Every man or woman leaves behind a legacy, good or bad. Once gone, he is remembered for it. Some die of natural causes, some are killed or assassinated and some just disappear and never come back again. They all may be famous or maybe have more money & fame than most people do but in the end, it’s like Mark Twain said: “Death, the only immortal who treats us all alike.”
Here are 28 last photos of famous people before death took them away:
1. Bhagat Singh secretly photographed in jail during his first arrest in July, 1927
Shaheed Bhagat Singh spent his last days in Lahore Jail before being hanged along with Rajguru and Sukhdev on 23rd March, 1931. This photo was taken during his first arrest in 1927 where he was accused of a bombing on Dusshera.
2. Robin Williams spotted at a party on 10th August, 2014, a day before he committed suicide
The famous comedian was suffering from severe depression and Parkinson’s as well. A brain tissue exam revealed the presence of ‘diffuse Lewy body dementia’, which was a critical factor in his death. Williams hanged himself with a belt on 11th August, 2014 at the age of 63.
3. Albert Einstein clicked outside his home in March 1955
Einstein, the most famous scientist in history, succumbed to aortic aneurysm died on 18th April, 1955.
4. Robert F Kennedy after being shot in the head on 5th June 1968
Against the advise of his bodyguard, Kennedy took a shortcut to the kitchen at the Ambassador Hotel in LA. He was shot 3 times by Sirhan Sirhan and 5 others were also wounded. His last words were, “Is everyone all right?” Kennedy died the next morning.
5. Heath Ledger on the sets of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus before he died of accidental intoxication from prescribed drugs.
Heath Ledger will be forever remembered for his role in The Dark Knight and many other movies. Since active celebs are photographed very often, this remains one of his last photos ever taken. He died on 22nd January, 2008.
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6. Amy Winehouse pictured walking in North London a week before her death in July 2011
The former Grammy Award winner joined the tragic 27 club with the likes of Kurt Cobain, passing away at the same age. Winehouse died of alcohol poisoning on 23rd July, 2011.
7. John Lennon signs an autograph for David Chapman, who shot him later that day on 8th December, 1980
John signed a copy of ‘Double Fantasy’ for Chapman on his way out of his New York apartment. When he returned home at night, he was shot 4 times on the back right outside the building.
8. Anne Frank clicked with her sister Margot some time during mid 1942
This was supposedly the last picture of Anne before her family was arrested on 4th August, 1944. She died the next year, in a Jewish concentration camp, most likely of an epidemic that killed around 17,000 prisoners. She was aged only 15.
9. James Dean pictured with his new Porsche, during his last refuelling stop on September 30, 1955
Dean was earlier booked for speeding and was on his way to a racing event in Salinas, California. He crashed into a Ford Tudor and could not escape the car wreck without sustaining many fatal injuries. He was pronounced dead at 6:20 pm that very day. His car was said to be haunted and was known was ‘The Little Bastard’.
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10. Princess Diana, on the backseat looking back as her driver and bodyguard look into the camera seconds before the crash on 31st August, 1997 around midnight
The crash proved fatal for the Princess of Wales, her boyfriend Dodi Fayed and driver Henry Paul. Her bodyguard survived the crash. There were many conspiracies and theories as to why the crash happened. She was only 36 years old.
11. Bob Marley photographed shortly before his death spending time his family while battling cancer
Marley died on 11th May, 1981 due to the spread of melanoma to his brain and lungs. He was 36 years old.
12. Adolf Hitler’s last photo clicked two days before his death as he surveys the damage at the ‘Führerbunker’ in Berlin
Hitler committed suicide along with his wife on 30th April, 1945. He shot himself and his wife bit into a cyanide pill. Their bodies were set on fire immediately before the Soviets could invade the bunker.
13. The lead singer of Queen, Freddie Mercury clicked for the final time in 1991
Freddie died of bronchial pneumonia resulting from AIDS on 24th November 1991. He was arguably one of the greatest singers in history.
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14. Elvis Presley drives into Graceland with his fiancee one last time on the 16th of August at 12:28 am
He was found dead on the bathroom floor by his fiancee Ginger Alden in the afternoon of the 16th. His cause of death was determined to be cardiac arrhythmia.
