Learn about the manipulative schemes these celebs were subjected to
"The Prince of Darkness" was notoriously wild and unpredictable during the height of his fame. His rampant drug and alcohol abuse have been the source of many shocking stories and he has been reported missing more than once. During his first tour with Black Sabbath, his bandmates were worried when they realized he had never checked into his room in their Atlanta hotel. They couldn't find him anywhere and had to cancel that night's show. The police and local radio stations were informed and put out a search party. Osbourne suddenly appeared the next day as if nothing had happened. It turned out he had gotten drunk and passed out in the wrong room at the hotel where he slept through the whole ordeal!
Kurt Cobain famously struggled with heroin addiction and mental illness during his short life. A few days prior to his death, Cobain escaped from a rehab facility in California and disappeared. His wife Courtney Love and his family were desperate to locate him.
Oscar Zeta Acosta (right) was a Mexican-American lawyer and novelist who was active in the Chicano Movement. He was also known for his friendship with the eccentric author Hunter S. Thompson (left).
Jimmy Hoffa's disappearance is still one of the most famous in history. The corrupt union leader was known to have connections to the mob. On July 30, 1975, Hoffa told his wife that he was going to meet two known mobsters, and then he never came home. He was never seen again and his body was never found, although it's widely assumed that he was killed by the mob.
Amelia Earhart's disappearance is perhaps the most famous in history. The record-breaking aviation pioneer embarked on a daring journey to circumnavigate the globe in 1937. She would have been the first female pilot to do so had she not disappeared over the Pacific Ocean. Earhart was having trouble finding her landing path and was running low on fuel before she lost radio contact. Her plane was never found, but it's believed she crashed into the ocean.
Her car was soon found, but there were no clues as to Christie's whereabouts. Planes and search dogs were called in and the whole country was speculating as to what might have happened to her. Eleven days later, she turned up at hotel in Harrogate with no memory of what had happened. She had checked into the hotel under the name Theresa Neele, the name of her husband's mistress. Christie never spoke about those 11 days publicly, and the circumstances remain a mystery. However, one of her biographers speculated that she was in a fugue state caused by depression. She divorced her philandering husband two years later.
Margot Kidder, known for playing Lois Lane in the original 'Superman' movies, struggled with bipolar disorder. She was diagnosed in the '90s but refused to take medication at the time. She experienced a crisis in 1996 when she lost three years of work on her autobiography after her computer was infected by a virus. She entered a state of psychosis and went missing for four days.
Andrew Koenig was an American actor best known for his role in the sitcom 'Growing Pains.' His father was the famous actor Walter Koenig who played Chekov in the original 'Star Trek' series. Andrew suffered from depression, and his family were deeply concerned when he disappeared in February of 2010.
Abbie Hoffman was a famous activist and one of the notorious "Chicago Seven" who were put on trial in 1968 for conspiracy after a protest against the Vietnam War got out of hand. Hoffman was arrested in 1974 for trying to sell a large amount of cocaine, but skipped bail before his trial. In keeping with his reputation for absurd behavior, he reported his own disappearance to the police. He resurfaced seven years later under a new name and with a new face changed by plastic surgery!
Glenn Miller was one of the biggest names in music between 1938 and 1942, producing 70 top 10 singles in four years. In 1944, Miller was on a plane flying from the England to France, when it disappeared over the English Channel. The wreckage was never found and no one knows exactly what happened. He was 40 years old.
Sources: (Grunge) (Time) (Pitchfork) (History Extra)
See also: Fallen stars—celebrities who perished in air crashes
Sean Flynn was the son of actor Erol Flynn who became a photojournalist for Time magazine. He worked on the frontlines of the Vietnam War capturing harrowing images for several years, and eventually moved on to cover the Cambodian Civil War in 1970. Flynn and another journalist went to photograph a checkpoint on April 6 and never came back. The Khmer Rouge killed an estimated 1.5 million people in one of the most gruesome genocides in history, so Flynn's fate was probably the same as many other journalists who were murdered. His remains were never found.
