Half a century of excellence
Chadwick Boseman passed away suddenly from colon cancer in 2020, shocking his fans and the entertainment community alike. He had hidden his illness and continued to perform like a true artist until shortly before his death. The movie ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’ (2020) was released a few months later, and he received many posthumous awards and nominations.
Alan Rickman was another beloved actor who kept a long-term illness quiet up until his death in 2016. He died as a result of pancreatic cancer after completing production on ‘Alice Through the Looking Glass’ (2016) and ‘Eye in the Sky’ (2016).
Anton Yelchin was a rising young star who scored the role of Pavel Chekov in the 'Star Trek' movie reboot. Sadly, he died at the age of 27 in a freak car accident when his brakes malfunctioned. The movie ‘Star Trek Beyond’ (2016) was released after his death.
Whitney Houston was one of the greatest R&B singers of all time, but it's no secret that she had a difficult personal life. Although she was primarily a singer, she also appeared in several movies. She had finished production of the movie ‘Sparkle’ (2012) shortly before she died of an overdose.
Heath Ledger had an exceptional career for such a short life. His performance as the Joker in ‘The Dark Knight‘ (2008) earned him a posthumous Oscar. The film ‘The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus‘ (2009) was also released after his death. Ledger sadly died of an overdose of prescription drugs at the age of 28.
Comedian and actor Bernie Mac brought a lot of energy and a unique humor to every role he played. Sadly, he suffered from sarcoidosis and died of pneumonia in 2008. All of the movies he filmed shortly before his death were dedicated to his memory: ‘Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa’ (2008), ‘Soul Men’ (2008), and ‘Old Dogs’ (2009).
Marlon Brando was one of the great actors of the 20th century. His final project was the animated movie 'Big Bug Man,' in which he voiced the character Mrs. Sour. He was already ill during production and did the entire voice recording while at home on a respirator. He died of respiratory failure in 2004, and the movie remains unreleased.
Sources: (Stacker) (The Delite)
See also: Bizarre celebrity deaths you've probably never heard of
Natalie Wood started her Hollywood career as a child in 'Miracle on 34th Street' in 1947. She was still at the height of her success when she mysteriously died at the age of 43. She drowned during a boat trip, but the circumstances were never fully understood. She was filming the movie ‘Brainstorm’ (1983) at the time, and they had to use her sister as a stand-in to finish the production.
River Phoenix came from a very talented family–he's the brother of Joaquin Phoenix. He was a talented young actor best known for his role in 'Stand By Me' (1986). He died of a drug overdose at the age of 23 in 1993, leaving his final film, ‘Dark Blood’ incomplete. It was finally released in 2012.
Sitcom star John Ritter appeared in the beloved show 'Three's Company,' along with over 100 other movies and TV shows. He died suddenly at the age of 54 when he had a heart attack on the set of '8 Simple Rules,' and his death had to be written into the show. He also appeared in ‘Bad Santa’ (2003), which was released after his death.
Richard Harris was a respected Irish actor who is best known to modern audiences as the original Dumbledore in the 'Harry Potter' film series. He died after a brief battle with Hodgkin’s disease in 2002. ‘Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets’ was released a month later. Michael Gambon took over the role of Dumbledore afterwards.
Aaliyah released an album before hitting her teens after being discovered on the reality show 'Star Search.' She started acting and starred in the movie ‘Queen of the Damned' (2002). But she died tragically in a plane crash at the age of 22, before the film's release.
Adam West was the original 1960s Batman, making him the beginning of a long legacy. He aptly ended his career with the same franchise, voicing a character in the animated movie ‘Batman vs. Two-Face’ (2017). He passed away from leukaemia before its release.
The Lee family was plagued with misfortune, two generations in a row. Bruce Lee's son Brandon was also an actor, and he also died in a shocking and unexpected manner, when he was only 28. He was shot and killed on set by a prop gun that malfunctioned. He died while filming ‘The Crow’ (1994), which was released after his death.
Clark Gable was called the “King of Hollywood,” which was a fitting title for such a behemoth of the film industry. He played an aging cowboy opposite Marilyn Monroe in the film ‘The Misfits’ (1961) before suddenly dying of heart attack. The movie was released the following year.
The legendary Burt Reynolds was acting well into his golden years. He died at the age of 82 in 2018, while still actively working in the film industry. He appeared in the movies ‘An Innocent Kiss’ (2019) and ‘Defining Moments’ (2021), which were released after his death.
John Hurt had a career that spanned decades, and he worked right up until his death. Hurt was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2015 and died two months later. He appeared in ‘Damascus Cover,' ‘My Name Is Lenny’ and ‘That Good Night,' which were all released in 2017.
Philip Seymour Hoffman was one of the most talented and well-respected actors of his time, but sadly he also struggled with drug addiction. He passed away after an overdose in 2014. The movie ‘The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 2’ (2014) was released more than a year after his death.
Brittany Murphy tragically passed away under mysterious circumstances in her home in 2009. It was later discovered that she had pneumonia and a mixture of prescription drugs in her system. Her husband died of similar causes a few months later. Murphy had appeared in the movie ‘Something Wicked’ prior to her death, but it wasn't released until 2014.
Angus Cloud tragically passed away at the age of 25 on July 31, 2023. Cloud was a natural actor, scouted off the street to play Fezco in the hit HBO series 'Euphoria.' The show's success projected him to an unprecedented level of fame and his career was just beginning to take off when he died. He had three projects in the works which have yet to be released. He will posthumously star in the film 'Freaky Tales' opposite Pedro Pascal, and had also reportedly completed his scenes for an upcoming monster thriller from the makers of 'Scream.'
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One of the sad truths about celebrity and the artistic soul is that they often make a destructive combination. Many great actors died tragically young after struggling with addiction and mental illness, but their work lives on and immortalizes their talent. On the other end of the scale, some of the great actors of the 20th century lived long lives and continued to work right up until their deaths.
On both sides of the spectrum, in many cases this sadly meant that they didn't all get the chance to see their final films released to the world. Click on this gallery to see which actors never lived to see their last works of art.
Actors who didn't live to see their final films
All of them left behind a notable legacy
CELEBRITY Deaths
One of the sad truths about celebrity and the artistic soul is that they often make a destructive combination. Many great actors died tragically young after struggling with addiction and mental illness, but their work lives on and immortalizes their talent. On the other end of the scale, some of the great actors of the 20th century lived long lives and continued to work right up until their deaths.
On both sides of the spectrum, in many cases this sadly meant that they didn't all get the chance to see their final films released to the world. Click on this gallery to see which actors never lived to see their last works of art.