15. Steve Jobs last photographed days before dying of a long battle with pancreatic cancer
Steve Jobs died on 5th October, 2011. The genius was surrounded by his family when he finally succumbed to the disease.
16. Paul Walker clicked in the Porsche that minutes later crashed resulting in his death on 30th November, 2013
Actor Paul Walker was driving out of a charity with his friend Roger Rodas, who was driving the 2005 Porsche Carrera GT. The car crashed into a lamp post and two trees and was set ablaze. Both men died.
17. Wiley Post & Will Rogers photographed before their final flight on 15th August, 1935
Wiley Post was the first pilot to fly solo around the world. He set out to travel again with his his good friend and famous comedian, Will Rogers. This photo shows Will Rogers standing on the wing. He built a hybrid plane using old parts. They took off soon after, but Post’s experimental Lockheed Explorer sea plane crashed due to engine failure.
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18. Amelia Earhart clicked before taking her final flight
Her death has forever been a mystery. In an attempt to circumnavigate the Earth on a plane, her plane disappeared and her body was never found. Based on records and radio transmissions, Earhart disappeared on 2nd July, 1939 at the age of 39.
19. Rock God Jim Morrison photographed on 28th June, 1971 with his girlfriend five days before his death
Jim Morrison was found in a bathtub and the cause of death was determined to be heart failure. He is also a member of club 27, dying at the same age as many other artists.
20. WWE superstar, ‘The Ultimate Warrior’, clicked on the night he made a comeback after 18 years
Warrior died the very next day and some say that what he said in the ring, was sort of his own eulogy: “Every man’s heart one day beats its final beat. His lungs breathe a final breath. And if what that man did in his life makes the blood pulse through the body of others, and makes them bleed deeper, and something larger than life, then his essence, his spirit, will be immortalized. By the storytellers, by the loyalty, by the memory of those who honor him and make the running the man did live forever.” He died on 8th April, 2014.
21. Jimi Hendrix clicked with his famous guitar, ‘Black Betty’, a day before he died
Hendrix had aspirated his own vomit and had taken an overdose of prescribed sleeping tablets. He died on 18th September, 1970 and the Club 27 took another victim.
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22. Chistopher McCandless, the famous american traveller poses for his last photo with a goodbye note in his hand on 12th August, 1992
Chris McCandless or Alexander Supertramp, as he called himself, ventured into the Alaskan forest in April 1992, low on supplies and food. He died of starvation in August of that month. He poses with his last letter here that reads: “I HAVE HAD A HAPPY LIFE AND THANK THE LORD. GOODBYE AND MAY GOD BLESS ALL!”
23. Benazir Bhutto was shot by a gunman, as she stood in the sunroof, seconds after this photo was taken on 27th December, 2007
Benazir Bhutto was returning from a rally and stood out of the sunroof of her bulletproof car to wave at the crowd. A gunman came next to her car and shot her. There was also an explosion that killed 20 people and the impact of it tossed the wounded Bhutto causing blunt trauma.
24. One of the last photos of the King of Pop Michael Jackson, as he rehearses for his final set of shows
MJ was found dead before his ‘This is it’ tour could begin. He died of acute propofol and benzodiazepine intoxication after suffering from cardiac arrest on June 25, 2009.
25. John F Kennedy in his motorcade a minute before he was assassinated on 22nd November, 1963
More commonly known as JFK, the American President made his through Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas when he was shot at 12:30 pm by a sniper. His wife Jacqueline Kennedy was next to him on the backseat.
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26. Martin Luther King photographed during one of his final interviews in April, 1968
The African-American civil rights promoter was assassinated at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, on 4th April, 1968. King was 39 years old.
27. President Franklin D Roosevelt’s last photograph before he died
On 12th April, 1945, FDR had sat down for a painting and told the artist that they only had 15 minutes left to finish it. He then suddenly clutched his head and slumped into a coma after suffering a massive cerebral hemorrhage. USA’s longest serving president who saw the country through the Great Depression and 2nd World War was dead.
28. Dale Earnhardt photographed before his last race on 18th February, 2001
Considered as one of the best Nascar car drivers, Earnhardt was participating in the Daytona 500 and crashed during the last lap of the race. The 49 year old was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital. His son Dale Earnhardt Jr. came 2nd in that very race.