Actor Nick Stahl, known for his roles in 'Sin City' (2005) and 'Terminator 3' (2003), was reported missing by his wife in 2012. Rose Stahl informed police that she hadn't heard from her husband in over a week and was concerned he was abusing drugs. Nick confirmed he was alive by sending an email to friends stating that he was going to enter rehab for a month. However, his wife was not included in the email, and later expressed her doubts that he was really going to seek treatment. Stahl dropped off the radar for several years but started acting again in 2019.
Richey Edwards was the guitarist of the popular Welsh rock band Manic Street Preachers. He was known for writing deeply depressing lyrics and exhibiting extreme behavior. He was once questioned about his commitment to punk rock by a journalist, and in response he took a razor blade and carved "4 real" into his own arm. When he disappeared in 1995, many assumed that he had taken his own life. His car was found on the famous Severn Bridge in Bristol, but his body was never found. His missing persons case was kept open for 13 years before he was declared dead.
NBA champion Bison Dele, formerly known as Brian Williams, was a famously eccentric person. He quit basketball in 1998 when he was just 30 and started a nomadic lifestyle, visiting countries all over the world and writing poetry. In 2002, he took a boat trip to Tahiti with his girlfriend and his brother, Miles Dabord. Four people got on the boat when the trip started, but only one got off. Dele, his girlfriend, and the boat's captain were never seen again. They were reported missing and Dabord was arrested under suspicion of murdering them, but he was never charged.
Casey Kasem was one of the most famous radio DJs in the US during his career, hosting shows like 'American Top 40.' He was also the first actor to voice Shaggy in the 'Scooby Doo' franchise! In his later years, he developed Lewy body dementia, which left him in need of round-the-clock care.
Fan Bingbing, one of China's A-list actresses, disappeared without a trace in 2018. The 'X-Men: Days of Future Past' (2014) star was charged with tax evasion and dropped out of the spotlight in July of that year. She stopped posting on social media and wasn't seen for almost a year. The world speculated that she had fled China to escape the charges or had been put in prison. Bingbing suddenly resurfaced in 2019 with no explanation, but offered a public apology for her crimes.
Irish singer Sinéad O’Connor disappeared from a Chicago suburb in 2016. She left her home to go for a bike ride at 6 am on Sunday morning but didn't return. Reports the following day revealed that authorities were concerned for her welfare. O'Connor had been open about her struggles with mental illness and had written a Facebook post a few months earlier stating that she had taken an overdose, although she appeared to be unharmed. She turned up safely after 24 hours on this occasion. Sadly, she was reported dead on July 26, 2023, at the age of 56.
Andrew had last been seen in Vancouver where he reportedly contacted some old friends and returned items they had given to him as gifts. His parents made a public appeal for Andrew to come home, but, tragically, he was found in Vancouver's Stanley Park where he had taken his own life.
His wife Jean cut him off from his adult children from a prior marriage and decided to remove him from his nursing home in 2013, refusing to tell them where he was or allow them to speak to him. Eventually, Kasem's daughter was granted a conservatorship over her father despite Jean's protests, and an investigation into his whereabouts was ordered by the court. Jean claimed that he was no longer in the US, but he was later located in Washington state.
His mother filed a missing persons report and Love even hired a private detective to help in the search. Sadly, Cobain did not turn up safe and sound. His body was found a week later in the apartment above the garage of his own home in Seattle. He had taken his own life three days before he was found.
She was found by police living in boxes on the streets of LA. She was disheveled and had cut her hair off with a razor blade. Kidder recovered in a psychiatric hospital and began receiving proper treatment for bipolar disorder. She went on to have a successful career.
When she was reported missing, there were theories that she left of her own volition. But two days later, her purse was found with broken straps in a park. It contained a mysterious unfinished note addressed to someone named Kirk, which read: "Can't wait any longer. Going to see Dr. Scott. It will work best this way while mother is away." The Kirk in question was never identified, and no trace of Spangler was ever found. A friend of hers later said that she was trying to arrange an illegal abortion.
The famous murder mystery author Agatha Christie disappeared from her home in Berkshire, England, on December 3, 1926. She drove off in her car after kissing her seven-year-old daughter good night and didn't come back. The police launched an investigation into her disappearance that involved more than a thousand officers.
