Golden Era stars who died way before their time

[C-dot]

John Hodiak, dead from a heart attack at age 41.

A very good actor. He was married to Anne Baxter for a time.

 

[Widebrim]

A very good actor. He was married to Anne Baxter for a time.

Yes, and they had a daughter. Hodiak was able build his career during WWII since many actors were away in the service. When the war ended, and Hollywood's own returned, Hodiak got relegated to mostly leads in B films, as well as supporting roles in some major productions. He made good on his pre-Hollywood promise to take care of his parents; in fact, he was living with them when he suffered a heart attack while shaving. Hodiak reminds me of Zachary Scott for some reason, who died at age 51.

 

[Marla]

I can see what you mean about the Hodiak/Zachary Scott resemblance! Fellow FL member thunderw21 is also similar in looks to Hodiak.

 

[Widebrim]

^^Yes, there is a similarity of sorts.

 

[Son_of_Atropos]

Dwight Frye 1899-1943 heart attack.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

Marion Harris, 48 (hotel fire*, 1944)
*a fire that started when she fell asleep while smoking in bed

[video=youtube;kA6ulKFXiTA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kA6ulKFXiTA&feature=related[/video]

Jerome "Curly" Howard, 48 (cerebral hemorrhage, 1952)

 

[Miss Golightly]

Barbara Payton (39) - heart and liver failure. One of the saddest stories to come out of Hollywood:

 

[Fletch]

And there is always Bix! Dead at 28, cause of death pneumonia, and to a certain extent alcoholism.

You sure that's Bix? He had bigger ears than this guy.

A few more great musickers you may not know - because they checked out early:

Frank (Tesch) Teschemacher, clarinetist of the Chicago School
died 1932, age 25 - auto accident

Buddy Clark (né Goldberg), hit singer
died 1949, age 38 - passenger in private plane crash

Herbie Haymer, tenor sax soloist with Norvo, JD, Kyser and others
died 1949, age 33 - auto accident leaving a Sinatra record date

Henry Thies, violinist-leader of Cincinnati's favorite band
died 1935, age 42 - suicide after a disabling stroke

Wardell Gray, tenor saxophonist (l) - Åke (Stan) Hasselgård, clarinetist (r)
Members of Benny Goodman's "Bop Band", 1948-'49
Hasselgård, the only clarinetist ever to co-feature in BG's band, died 1948, age 26 - auto accident on tour
Gray, a pioneer of the hard bop style and a close rival of Dexter Gordon, died 1955, age 34 - cause uncertain

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

Lou Costello, 52 (heart attack, 1959)
(born Louis Francis Cristillo)

 

[Tomasso]

Nile Kinnick-age 24 in WWII

George Gipp-age25

Ronny Reagan played the Gipper opposite Pat O'Brien

 

[Heather]

Is it just me or does Buddy Clark look like Adam Sandler to anyone else?

 

[Amy Jeanne]

Eddie Lang - 30 (tonsillectomy)
A nice South Philly Italian boy!!

 

[Fletch]

Is it just me or does Buddy Clark look like Adam Sandler to anyone else?

He sure didn't sound like Adam Sandler.

[video=youtube;Ray-FNXH7vw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ray-FNXH7vw[/video]

 

[Heather]

Oh *swoon!*

 

[Gene]

Jimmie Rodgers - Tuberculosis, age 35.

Django Reinhardt - Brain hemorrhage, age 43.

Martha Vickers - Esophageal cancer, age 46.

Hank Williams - Overdose, ONLY 29.

 

[HadleyH]

Jeffrey Hunter, best known for his role of Jesus in the 1961 film "King of Kings" - died after brain surgery at 43

Kay Kendall, Rex Harrison's wife and actress, who had a leading role in "Les Girls" and other films - died of leukemia at 33

Mae Busch, born in Australia, started her career in Keystone Comedies becoming one of the screen leading actresses of her day, dead at 44

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

Darla Hood, 47 (hepatitis, heart failure, 1979)

She also had a singing career after Our Gang

[video=youtube;o3AhDbPuiNk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3AhDbPuiNk[/video]

 

[HadleyH]

Carmen Miranda dead at 41

Has Leslie Howard been mentioned? If it has I do apologize. His airliner was shot down over Bay of Biscay en route from Lisbon to England in 1943

 

[Tomasso]

This is one nice piece of....aaaahhhh.....womanhood.....

 

[HadleyH]

This is one nice piece of....aaaahhhh.....womanhood.....

She was nice wasn't she? And both of them Rex Harrison and her made such an amazing, beautiful couple, he adored her! he was totally devastated when she died