gnome-Mobile," before eventually retiring from acting as a teen. According to Glamour, he was later diagnosed with hepatitis, and after the disease spread to his pancreas, the actor sadly succumbed to pancreatitis on June 13, 1977 at the age of 21.

Karen Dotrice, who had played Garber's onscreen sister in "Mary Poppins," later recalled that "he was how he looked — an imp, and I loved being his shadow." According to the Disney Archives, she added that he made filming fun with his rule-breaking antics, like leaping around the movie set. "Matthew had a great sense of fun and danger," Dotrice continued, praising his "daredevil" spirit. "And he did live a full life over his 21 years."

J. Madison Wright Morris made her name by starring in television shows like "Earth 2" and "Grace Under Fire" throughout the 1990s, followed by feature films including "Shiloh" in 1996. According to the Los Angeles Times, she received a heart transplant when she was just 15 years old after an X-ray revealed she had an enlarged heart and suffered from cardiomyopathy. After Morris abandoned acting and left Hollywood behind in 1999, the former child star reportedly went on to study teaching. She also got married to medical student Brent Joseph Morris on July 8, 2006. 

Sadly, her old health problems returned, and the couple's wedded bliss didn't last long: Morris suffered a fatal heart attack just one day after they flew back from their Hawaiian honeymoon, and she died in a Kentucky hospital on July 21 of that year. She was just 21 at the time. Her family held the funeral at the same location that had hosted her wedding less than a month prior — London, Kentucky's Corinth Baptist Church.

Bobby Driscoll was the voice and model for Disney's "Peter Pan" in 1953, but his longtime film work with the studio stalled when he was a teen suffering from severe acne. According to the National Enquirer, after Disney dropped Driscoll, the "Treasure Island" struggled to find acceptance from his peers as a normal school-aged kid and turned to drugs as a coping mechanism. 

"I was 17 when I first experimented with the stuff," he once told the Los Angeles Times (via the Enquirer). "In no time I was using whatever was available ... mostly heroin, because I had the money to pay for it." Arrests for check forgery and drug possession and a stint behind bars would follow, before tragedy struck in March 1968 — when a couple of children discovered the 31-year-old actor's body in an abandoned Greenwich Village apartment building. Per Driscoll's website, he initially was not identified and was subsequently buried in an unmarked grave. According to the autopsy report, his arteries had hardened as a result of his longtime excessive drug use, resulting in heart failure.

The following year, Driscoll's body was identified when the NYPD conducted a fingerprint test at the request of the former child star's mother, who reportedly did not disclose her son's death to the public until the 1971 re-release of his first Disney film "Song of the South."

If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

At the age of 15, Michael Cuccione (pictured, second to left) starred as Jason "Q.T." McKnight in 2000's "2Gether," an MTV original film spoofing boy bands. According to MTV News, the teen had been diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease when he was 9 years old, but after aggressive chemotherapy, radiation, and a bone marrow transplant, he went into remission and became cancer-free. However, the treatment weakened his lungs, and he never fully recovered. Cuccione, who reportedly required a portable oxygen tank on the set of "2Gether," died on January 13, 2001 at the age of 16 after developing pneumonia following a car accident the previous month. "His lungs just gave out," his uncle told MTV News. "We weren't really expecting it."

Cuccione's loved ones and fans, as well as his former "2Gether" castmates and his friend, actor David Hasselhoff, gathered to attend his funeral in Vancouver, paying tribute to his legacy as an actor and a campaigner for cancer research, as Cuccione had raised $2 million for the cause by writing a book and releasing music. His family have kept The Michael Cuccione Foundation going in his memory. "He was an amazing boy. He was so positive. It makes it so much easier for us as a family to want to continue his legacy," his father, Domenic, explained to Vancouver's City News.

Natalie Wood first won over audiences in "Miracle on 34th Street" as a child, but she remained a popular actor until her mysterious death at sea at age 43 in 1981.

The "West Side Story" star had been on board a yacht with her husband, Robert Wagner, and actor Christopher Walken when she went missing overnight and was found dead the following morning. Wood's sister, Lana, was skeptical about the idea that she had taken a dinghy out herself, as the former child star had a lifelong fear of water and never learned to swim. Wagner, who was named as a person of interest years later, eventually admitted that they had all argued that night. "Nobody knows. There are only two possibilities: either she was trying to get away from the argument, or she was trying to tie the dinghy," Wagner wrote in his "Pieces of My Heart" autobiography in 2008 (via People). "But the bottom line is that nobody knows exactly what happened."

Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Laurence Olivier, Gregory Peck, and Frank Sinatra were all honorary pallbearers at Wood's funeral, as The Washington Post reported. "She has given us a slice of life and serenity," actor Roddy McDowall concluded in his eulogy.

Tragedy struck in 2016 when Anton Yelchin died at age 27 in a freak SUV accident. The "Star Trek" fan favorite had been working since he was a child, but he had achieved international fame by joining the sci-fi reboot as the Russian officer Chekhov.

Police confirmed to CBS News that Yelchin had been killed by his 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee after he left the vehicle and it rolled back down the driveway of his Los Angeles home. Per authorities quoted by the outlet, the county coroner's office "concluded that Yelchin's death was an accident" and named "blunt traumatic asphyxia" as the cause. His parents later settled with the car company who made his Jeep Grand Cherokee, per USA Today, following a lawsuit over the tragic death.