Thompson referred to him as "Dr. Gonzo" in his novel 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,' and Benicio del Toro played him in the 1998 movie of the same name. He vanished during a trip to Mexico in 1974 when he was 39 years old. Thompson spent years looking for his friend on and off, but he never found him. He theorized that Acosta was killed in a drug deal or assassinated for political reasons.
Rapper Theophilus London was reported missing in California by his family on December 28, 2022. According to a statement from his record label, London's friends and family had not heard from him since July and were trying to piece together information about his whereabouts. A public message from his father read, “Theo, your Dad loves you, son. We miss you. And all your friends and relatives are searching for you. Wherever you are send us some signal. No matter what we will come get you son.”
On January 5, London's cousin provided the happy update that he had been located. "We have found Theo. He is safe and well. At this time the family would love prayers and privacy."
British actor Julian Sands went missing while hiking in the Mount Baldy area of Southern California on January 13, 2023. Sands was an experienced mountaineer but the conditions were icy and dangerous. Extensive searches of the area were carried out in an effort to locate Sands, with rescue teams facing risks of avalanches. Sadly, after several weeks, there was still no sign of the actor. "I know in my heart that he has gone," his older brother, Nick Sands, told the press on January 26. The search mission continued for months, but some areas of the mountain were still impossible to access due to snow and ice.
The Daytona Beach Police Department announced the disappearance of actor Drake Bell on the morning of Thursday, April 13, 2023. They shared the concerning news that he was considered "missing and endangered" via their Facebook page. Police reports showed that he was last seen driving his car in the area on the evening of April 12 just before 9 PM and hadn't been contactable since then. However, by Thursday afternoon, Bell had been located and was confirmed to be safe. The 'Drake & Josh' star addressed the incident on social media that night, writing, "You leave your phone in the car and don’t answer for the night and this?” with a laughing emoji. The incident occurred around the same time that Bell's wife, Janet Von Schmeling, filed for divorce from the actor. It was reported that Bell's brother felt he was in crisis and was concerned for his mental health when he couldn't reach him, leading him to contact authorities.
Jean Spangler was a rising star in the film industry when she disappeared at the age of 26. One night in October 1949, she told her sister-in-law that she was going to meet her ex-husband and then head to a late-night shoot. She was never heard from again.
Months later, on June 24, hikers discovered human remains in the wilderness surrounding Mount Baldy. A few days later, a positive identification confirmed that they were the remains of Julian Sands. “The manner of death is still under investigation, pending further test results,” authorities said. “We would like to extend our gratitude to all the volunteers that worked tirelessly to locate Mr. Sands." The actor was 65 years old at the time of his death and had appeared in countless films and TV shows including 'A Room with a View' (1985) and 'Arachnophobia' (1990). He is survived by his wife, Evgenia Civkowitz, and three children.
Actors, musicians, politicians, sports stars, and celebrities of all kinds struggle to find a moment's peace away from the prying eyes of paparazzi and fans. They live under such intense scrutiny, that it's even more surprising when they disappear. Even so, many famous figures have vanished under mysterious circumstances and had to be reported missing to the authorities. In some cases, it was a simple misunderstanding, while in others, they disappeared without a trace and were never seen again.
Many of the celebrities on this list had issues with drugs, mental illness, and other factors that often contribute to a missing persons case, but some are far more difficult to explain. Click through to learn about the celebrities who suddenly dropped off the radar.
Celebrities who have been reported missing
Some were found safely, but others were never seen again
CELEBRITY Disappearance
Actors, musicians, politicians, sports stars, and celebrities of all kinds struggle to find a moment's peace away from the prying eyes of paparazzi and fans. They live under such intense scrutiny, that it's even more surprising when they disappear. Even so, many famous figures have vanished under mysterious circumstances and had to be reported missing to the authorities. In some cases, it was a simple misunderstanding, while in others, they disappeared without a trace and were never seen again.
Many of the celebrities on this list had issues with drugs, mental illness, and other factors that often contribute to a missing persons case, but some are far more difficult to explain. Click through to learn about the celebrities who suddenly dropped off the radar.