Big Names Burn Out Fast..er

This morning's death of Bengals' wide receiver, Chris Henry, was definitely a shock especially to those closest to the NFL player. The saddest part to me was the fact that this young man (26 years old) was on the road to a successful future after a series of questionable mistakes. It is sad because he was going to be a success story. He was someone for troubled young kids, who may be going up a similar path as Henry, to look to. He made mistakes and grew up and was ready to be an adult. Sometimes outside influences bring down young talented individuals and is an unfortunate part of the price for fame.

There is often many individuals like Chris Henry who come out of no where and skyrocket to success and before they know its all over. There are others who have their careers end outside of their own control. Such athletes include:

The NFL:
Marquis Cooper, LB, Oakland Raiders, lost at sea, 2009 (age 26)
Marquise Hill, DE, New England Patriots, drowned, 2007 (age 24)
Korey Stringer, OT, Minnesota Vikings, heat stroke during practice, 2001 (age 27)
Sean Taylor, FS, Washington Redskins, homicide, 2007 (age 24)
Derrick Thomas, LB, Kansas City Chiefs, complications from a spinal cord injury suffered in a car accident, 2000 (age 33)
Darrent Williams, CB, Denver Broncos, homicide, 2007 (age 24)

College Football:
George Gipp, Notre Dame, infection (age 25)
Jasper Howard, Connecticut, homicide (stabbed) (age 22)
Marshall University Thundering Herd football team, 37 members died in plane crash 1970

MLB:
Nick Adenhart, P, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, car accident, 2009 (age 22)
Roberto Clemente*, OF, Pittsburgh Pirates, plane crash, 1972 (age 38)
Cory Lidle, P, New York Yankees, plane crash, 2006 (age 34)
Thurman Munson, C, New York Yankees, plane crash, 1979 (age 32)

NBA:
Len Bias, Boston Celtics (drafted but never played in the NBA), Cocaine overdose, 1986 (age 22)

However, this burning out of lights of stardom doesn't only apply to athletes, but crosses into the entertainment fields of comedy, tv, movies, and music. Similarly, some have cut their own careers and lives short those drugs and other factors. But there have been other factors such as crashes, murder, and unexpected symptoms that quickly lead to death.

The list includes:

Michael Jackson, 50 (1958-2009): The King of Pop, legendary artist Michael Jackson, passed away June 25, 2009, after he was rushed to the hospital following possible cardiac arrest. Just the day prior, Jackson, 50, attended a rehearsal at LA's Staples Center to prepare for a series of 50 concerts scheduled to start next month at London's O2 dome and continue into next year.

Elvis Presley, 42 (1935-1977): From the King of Pop to the King of Rock: Elvis Presley's health was rapidly deteriorating leading up to his eventual death, exacerbated by his drug habits. Presley holds the record for the most amount of No. 1 hits by a solo artist, in addition to a string of memorable movie roles. On August 16, 1977, Presley was found on his bathroom floor at Graceland and pronounced dead shortly. Presley, who gave his last performance in early summer 1977, had been expected to start his next tour the following day.

Heath Ledger, 28 (1979-2008): The actor died at the age of 28 of an accidental overdose in his Manhattan apartment [Obituary here] and the film world is still feeling the loss. In a moment both solemn and celebratory, Ledger won a posthumous Golden Globe in January for Best Supporting Actor [story here] for his role as the Joker in "The Dark Knight."

Biggie Smalls, 24 (1972-1997): Christopher Wallace, also known as "Notorious B.I.G.," this former street drug dealer became a defining force in East Coast hip-hop. His powerful rhymes and equally powerful personality made him almost a force of nature. He became the center of a whole New York-based hip-hop revival, with the eerily prophetic "Ready to Die" and "Life After Death." His life and death is chronicled in the new film "Notorious." He was killed in an unsolved shooting in Los Angeles in 1997.

Tupac Shakur, 25 (1971-1996): Son of a revolutionary, Tupac was seen by some as creating his own kind of revolution in hip-hop. He was an exceptional writer and a strong rapper who injected electricity into the hip-hop world. He also ran with some of the street crowd he rapped about, proudly flaunting the "Thug Life." He died of gunshot wound complications after he was shot in the chest.

