15 Celebrity Deaths Suspected of Foul Play

B.B. King’s heirs just accused his two closest aides of poisoning him, and they’re not the only ones. The family and fans these celebrities left behind say they suspect foul play in these famous deaths too.

Brittany Murphy

Was Brittany Murphy poisoned? Her 2009 death was officially attributed to drug intoxication, pneumonia and “iron deficiency pneumonia.” But not everyone agreed with that diagnosis. In 2013, investigators called for her body to be exhumed after new tests of her hair samples found “abnormally high” levels of heavy metals consistent with poisoning.

Anna Nicole Smith

We knew something was fishy when Anna Nicole Smith suddenly died in the middle of a court battle for her rich husband’s multi-million dollar estate.

Now even the judge who presided over her case said that he suspected foul play when her cause of death was officially listed as “unknown.”

Kurt Cobain

Was Kurt Cobain’s death really a suicide? Not according to these investigators who say that his death was actually murder (and that Courtney Love may have been involved).

Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn Monroe’s death is officially listed as an overdose. But many detectives (including this CIA agent who confessed to assassinating her as he lay dying) say that she was murdered because of her relationship with John F. Kennedy.

Andy Kaufman

Tupac isn’t the only celebrity accused of faking his own death. After Andy Kaufman died in 1984, fans remembered how he often joked about faking his own death — and returning 20 years later.

But although 2004 has come and gone, some fans believe that Andy is still alive.

Heath Ledger

Hollywood was rocked by Heath Ledger’s 2008 overdose. But many people have questioned his official cause of death because there were no pills, bottles or prescriptions present at the scene. They say he was likely murdered. There is even one theory that Mary Kate Olsen may have played a role in his death.

Brandon Lee

Bruce Lee’s son Brandon Lee also died on set — just days after he swore to have his father’s body exhumed to prove that his death was due to foul play. The official cause of death was an accident: a real bullet somehow found it’s way into a prop gun on set. But some people say that the Triads killed Brandon when he threatened to expose them.

Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson’s death wasn’t just suspected of foul play. His doctor, Conrad Murray, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter on November 7th 2011 for administering a lethal dose of medication to the pop legend.

Tupac Shakur

Tupac was suspected of foul play in his own 1996 death which die-hard Pac fans believed was faked. But even though Tupac released several albums after his death, his failure to pop up in nearly two decades has put most of these rumors to rest.

Jimi Hendrix

The story goes that Jimi Hendrix died in 1970 after choking on his own vomit while on drugs. But his roadie, James “Tappy” Wright, has always said that Jimmy’s manager Mike Jeffrey killed him by waterboarding him with red wine. And at least one doctor says this explanation is “plausible.”

David Carradine

When Kill Bill star David Carradine was found hanging in his hotel room in 2009, the authorities declared it a suicide. However, Carradine’s ex-wife wasn’t sure. Two autopsies later, the authorities still don’t know if Carradine was murdered or the victim of a sex game gone wrong.

Natalie Wood

Officially, Natalie Wood accidentally drowned while yachting with her husband Robert Wagner and their guest Christopher Walken. But rumor had it that her husband “helped” her drown after he discovered she was secretly having an affair — after she discovered her husband and Christopher Walken in bed together.