Famous People Who Died Before Age 40, 25-59

Here is the rest of our list of 59 famous people who died before the age of 40, starting with Sylvia Plath.

25. Sylvia Plath (30)

Poet and author -- Suicide -- 1963

26. Brian Epstein (32)

Beatles manager -- Drug overdose -- 1967

27. Bruce Lee (32)

Martial arts actor -- Possible allergic reaction -- 1973

28. Cass Elliot (32)

Singer -- Heart attack brought on by obesity -- 1974

29. Karen Carpenter (32)

Singer and musician -- Cardiac arrest from anorexia nervosa -- 1983

30. Keith Moon (32)

Rock drummer -- Overdose of medication -- 1978

31. Carole Lombard (33)

Actor -- Plane crash -- 1942

32. Chris Farley (33)

Comedian/actor -- Overdose of cocaine and heroin -- 1997

33. Darryl Kile (33)

Major League Baseball pitcher -- Coronary heart disease -- 2002

34. Jesus Christ (33)

Founder of Christianity -- Crucifixion -- A.D. 30

35. John Belushi (33)

Comedian/actor -- Overdose of cocaine and heroin -- 1982

36. Sam Cooke (33)

Soul musician -- Homicide -- 1964

37. Charlie Parker (34)

Jazz saxophonist -- Pneumonia and ulcer, brought on by drug abuse -- 1955

38. Dana Plato (34)

Actor -- Prescription drug overdose -- 1999

39. Jayne Mansfield (34)

Actor -- Auto accident -- 1967

40. Andy Kaufman (35)

Comedian/actor -- Lung cancer -- 1984

41. Josh Gibson (35)

Negro League baseball player -- Stroke -- 1947

42. Stevie Ray Vaughan (35)

Blues guitarist -- Helicopter crash -- 1990

43. Bob Marley (36)

Reggae musician -- Melanoma that metastasized into lung and brain cancer -- 1981

44. Diana, Princess of Wales (36)

British royal -- Auto accident -- 1997

45. Marilyn Monroe (36)

Actor -- Barbiturate overdose -- 1962

46. Bobby Darin (37)

Singer/actor -- Complications during heart surgery -- 1973

47. Lou Gehrig (37)

Major League Baseball player -- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) -- 1941

48. Michael Hutchence (37)

Rock singer -- Hanged, possibly suicide -- 1997

49. Sal Mineo (37)

Actor -- Homicide -- 1976

50. Florence Griffith Joyner (38)

Olympian/sprinter -- Possible asphyxiation during epileptic seizure -- 1998

51. George Gershwin (38)

Composer -- Brain tumor -- 1937

52. Harry Chapin (38)

Singer/songwriter -- Auto accident -- 1981

53. John F. Kennedy, Jr. (38)

Journalist/publisher -- Plane crash -- 1999

54. Roberto Clemente (38)

Major League Baseball player -- Plane crash -- 1972

55. Sam Kinison (38)

Comedian -- Auto accident caused by drunk driver -- 1992

56. Anna Nicole Smith (39)

Model/actor -- Accidental prescription drug overdose -- 2007

57. Dennis Wilson (39)

Rock 'n' roll drummer -- Drowning due to intoxication -- 1983

58. Malcolm X (39)

Militant civil rights leader -- Assassination -- 1965

59. Martin Luther King, Jr. (39)

Civil rights activist/minister -- Assassination -- 1968

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS:

Helen Davies, Marjorie Dorfman, Mary Fons, Deborah Hawkins, Martin Hintz, Linnea Lundgren, David Priess, Julia Clark Robinson, Paul Seaburn, Heidi Stevens, and Steve Theunissen