10 Stars Who Were Tragically Murdered

Migos rapper Offset died in November 2022 after he was fatally shot outside a Houston bowling alley. A Texas grand jury indicted the suspect, Patrick Clark, on murder charges in May. The 28-year-old performer joined a sad list of celebrities whose lives were cut short by tragedy. Offset’s fans will never forget where they were when they heard about his death, just as fans of other stars will always remember hearing about their idol’s death for the first time. 

A handful of celebrity murders have resulted in sensational trials, while some remain unsolved to this day. Celebrity murders also happen to keep celebrities in the public eye long after their work has faded from memory. For example, movie fans might remember Sharon Tate for her small body of work, but she remains in the public consciousness as the most famous victim of the Manson Family and her later portrayal in films like Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

Scroll down to see some of the more famous stars who tragically died at the hand of another.

John Lennon

The Beatles singer-songwriter John Lennon was murdered on Dec. 8, 1980, outside of The Dakota in New York City. Lennon had just made a comeback with Double Fantasy, his first album in five years, alongside his wife Yoko Ono days before. Lennon’s murderer, Mark David Chapman, remains behind bars. In August 2018, he was denied parole for the 10th time. 

XXXTentacion

Rapper XXXTentacion’s shocking murder on June 18, 2018, stunned the music industry and his fans. He was shot multiple times in the neck by two men outside a motorsports store in Florida. Dedrick Williams, Michael Boatwright, Robert Allen, and Trayvon Newsome were all found guilty of first-degree murder and armed robbery in March 2023. They were all sentenced to life in prison. XXXTentacion, 20, was a controversial figure at the time of his death, as he was awaiting trial on domestic violence charges involving a pregnant girlfriend.

Christina Grimmie

Christina Grimmie’s death in June 2016 at age 22 was heartbreaking for her fans. She was shot and killed in a murder-suicide by an obsessed fan outside an Orlando club following a performance. Grimmie shot to fame as a singer on The Voice and her second album, All Is Vanity, was released after her death.

Tupac Shakur

Rapper Tupac Shakur was 25 years old when he was shot dead in Las Vegas in September 1996. His murder remains one of the biggest mysteries in music history. It has been theorized that his death was linked to the East Coast/West Coast feud with rapper Biggie Smalls. Tupac’s music is still influential and his life inspired the biopic All Eyez on Me.

Biggie Smalls

Christopher Wallace, better known by his rap moniker Biggie Smalls or The Notorious B.I.G., was killed in March 1997 at age 24 following a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles. Like Death Row rival Tupac’s, his death also remains unsolved and continues to muster speculation to this day. After his death, his second album, Life After Death, became a blockbuster album, hitting the top spot on the U.S. album charts. His life inspired the film Notorious.

Sharon Tate

Sharon Tate was eight and a half months pregnant with a son she shared with director and husband Roman Polanski when she was savagely murdered by members of the Manson Family in August 1969. She was 26 years old at the time and had only recently started to see her star rise.

Tate was murdered alongside Abigail Folger, Wojciech Frykowski, Steven Parent, and former boyfriend Jay Sebring. Charles “Tex” Watson, Patricia Krenwinkel, and Susan Atkins carried out the murders on Charles Manson’s orders, with the carnage continuing the next day, Krenwinkel, Watson, and Leslie Van Houten killed Leno and Rosemary LaBianca. Manson was also present but didn’t take part in either of the slayings despite returning to the property later.

Phil Hartman

Saturday Night Live legend Phil Hartman, who also helped Paul Reubens develop the Pee-Wee Herman character, was killed in Encino, California in May 1998 at 49. Hartman was shot and killed by his third wife, Brynn Omdahl, who later took her own life. He was survived by their two children. Hartman, who also voiced several characters on The Simpsons, won an Emmy as one of the SNL writers in 1989.

Marvin Gaye

Considered one of the greatest singers who ever lived, Marvin Gaye was killed on April 1, 1984, at age 44. The day before the “Let’s Get It On” singer was to turn 45, he was shot and killed by his father Marvin Gay Sr., at their house following a disagreement. Gay Sr. was sentenced to a six-year suspended sentence and five years of probation after pleading no contest to voluntary manslaughter. Gay Sr. died in 1998 at age 84.

Sam Cooke

Like Marvin Gaye, Sam Cooke is also considered one of the best singers and songwriters ever. The King of Soul achieved a remarkable career during just 33 years of life before being shot and killed at Los Angeles’ Hacienda Motel in December 1964. His murder came several months after the release of his landmark album Ain’t That Good News.

Motel manager Bertha Franklin shot and killed Cooke, claiming self-defense due to Cooke’s lack of clothing and his anger toward a woman he had come to the motel with earlier. The death was ruled a justifiable homicide, but there are still questions about his death to this day.

Dimebag Darrell

Darrell Lance Abbott, who performed under the name Dimebag Darrell, was killed in a mass shooting at a nightclub.

The influential metal guitarist, who performed with Pantera, Anthrax, Dameageplan, and other groups, was shot and killed by a deranged fan while performing at a Columbus, Ohio nightclub in December 2004. Three other people at the club were killed before police stopped the shooter. Darrell was 38 years old. His brother Vinnie Paul was a witness to the murder and later passed himself due to a heart attack.