Going Out in a Blaze of Glory: 5 Stars Who Died in Car Accidents

Paul Walker

Died November 30, 2013.

Neither his loved ones nor his fans wanted to believe in Paul Walker's death. How did an actor who had performed the most difficult stunts in the Fast and Furious series become a victim of a car crash? The actor died after a charity car show for victims of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. Paul and his friend Roger Rodas (he was driving) were in a car that crashed into a concrete lamppost and caught fire — the passengers did not even have a chance to escape.

Shortly before his death, Walker had begun filming Furious 7. The actor never completed his scenes, but the crew decided to finish the film in memory of their friend.

James Dean

Died September 30, 1955.

Despite his death at age 24, James Dean managed to become a symbol of the 50s and influence the style and culture of the years that followed. His sideburn hairstyle was a part of the iconic looks of Tyler Durden in Fight Club, Dylan in Beverly Hills, 90210, and the vampire Edward in The Twilight Saga. And Lana Del Rey and Rihanna both celebrated the sad romantic actor in their songs "Diet Mtn Dew" and "Love Without Tragedy''.

There is a story connected to James' death, in which the actor's car is to blame. Just before his death, the actor bought a new Porsche sports car and was delighted with it. Actress Ursula Andress and actor Alec Guinness, intuitively anticipating trouble, warned James against driving it, and yet he got behind the wheel. The car was smashed to pieces resulting in the actor's death after he had a collision with another car on one of the California roads.

Following the death of the actor, the car was bought by a female fan, who paid a handsome sum to repair it. When the car was fully restored, the girl got behind the wheel, but never reached her destination: she had an accident and died because of a broken neck.

It was decided not to repair the car anymore, but its parts, installed in other cars, fatally sealed the fate of several drivers, who either died or were seriously injured in accidents. In 1960, while the Porsche was being transported to a Los Angeles auto shop, the car suddenly disappeared.

Grace Kelly

Died September 14, 1982.

The daughter of famous playwright George Kelly, Grace had access to high society from birth, but she was drawn to Hollywood. The blonde aristocrat was not embarrassed to be filmed in beer and vacuum cleaner commercials, and her hard work was rewarded. For her role in the drama film Mogambo Grace Kelly was nominated for an Oscar, and later the actress became the muse of Alfred Hitchcock. It was the work with the master that abruptly changed Kelly's fate, making her not only a Hollywood star, but also the Princess of Monaco.

The actress met Prince Rainier III of Monaco during the filming of their third project with Hitchcock in the south of France. Immediately after completing work on To Catch a Thief, Grace married the prince and left the cinema industry. But for the rest of her life Grace still remained a star, cementing her fame as the most stylish and generous princess.

Kelly died in a car. She suffered a stroke while driving down a serpentine road, causing the car to lose control and go off the mountain. Her youngest daughter Stephanie, who was with Grace and suffered a broken neck, survived, while the princess died in hospital a day later. Grace Kelly's funeral was attended by Princess Diana, herself a victim of a car accident 15 years later.

Princess Diana

Died August 31, 1997.

The princess was the kind of spiritual leader that humanity had always needed. She was not a deeply religious person, she did not wield political power, nor did she draw stadiums of people to her shows. She was a living example of honor, love, and compassion. But most importantly, she was not a made-up character, but a living person with her mistakes and triumphs.

Diana died in Paris with her partner, the son of the Egyptian billionaire Dodi Fayed. According to the official version, the driver, Henri Paul, lost control and crashed into a tunnel pillar near the Alma Bridge. The cause of the accident is still not entirely clear, there are a number of versions: a conspiracy, intoxication of the driver and the need to speed away from the paparazzi, who followed Lady Di until the last minutes of her life. The paparazzi's desire to film Diana with Dodi Fayed was truly insane and turned out to be a disaster. The only survivor, bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones, was severely injured (his face had to be reconstructed by surgeons) and has no memory of the events.

After her divorce from Prince Charles, Diana was no longer part of the royal family, so it was uncertain whether she would receive the public mourning and ceremonial funeral. But the reasons were rather subjective. Charles's mother, Queen Elizabeth II disliked her daughter-in-law very much for her candor and, of course, for daring to file for divorce.

Ignoring Diana's death, however, sparked anger among people. A crowd of those wishing to bid farewell to their beloved princess for several days gathered outside Buckingham Palace, demanding that flags be lowered as a sign of national tragedy.

Lisa Lopes

Died April 25, 2002.

TLC is the third most successful female group (after the Spice Girls and Destiny's Child) in the world. The band still performs at concerts despite the death of one of the lead singers, Lisa Lopes. Lisa, known by her stage name Left Eye, had a tough childhood. Her father was a drinker and regularly beat up her mother. Liza herself became addicted to alcohol, which became her salvation during family scandals.

Despite the band's resounding success, Lisa continued to drink. The reason for the breakdowns was in her personal life. In 2002 Lisa decided to go to rehab in Honduras, where she loved to vacation. But instead of being saved from alcoholism, she met death. Lisa was 30 years old when she was killed in an accident while trying to avoid a collision with a truck that had swerved into the oncoming lane.

Rozonda and Tionne decided to continue singing as a duo, rejecting all offers to replace their friend Lisa.