Left In Limbo: Celebs Who Died While Working On Projects - Page 12

Unfortunately death is a part of life and it can happen anytime without any warning. The death of these celebrities left the television and film projects they were starring in in limbo because they were still in production.

Joan Rivers

Joan Rivers made a name for herself by speaking her mind and saying things out loud most people wouldn’t even want to admit thinking of. The legendary comedian was the first one to interview celebrities on the red carpet and focus on their ensemble. She started “Fashion Police” before it was “Fashion Police” and her brand of humor eventually found a home on E! As the co-host of the show, Rivers became the Queen of Mean but the show was left in limbo when Rivers suddenly died during a routine medical procedure. The show announced that Kathy Griffin would be taking over but that lasted just seven episodes. Co-host Kelly Osbourne bailed after a tiff with Guiliana Rancic and executives of the show have announced that they will be on hiatus until the fall.

Aaliyah

Aaliyah started out as R. Kelly’s protégé but a secret marriage to the much older singer nearly derailed her career. Aaliyah reemerged as an even bigger R&B star and she was eager to branch out. The “Rock the Boat” singer landed a role opposite Jet Li in the action film “Romeo Must Die” and a star was born. Intent on taking over the acting world, she landed a role in “Queen of the Damned” and “The Matrix Reloaded” and had filmed both of her parts before she was killed when her private plane crashed during take off in the Bahamas. Nona Gaye took over her part in the “Matrix” and “Queen of the Damned” was released six months after her death in her memory.

Cory Monteith

Cory Monteith mailed an audition tape singing “Can’t Fight This Feeling” and it landed him the starring role on the new hit show “Glee.” For four seasons Monteith played the high school quarterback Finn Hudson and although his career had taken off, the Canadian heartthrob saw his old demons resurrected. As a teenager, Monteith got caught up in the wrong crowd and had ended up in rehab. He cleaned up his life but in March 2013 he once again entered treatment for substance abuse. Several months later. Monteith was found dead of a heroin and alcohol overdose in a Vancouver hotel room. The premiere of the fifth season of “Glee” was delayed and the show aired a tribute episode that also dealt with the death of his character Finn.

Paul Walker

Fewer franchises have proven to be as successful as “Fast & Furious,” but after seven installments, the executives were at a crossroads. Its star Paul Walker was tragically killed when a sports car he was riding in blew up after it crashed into a tree. Walker had been in the middle of shooting “Fast & Furious 7” and production was halted after his death. Filming resumed months later after some rewrites with Walker’s brothers Cody and Caleb filling in as a body double to complete his remaining scenes. Universal Pictures has announced “Fast & Furious 7” will be the last sequel of the series.

John Ritter

John Ritter became famous as the bumbling ladies man Jack Tripper on the hit 70’s and 80’s sitcom “Three’s Company.” Ritter was a veteran in Hollywood who starred in over 100 film and television projects. In 2002, he landed another lead role on television as a TV dad on ABC’s “8 Simple Rules For Dating My Teenage Daughter.” But in the second season, Ritter collapsed on the set of the show and was rushed to the hospital. He suffered a fatal heat attack later that night. The show retooled, was shortened to “8 Simple Rules” and James Garner and David Spade were brought in as replacements. The show lasted one more season.

Brandon Lee

Brandon Lee followed in the famous footsteps of his father and martial arts actor Bruce Lee. The younger Lee was determined to step outside of his father’s large shadow but tragedy struck early on in his career. Lee only had four films under his bet and had landed the lead role in the 1993 supernatural film “The Crow” when he met an untimely death. Lee died of a gunshot wound after an accident occurred on the set of the film in Wilmington, North Carolina. The film was finished with the help of a stunt double and special effects.

Redd Foxx

He was born as John Sanford but the world will forever remember him as Redd Foxx. The foul-mouthed comedian made a name for himself through countless comedy records and he landed his own show as a junk man and single father in “Sanford and Son.” After numerous failed marriages and major issues with Uncle Sam, Foxx returned to television decades later. But his return to television was short lived. Foxx had always joked about suffering from the big one but it was no laughing matter when he had a fatal heart attack on the set of “The Royal Family.” The show was cancelled halfway through the first season.

Heath Ledger

Heath Ledger showed off his acting chops in “Brokeback Mountain” but his turn as The Joker in the “Dark Knight” was supposed to be the role that forever changed his career. Unfortunately, that became the last film that Ledger completed. He was a third of the way into filming “The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus” when he was found dead in his Manhattan apartment of a drug overdose. “Dark Knight” was released six months after his death and Ledger won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role. Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law took over his role in “Dr. Parnassus” and the film was released later in the year.

John Candy

John Candy had been in the entertainment industry for almost two decades before he had finally found fame. The portly star began a movie star in the 80’s and his career finally took off. But the “Uncle Buck” star’s career took a dip in the 90’s. He was almost done filming the Western parody “Wagons East!” when he died of a heart attack in his sleep. Candy’s last two films were dedicated in his memory.

John Spencer

John Spencer began acting in the late 90’s and worked all the way up to his death almost 40 years later. Perhaps best known for his work on “The West Wing,” Spencer played White House Chief of Staff Leo McGarry where he earned an Emmy for his role. Spencer died of a heart attack four days before his 59th birthday in 2005. He had already filmed two episodes for the new season of “The West Wing.” His character’s death was written into the seventh and final season of the show and McGarry died of a heart attack on election night.

River Phoenix

River Phoenix started out acting in commercials at ten years old. He became a star a few years later thanks to the coming of age 1986 film “Stand By Me.” The former child star successfully made the transition to more adult-themed movies and but the young heartthrob had a tough time handling the party side of Hollywood. At just 23 years old, Phoenix died of a drug overdose on the sidewalk outside of the infamous nightclub The Viper Room. He had been in the middle of filming “Dark Blood.” However, the film was scrapped after his death.

Phil Hartman

You may not know Phil Hartman’s face but you probably know his voice. Hartman starred on “SNL” for eight years before moving on to “NewsRadio” but he also voiced several characters on “The Simpsons,” including Lionel Hutz and Troy McClure. Before production for the fifth season of “NewsRadio” began, Hartman was killed by his wife in a murder-suicide rampage with their two young children in the house. Hartman’s character died of a heart attack on the show and his “Simpsons” characters were retired.

Phillip Seymour Hoffman

Phillip Seymour Hoffman had more than 25 years of sobriety under his belt before he relapsed. Known as one of the best character actors of his generation, Hoffman had received numerous accolades and awards including an Oscar for Best Actor. But the last eight months of his life was filled with drug use. In February of 2014, the “Capote” actor had been found dead of a heroin overdose. At the time, Hoffman had one week left of filming the second installment of “The Hunger Games.” The film was released last November at it was number one at the box office.

Steve Irwin

Steve Irwin was known as the Crocodile Hunter but the avid animal lover and outdoorsman hunted a lot more than just reptiles. He was known as a fearless and adventurist type of guy whose life was cut short. Irwin was on location near Port Douglas, Queensland filming the underwater documentary “Ocean’s Deadliest” when he was stung in the chest by a stingray. The mammal had punctured his heart and Irwin bled out. The unfortunate death was caught on tape but was destroyed at the request of his family.