While there is a long list of celebrities who have died from an overdose, some are more controversial than others. Some of what we found shocked us, especially the alarming amount of celebrities who belong to the dreaded "27 Club."
Phillip Seymour Hoffman
Philip died of an overdose of heroin and other drugs on February 2, 2014 at the age of 46. Hoffman had been sober for 23 years prior to 2012 when he relapsed.
Michael Jackson
Michael died on June 25, 2009. His cause of death was acute propofol and benzodiazepine intoxication. He was 50 years old.
Heath Ledger
Heath died on January 22, 2008. His cause of death was acute intoxication by the combined effects of oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam, and doxylamine. According to the medical examiner's office, although the cause of death was accidental, Ledger's death was a result of abusing prescription drugs. He was 28 years old.
Anna Nicole Smith
Anna died on February 8, 2007, on combined drug intoxication from Methadone, chloral hydrate, and three different drugs used to treat depression and anxiety. She was 39 years old.
Chris Farley
Chris died on December 18, 1997, from a cocaine and morphine overdose. He was 33 years old.
Prince
Prince died on April 21, 2016, from an accidental Fentanyl overdose. According to the long-awaited medical examiner's report, Prince self-administered the Fentanyl and only weighed 112 pounds at the time of his death. Fentanyl associated with overdoses usually come from illegal laboratories, and it is often mixed with or substituted for, heroin as a powder, according to drugabuse.gov. He was 57 years old.
Whitney Houston
Whitney died on February 11, 2012, from a cocaine overdose. She was found in a bathtub in a hotel in Beverly Hills, California. Along with cocaine, other drugs such as marijuana, Xanax and muscle relaxers were found in her bloodstream. According to a source in the investigation, it was very possible Houston died from a heart attack that caused her to drown. She was 48 years old.
River Phoenix
River died of a heroin overdose on October 31, 1993, at the age of 23. He died on the street in front of Johnny Depp's club The Viper Room where he was scheduled to perform. His brother Joaquin, sister Rain and friend Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers) were present when he died.
Jimi Hendrix
An overdose of barbiturates in the form of nine prescription sleeping pills is said to have caused rock guitar legend Jimi Hendrix to asphyxiate on his own vomit, killing him the morning of September 18, 1970. Member of the “27 Club.”
John Belushi
John overdosed after injecting a combination of heroin and cocaine into his bloodstream (also known as "speed-balling") on March 5, 1982. He was 33 years old.
Mitch Hedberg
Mitch died on March 29, 2005, due to an overdose of cocaine and heroin. He was 37 years old.
Jim Morrison
On July 3, 1971, Morrison died when he suffered cardiac arrest due to heroin and cocaine use and was apparently found in a bathtub. There was no autopsy done, so the exact details still remain a mystery. One Paris nightclub owner claims Jim Morrison died in the club's bathroom due to a heroin overdose, but no witnesses ever came forward. Morrison is another member of the “27 Club.”
Corey Haim
Corey was a Canadian actor. He died on March 10, 2010, of an accidental overdose of prescription drugs. He was 38 years old.
Bradley Nowell
Bradley was an American musician who was the front man in the band Sublime. Nowell struggled with heroin addiction for much of his life. On May 25, 1996, he died of a heroin overdose at the age of 28. Sublime was about to embark on a world tour the morning of his death.
Cory Monteith
Cory was an American actor who was on the television series "Glee." On July 13, 2013, Monteith died from of a toxic combination of alcohol and heroin. He had struggled with addiction as a teen, but his death came as a shock to both his friends and fans. He was 31 years old.
Robert Johnson
Musician Robert Johnson died of possible strychnine poisoning on August 16, 1938, after receiving whiskey that was likely tampered with in a Greenwood, Mississippi bar. Member of the “27 Club.”
Brad Renfro
Brad was an American actor who appeared in the film "Apt Pupil." On January 15, 2008, he died due to acute heroin and morphine intoxication. He was 25 years old.
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe died on August 5, 1962, from poisoning due to an overdose of barbiturates. She was 36 years old.
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Jean-Michel was an American artist who was a member of SAMO. On August 12, 1988, He died of a heroin overdose at the age of 27. Fellow artist Keith Haring created "Pile of Crowns for Jean-Michel Basquiat" in his honor.
Alan Wilson
Alan "Blind Owl" Wilson, died of an apparent drug overdose in Topanga Canyon, California on September 3, 1970. Member of the “27 Club.”
Peaches Geldof
Peaches was a British model who was the daughter of Bob Geldof and Paula Yates. She struggled with addiction for much of her life, but she appeared to be sober in the months leading up to her death. She died of a heroin overdose on April 7, 2014. She was 25 years old.
Judy Garland
Judy died on June 22, 1969, of a barbiturate overdose of too many prescription drugs. She was 47 years old.
