Death came for these celebs on the same day. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at occurrences where notable individuals passed away on the same day in the same year, leaving behind lasting legacies.
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00:00Typically, in newsrooms, we think of summers as being very slow.
00:03There are periods where there's just not a lot going on.
00:06And then it begins to happen.
00:08Welcome to WatchMojo.
00:09And today we're looking at occurrences where notable individuals
00:12passed away on the same day in the same year,
00:15leaving behind lasting legacies.
00:17I just remember thinking, so there won't be any more.
00:20How can that be? We won't hear him anymore.
00:22John Adams and Thomas Jefferson.
00:24On the 50th anniversary of American independence,
00:27not one but two of its founding fathers breathed their last breaths,
00:31dying within hours of each other.
00:33But we have a peace.
00:35We have an honorable peace.
00:39For all that it has cost me.
00:41John Adams was the second president of the United States,
00:44while Thomas Jefferson was the third.
00:46The two founding fathers worked on the Declaration of Independence
00:49and, as such, helped create America itself.
00:52It's said that their relationship was fraught over the years,
00:55but a friendship was rekindled following their presidencies.
01:05In fact, their comradeship lasted right up until their final day on July 4th, 1826,
01:11exactly 50 years after the Declaration of Independence was signed.
01:16Milton Berle, Dudley Moore, and Billy Wilder.
01:19Wednesday, March 27th, 2002,
01:21claimed the lives of three highly respected figures in the entertainment industry.
01:25Milton Berle was a legendary comedian known as Mr. Television
01:29for his groundbreaking work in the early days of the medium.
01:32Uncle Miltie, as he was often called, died from colon cancer at the age of 93.
01:36I'm kidding, I'm kidding, I'm kidding.
01:38Is this your wife?
01:40What are you going to do?
01:40Meanwhile, Dudley Moore was a talented actor and musician
01:43who starred in such revered films as Arthur.
01:49The performer passed away at 62 due to complications from a rare brain disease.
01:54As for Billy Wilder, the Hollywood legend was an acclaimed filmmaker,
01:58having directed certified classics like Some Like It Hot and Sunset Boulevard.
02:02All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up.
02:05The official cause of Wilder's death at 95 was pneumonia.
02:11The day, April 8th, 2013,
02:13witnessed the passing of two women who made waves in very different arenas.
02:18Margaret Thatcher became Britain's first female prime minister,
02:20with her conservative policies leaving an indelible mark
02:23on British politics during her tenure from 1979 to 1990.
02:27I have only one thing to say.
02:30You turn if you want to.
02:36The ladies not for turning.
02:39In a completely opposite field of work,
02:41Annette Funicello rose to fame as a beloved Mouseketeer on The Mickey Mouse Club.
02:46She was the 24th and last Mouseketeer chosen,
02:49the only one discovered by Walt Disney himself,
02:52and the only one kept under contract at Disney after The Mickey Mouse Club was canceled.
02:57She later became a successful actress and singer,
03:00having starred in many popular beach films of the 1960s.
03:03Annette would appear in six beach party sequels.
03:06One of them, How to Stuff a Wild Bikini,
03:09didn't have Frankie Avalon because of other commitments.
03:11But even with a new co-star, Annette was Annette.
03:15Funicello, who was 70,
03:17passed away from complications related to multiple sclerosis,
03:20while Thatcher died following a stroke at age 87.
03:24Carl Switzer and Cecil B. DeMille
03:26January 21st, 1959 was undoubtedly another sad day for Hollywood.
03:31Carl Switzer was best known for his role as Alfalfa in The Little Rascals,
03:35referred to as Our Gang in the 30s and 40s.
03:38They ain't fighting, word partner.
03:42Look how I send them out.
03:44The comedy series was a smash hit, not to mention pop culture touchstone.
03:48Tragically, he died at just 31 years of age
03:51after being involved in an altercation where he was shot.
03:54Also passing on the same day as Switzer was filmmaker Cecil B. DeMille.
03:58One of Hollywood's most influential directors,
04:01DeMille's filmography includes the likes of The Greatest Show on Earth
04:05and The Ten Commandments.
04:06Who shall withstand the power of God?
04:09He died from issues related to a heart condition at age 77.
04:14Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. Richardson Jr.
04:18For many, February 3rd, 1959 is the day the music died.
04:22That's because three rock and roll trailblazers perished on this day.
04:26But unlike others on this list,
04:28they all tragically died due to the same dire circumstances.
04:32Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. Richardson Jr., the Big Bopper,
04:36all died following a now infamous plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa.
04:40And the locals in the town were sitting around a black and white TV in the lobby,
04:45and they said, three rock and roll artists die in plane crash.
04:49And it was all over the news.