After the news broke, Yelchin was honored with a statue in the Hollywood Cemetery. "It is a bittersweet moment, because we're here for Anton, and he's not here with us," his "Star Trek" co-star, Zoe Saldana, said at the ceremony, per Vanity Fair. "But it alleviates my heart knowing that we'll keep him alive," she added, insisting that his friends could keep him alive through "all the love that he gave us and all the joy he gave us." His parents also later helped to create a documentary about his legacy called "Love, Antosha."

Disney Channel star Cameron Boyce was only 20 when he died due to complications from epilepsy in July 2019. Boyce had earned an army of loyal fans through his performances in "Descendents" and "Jessie," but was also known for his philanthropy: the actor had managed to raise more than $27,000 singlehandedly for the clean water charity Thirst Project, per Teen Vogue.

"Cameron's tragic passing was due to a seizure as a result of an ongoing medical condition, and that condition was epilepsy," a spokesperson for the Boyce family later confirmed (via E! News), explaining why the young star had died in his sleep. "We are still trying to navigate our way through this extremely heart wrenching time, and continue to ask for privacy," the family continued, adding that they were getting ready for the "agonizing" funeral preparations.

Tributes soon poured in from his famous friends and co-stars. Adam Sandler, for example, tweeted that Boyce was "just the nicest, most talented, and most decent kid around," adding that he "cared so much about his family" and "cared so much about the world."

The shocking fate of Johnny Lewis made headlines in 2012 when the actor, who had appeared as a teen in shows like "Malcolm in the Middle" and "7th Heaven," was found dead after killing his 81-year-old landlady. Lewis was 28.

Best known as Half-Sack in the TV series "Sons of Anarchy," the actor had a suffered head injury in a 2011 motorcycle accident and had been on a downward spiral for years, including repeated arrests. Authorities had found that he had "some form of chemical dependency, mental health issues, and a lack of permanent housing," according to a probation report published by CBS News.

After a string of violent episodes, Lewis murdered his landlady and fell off her building to his death. The autopsy report found no drugs in his system, ruling out the possibility of a drug-induced psychosis. Kurt Sutter, the creator of "Sons of Anarchy," tweeted that it was "a tragic end for an extremely talented guy, who unfortunately had lost his way," according to the Los Angeles Times. "I am deeply sorry that an innocent life had to be thrown into his destructive path," Sutter added.

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.

After appearing in the sixth "Harry Potter" film, 18-year-old Rob Knox was tragically killed protecting his little brother in a bar knife fight in 2008. The teenager, who had been acting since childhood and appeared in "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" as Marcus Belby, was in Kent at the time. "Rob was just trying to help out," one friend who witnessed the fight told The Guardian. "He was like that." The assailant in question, 21-year-old Karl Bishop, had two weapons on him, however, and managed to stab Knox while the actor was holding him down. He was rushed to a London hospital and quickly pronounced dead.

"Rob was kind and thoughtful and would always help out others — he would spend his last penny on other people instead of himself," his parents recalled in a statement, emphasizing how much his family and friends loved the young actor. "The life and soul of the party, he was very outgoing, loved sports and would always strike up a conversation with people." The cast and crew of "Harry Potter" later donned white ribbons around their wrists at the 2009 premiere of the sixth film, as BBC News reported, to pay tribute to Knox. 

The Rob Knox Foundation was later established, alongside the release of the 2020 documentary "(K)Nox: The Rob Knox Story," to honor the late actor's legacy and enact positive change for young people by raising awareness about street violence.

The seasoned child actor Ashleigh Aston Moore played a younger version of Rita Wilson's Chrissy in "Now and Then," but her addiction struggles led to an early death in 2007. According to Entertainment Weekly, she stopped acting as a teenager and her turbulent adult life was cut short when she died at age 26. 

A friend's blog post reported that Moore had "pneumonia due to a weakened immune system from drug use and detox," as the coroner had determined. "In some way or another, I had been preparing myself for her death since we first became friends," her old pal noted, adding: "She was troubled and tortured and lost, but she was one of the most beautiful, fun, and loving humans I ever knew."

"Ashleigh was a really cool kid," former co-star Thora Birch later recalled, according to ABC News, praising Moore's "great personality" and revealing that they had laughed about the script for "Now and Then" together. "I had not heard about her passing until a couple years ago, and was saddened by the news," Birch continued. "She still lives on as Chrissy to me, though."

If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

Hollywood lost one of its brightest stars too young when Brittany Murphy died at age 32. Murphy had been starring in TV and films since she was 13 and became beloved thanks to her magnetic performances in movies like "Clueless" and "Uptown Girls." In 2009, she collapsed and went into cardiac arrest at her California home, per the Los Angeles Times, and was pronounced dead after being rushed to a hospital. "I loved working with Brittany. She was so talented, so warm, and so sweet," her former co-star, Alicia Silverstone, said at the time (via BBC News). "I feel love in my heart for her — and hope she is at peace. This is truly sad."

As CNN reported, the autopsy ruled that Murphy had been suffering from "pneumonia, an iron deficiency, and multiple drug intoxication" due to the over-the-counter medications she was taking to manage her flu-like symptoms. The cause of her death is still debated, however, as her widower, Simon Monjack, also died soon after under very similar circumstances. Murphy's mother later filed a lawsuit claiming that toxic mold in their home might have led to her daughter's illness, according to The Hollywood Reporter.