Everybody knows Paul Walker, James Dean, and Princess Diana died in car accidents, but few people know that Fozzy The Bear totaled his Porsche on the Jersey turnpike in the 1980’s. There was fur and polka-dot fabric everywhere.
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Fine, that didn’t happen. Fozzy’s alive and well.
That said, there are a few celebs who also perished in car accidents, who weren’t necessarily the Kermits or Miss Piggies of the world.
Nevertheless, these celebs enjoyed more adoration from people than most of us will ever have the chance to know. Their losses were not only felt by their families but their legions of fans.
Jayne Mansfield
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Often confused with Marylyn Monroe, Mansfield was the other blonde bombshell of her day. She was traveling with her boyfriend, Sam Brody, who was driving, and her three children in the back seat.
Their car struck the tail end of a trailer truck, killing Brody and Mansfield, but not the children. Mansfield went down as another tragic loss to Hollywood’s young celebs, dying at 34 years old.
Falco
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In the year 1985, if you weren’t busy debating the merits of Coke versus Pepsi, you were breakdancing out to Rock Me Amadeus.
That song, an Austrian pop song that swept the United State’s top 40 lists for much longer than it should have.
In 1998, while Falco was vacationing in the Dominican Republic, a bus struck his SUV. He suffered head injuries, which ultimately ended his life.
Harry Chapin
(Source: nydailynews.com)
For many, Chapin captured an era of ballady, haunting folk music we’ll never experience again. He was a composer, songwriter, and performer who gave to charity and moved uncountable crowds of listeners.
In 1981, Chapin’s car was rear-ended by a tractor-trailer on the Long Island Expressway. The collision lit Chapin’s car aflame.
Despite the efforts of the truck driver, who suffered burns trying to save Chapin, Harry did not survive.
Jackson Pollack
(Source: jackson-pollock.org)
If you haven’t read the book or seen the movie about Pollack’s life, you may at least recognize his signature style of painting.
Pollack is the artist who made dripping paint over canvasses something of value. To his fans, each piece was another step in his development. To his detractors, his art was the artwork of a child, something anyone could produce.
Pollack was raging alcoholic, amongst other things. It was his drinking and driving that likely drove his car into the tree that killed he and one passenger.
His girlfriend, who was also in the car, survived.
Sam Kinison
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A popular comedian at the time, folks knew Kinison for his wild onstage antics. In one bit, he called the ex-girlfriend of someone in the audience to lob obscenities at her for breaking up with his fan.
Like any comedian, he had his fans and his non-fans.
It was 1992 when a 17-year-old driver under the influence of alcohol, struck Kinison’s car head on. Kinison was 38 years old. He was on his way to perform at a sold-out show in Nevada that day.
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It stands to reason that any one of us is at risk every time we climb into a vehicle.
About 1.3-millions people a year die this way, so we are all equals on the road from the grim reaper’s perspective.
Just as the more famous automobile deaths amongst celebrities have left fans and families without words, so to can our own demise.
Be careful out there. People care about you.