Kurt Cobain
Controversy still swirls around the death of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain. Cobain was found dead on April 8, 1994 at age 27 in his Lake Washington home by an electrician. The coroner's report estimated Cobain's time of death to be around April 5 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Reports also found heroin in his bloodstream. Another member of the “27 Club.”
Sid Vicious
Sid was a British musician who played bass in the band The Sex Pistols. On February 2, 1979, he died of a heroin overdose that may have been intentional. He was charged with the murder of his girlfriend Nancy Spungen at the time of his death. Vicious was 21 years old.
Amy Winehouse
Amy was found dead on July 23, 2011, due to an alcohol overdose. At the time of her death, Winehouse's blood alcohol content was .416, far beyond any legal or recommended limits. She was hospitalized around the period of her death for what was reported as an overdose of heroin, ecstasy, cocaine, ketamine, but alcohol was ultimately the substance that killed her. She was suspected of taking her own life, but it is reported that she told hospital officials weeks before her death that she wanted to live. She's another member of the “27 Club.”
Robbin Crosby
Robbin was an American musician who played guitar in the band "Ratt." On June 6, 2002, he died of a heroin overdose which was complicated by that fact that he had HIV. Crosby was 42 years old.
Paula Yates
Paula was a British TV host who appeared on "The Big Breakfast." After two years of sobriety, she died of a heroin overdose on September 17, 2000. She was 41 years old.
Janis Joplin
Joplin struggled with drug and alcohol addiction for much of her life. On October 4, 1970, she died of a heroin overdose. She was 27 years old. Part of the “27 Club.”
Robert Pastorelli
Robert was an American actor who appeared on the TV series "Murphy Brown." On March 8, 2004, he died of a heroin overdose at the age of 49. It is unclear if the overdose was an accident, as the police were investigating the 1999 shooting death of his then-girlfriend, at the time of his death.
Layne Staley
Layne was an American musician who was the singer for the band "Alice in Chains." On April 5, 2002, he died after overdosing on a combination of illegal drugs. He was 34 years old.
Elvis Presley
Elvis died on August 16, 1977, at the age of 42. The cause of death was covered up by his family; but, it is suspected that it was from an overdose of prescription drugs that caused his heart to stop.
Dee Dee Ramone
Dee Dee Ramone was an American musician who played bass in the band the "Ramones." On June 5, 2002, he was found dead of a heroin overdose at the age of 50.
Zac Foley
Zac was a British musician who was in the band "EMF." On January 3, 2002, he died of a heroin overdose at the age of 31.
Tim Buckley
Tim was an American musician and the father of Jeff Buckley. He died of a heroin overdose on June 29, 1975. He was inexperienced with the drug and his death shocked his friends and family. Buckley was 28 years old.
Curt Hennig
Curt was an American professional wrestler. He died on February 10, 2003 due to a combined drug intoxication. He was 45 years old.
Truman Capote
Capote was an American author, playwright, and author. He died on August 25, 1984 due to liver disease complicated by phlebitis and multiple drug intoxication. He was 60 years old.
Dana Plato
Dana was an American actress. She died on May 8, 1999 due to an overdose of prescription drugs. She was 34 years old.
Keith Moon
Keith was the drummer of the English rock band "The Who." He died on September 7, 1978 due to an overdose of pills that were intended to cure his alcoholism. How ironic? He was 32 years old.
Greg Giraldo
Greg was an stand-up comedian. He died on September 28, 2010 due to an overdose of prescription drugs. He was 44 years old.
Donyale Luna
She was the first black model to appear on the cover of Vogue. She also appeared in many Andy Warhol films. She died on Nay 17, 1979 from a heroin overdose. She was 33 years old.
Jean Seberg
Jean was an American actress. She died on August 30, 1979 from a barbiturate overdose. She was 41 years old.
George Sanders
George was an English film and television actor, singer, songwriter, and author. He died on April 25, 1972, due to a drug overdose. He was 66 years old.
John Entwistle
John was bass guitarist for the English rock band "The Who." He died of cocaine overdose on June 27, 2002. He was 58 years old.
Edith Sedgwick
Edith was an American socialite best known for being one of Andy Warhol's superstars. She died of a barbiturate overdose on April 20, 1943. She was 28 years old.
Bon Scott
He was the lead singer of Australian rock band "AC/DC." He died on February 19, 1980 of an alcohol overdose. He was 34 years old.
Shannon Hoon
He was the lead singer of the band "Blind Melon." He died of a cocaine overdose on October 21, 1995. He was 28 years old.
Ol' Dirty Bastard
He was an American rapper and founding members of the Wu-Tang clan. He died from a fatal mixture of cocaine and prescription drugs on November 13, 2004. He was 36 years old.