Paul Walker, Heath Ledger and the stars who died while filming

looks at other stars who have died in the middle of production, and how it affected their respective projects.

Heath Ledger (2008):

Heath Ledger, 28, died after accidentally consuming a fatal cocktail of prescription medication. Ledger was in the midst of filming The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrel were called in to play fantastical variations of Ledger’s character to salvage it. The film was released in 2009.

Oliver Reed (1999):

English actor Oliver Reed died from a heart attack while filming Ridley Scott’s Gladiator in Malta on May 2, 1999. He was 61. Reed’s role of Antonius Proximo, a trainer who buys Maximus (Russell Crowe), was completed using computer-generated imagery (CGI) and mannequins. Gladiator was released in 2000.

Brandon Lee (1993):

Son of martial art actor Bruce Lee, Brandon Lee, met his demise on the set of The Crow when a fake shooting scene turned into a fatal one due to a crew oversight on March 31, 1993. Utilising rewrites and special effects, creators were able to go forward with the production and release the film in 1994. He was 28.

John Ritter (2003):

Comedian John Ritter died while filming the second season of 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter after he complained of severe chest pains during rehearsals on September 11, 2003. Following his death, the show was retitled 8 Simple Rules and continued until its cancellation in 2005.

Steve Irwin (2006):

Australian wildlife expert Irwin was killed when a stingray pierced him on his chest while filming his documentary Ocean’s Deadliest on September 4, 2006. His death was caught on tape but later destroyed at his family’s request. With additional footage filmed following the incident, Discovery Channel aired the film in 2007.

Lary Hagman (2012):

Best known for his role in TV show Dallas, Hagman died on November 23, 2012, of leukemia. Following his death, his iconic character JR Ewing was killed off in the show, with JR, who is dying of cancer, engineering his own death. A special episode featuring JR’s funeral was aired on the show.

River Phoenix (1993):

River Phoenix collapsed outside a Hollywood nightclub on October 30, 1993, and died of morphine and cocaine overdose. He was 23. At the time of his death, Phoenix had completed 80 per cent of the film Dark Blood, which was indefinitely halted. Director George Sluizer revived it and released it in 2012.

Cory Monteith (2013):

In July 2013, Cory Monteith, 31, was found dead in his hotel room after overdosing on drugs. The actor, who had recently completed a stint in rehab, played a lead character on hit show, Glee. After taking a brief hiatus, the show returned with an emotional tribute episode, killing his character off under vague circumstances.

Paul Walker (2013):

Paul Walker’s sudden death in a car crash on November 30, 2013 in LA has sent shockwaves among fans of the Fast and Furious franchise. Walker would have likely been heading to Abu Dhabi, the setting of Fast & Furious 7, which has already started filming in the capital. The fate of Brian O’Connor, his character, remains unknown.



