Special Report

24 Celebrities Who Have Killed People

Celebrities may travel in rarefied circles, but many times reality intrudes on their privileged lives, and sometimes it can be tragic. A number of famous people, for instance, have killed others, usually accidentally, but sometimes deliberately.

To compile a list of celebrities who have killed people, 24/7 Tempo reviewed a variety of news reports and numerous online sources. Celebrities who killed while serving in the military were not included. Only those public figures with at least 950 average daily Wikipedia pageviews between Jan. 1, 2022 and Dec. 31, 2022 were considered.

More than half the deaths caused by celebrities on this list were caused by car crashes. In many of these cases, the celebrity seems to get off easy. Among others, actor Matthew Broderick, singer Brandy Norwood, and tennis star Venus Williams all were involved in fatal accidents and all emerged from the tragedy to continue their careers. (Read about the worst car accidents in America since the 1990s.)

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Not all celebrities emerge unscathed from deadly vehicular incidents, however. Music executive Marion “Suge” Knight ran over two men with his car in 2015 – apparently on purpose, according to witnesses – and killed one. He pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter and received a 28-year sentence. (Here’s a list of celebrities who are currently in or have been to prison.)

Gun violence, the second-most frequent means of killings by celebrities, sent NFL star Aaron Hernandez and music promoter Phil Spector to prison, where both eventually died.

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