04:51Buddy Holly and his hits like Peggy Sue influenced countless artists.
05:02While Ritchie Valens was an up-and-coming star
05:04with a mega song on his hands in La Bamba.
05:10The Big Bopper served as a popular singer-songwriter in his own right,
05:14and is known for his hit single, Chantilly Lace.
05:23Their untimely deaths no doubt robbed the world of their immense talent.
05:27Federico Fellini and River Phoenix
05:30Halloween Day 1993 marked the loss of two individuals
05:33who left their mark on the world of cinema in a major way.
05:37Federico Fellini was an Italian film director
05:40known for his surrealistic style in movies like 8 1⁄2 and La Dolce Vita.
05:45Film historians agree that his contributions to Italian cinema are unparalleled.
05:49However, the internationally renowned filmmaker's death of a heart attack at 73
05:54was overshadowed in the United States with news of the passing of rising star River Phoenix.
05:59The lauded young man's promising career came to a tragic end
06:04due to an overdose outside of the popular West Hollywood nightclub The Viper Room.
06:08He was 23 years old.
06:1023-year-old actor River Phoenix stumbled out of this trendy sunset nightclub
06:16known as The Viper Room and died of a massive drug overdose.
06:21Paramedics found him on the sidewalk.
06:24He didn't have a heartbeat, he didn't have a pulse.
06:26Mahatma Gandhi and Orville Wright
06:28Friday, January 30th, 1948 is a day that saw two highly influential persons,
06:33with nearly nothing in common, pass away simultaneously.
06:37Mahatma Gandhi inspired civil rights around the globe
06:40as he championed non-violent resistance against British rule in India.
06:44His assassination at 78 shook the world, but cemented his place as an advocate for peace.
06:50On that same day, Orville Wright also passed away.
06:53Orville, along with brother Wilbur, was an aviation trailblazer.
06:57The Wright brothers revolutionized air travel.
06:59Their 1903 flight was historic in that it was the first instance of,
07:03quote,
07:04a controlled, sustained flight in a powered vehicle.
07:07Only a few Americans had ever seen an airplane when Orville Wright started the engine.
07:12Some eminent scientists still claimed human flight was impossible.
07:16Orville Wright died of a heart attack at age 76.
07:20Orson Welles and Yul Brynner
07:22On October 10th, in 1985,
07:24both Orson Welles and Yul Brynner departed Hollywood, and our lives.
07:29Welles, of course, was a multi-talented artist known for his groundbreaking work in film,
07:33radio, and theater.
07:35He is perhaps best remembered for his masterpiece Citizen Kane,
07:38still considered one of, if not the best film of all time.
07:42I'm no cheap crooked politician trying to save himself from the consequences of his crimes!
07:49Welles succumbed to a heart attack in Los Angeles.
07:52I think I did pretty well under the circumstance.
07:54Yul Brynner, on the other hand, was a charismatic actor of Russian descent
07:58who gained fame for his portrayal of the King of Siam in The King and I.
08:02Very often find confusion in conclusion I concluded long ago!
08:08The Tony and Oscar winner died following a battle with lung cancer.
08:12Freddie Mercury and Eric Carr
08:14The world got a little less cool on November 24th, 1991,
08:18as that's the day we lost two rock superstars
08:21who made significant contributions to the world of music.
08:32Freddie Mercury was the flamboyant lead vocalist of Queen,
08:35and thanks to Mercury's stage presence and extraordinary vocal range,
08:38Queen became one of rock's most iconic bands, captivating audiences worldwide.
08:43The celebrated musician died from AIDS at age 45.
08:47Freddie gave that frontman position so much flamboyance, so much character.
08:51Another of rock's legendary bands, KISS,
08:53saw its drummer pass away on the same day as Mercury.
08:56Eric Carr served as KISS's drummer during their successful 80s era,
09:00bringing incredible energy to all their rockin' performances.
09:10Carr was 41 when he died of heart cancer.
09:17Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett
09:32The 25th day of June in 2009 is a day not many will forget,
09:36as this is the day that news broke of Michael Jackson's passing.
09:47After all, Jackson was the biggest pop star in the world.
09:52A mega-phenomenon, The King of Pop sold an astounding 750 million albums,
09:57which between them spent 4,458 weeks on the Billboard charts.
10:10The singer died in Los Angeles at age 50
10:12from a lethal combination of sedatives and an anesthetic.
10:15But Jackson wasn't the only star to leave the world on that fateful day.
10:19Farrah Fawcett was a pop culture staple thanks to her iconic role on Charlie's Angels,
10:32not to mention other screen performances.
10:35Fawcett succumbed to cancer at a hospital in Santa Monica.
10:38She was 62.
10:40Which of these celebrity deaths impacted you the most?
10:42Pay your respects in the comments below.
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