John Lennon, 40 (1940-1980): On December 8, 1980, the unimaginable happened, music legend John Lennon was murdered outside of the Dakota in New York City by Mark David Chapman. After unprecedented success as a founding member of the Beatles, John Lennon pursued a solo career and is considered one of the best songwriters in music history.

John Belushi, 33 (1949-1982): The "Animal House" star and "Saturday Night Live" cast member died at a young age after an apparent overdose of heroin and cocaine.
Marvin Gaye, 44 (1939-1984): The Motown records crooner made us all wonder "What's Going on?" and yearn for a little "Sexual Healing," but the singer - who fused soul, R&B, rock and funk - met a tragic, premature end. Gaye, who struggled with drug abuse, made a comeback in 1982, going on tour to promote his last album, "Midnight Love." But after the tour ended in early 1983, Gaye succumbed to depression and lived the life of a recluse in his parents' home. Although the musician threatened suicide multiple times, it was Gaye's father who would take his life, fatally shooting him during an argument on April 1, 1984, a day before his 45th birthday.

Marilyn Monroe, 36 (1926-1962): The famed actress and sex symbol developed a dependency of pills in the later years of her life and died of an apparent barbiturate overdose. "The Misfits," shown above, was Monroe's last film. Additionally, "Something's Got to Give" was never finished because of the iconic actress' sudden death. The material later became the 1963 release 'Move Over, Darling,' starring James Garner and Doris Day.

Buddy Holly, 22 (1936-1959), Ritchie Valens, 17 (1941-1959) and the Big Bopper, 28 (1930-1959): Unlike some other stars who died young, Buddy Holly was quite looking forward to staying alive for a long time. He had already scored a bunch of hit records, he had big plans for his musical future and his wife Maria Elena was expecting their first child. Holly died in a plane crash along with Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper. The fatal plane crash occurred on Feb. 3rd, 1959, which would become known as the "Day the Music Died."

James Dean, 24 (1931-1955): Indiana-born James Dean only made three movies - "Giant," "East of Eden" and "Rebel Without A Cause" - but they were enough to give him a reputation inside the movie business as one of the most intense actors ever and outside the movie business as one of the most magnetic presences on the big screen since - well, since Marlon Brando, after whom he largely patterned himself. Dean died in a tragic car accident.

Jim Morrison, 27 (1943-1971): They called him the brooding poet of rock ‘n' roll, which sounds a little pretentious. But this son of a career Navy man wrote some unusual and intelligent songs that explored creepy areas ("The End") and sometimes just had fun ("Hello, I love you, won't you tell me your name"). Morrison was found dead in the bathtub of his Paris apartment.

Patsy Cline, 30 (1932-1963): The acclaimed female vocalist found success as a country music star, but her musical influence has stretched far beyond that specific genre. Her strong, infectious voice crooned such hits as "Walkin' After Midnight" and "I Fall to Pieces" before she died in an airplane crash at age 30.

Aaliyah, 22 (1979-2001): Aaliyah, born in Bed-Stuy and raised in Detroit, was the walking definition of street cool in the late 1990s. She only cut three albums - "Age Ain't Nothin' But a Number," "One In a Million" and "Aaliyah," released just weeks before she died in a plane crash in the Bahamas.

Jimi Hendrix, 27 (1942- 1970): Hendrix's single name - either one of them - is still synonymous with the wild, unleashed power of the electric guitar. He found things there that no one else had found, and while he had a basically shy nature, being on-stage brought out a side of him that for many fans still defines the utter freedom of rock ‘n' roll. There is some mystery surrounding his death, but the official cause was listed as asphyxiation after inhaling his own vomit while intoxicated.

Karen Carpenter, 52 (1950-1983): At the age of 19, Karen and her brother Richard signed a record deal as the soft rock duo the Carpenters who reached overnight success in 1970. An acclaimed drummer, Karen was mostly known for her angelic voice. However, after suffering from the eating disorder anorexia nervosa, Carpenter died of heart failure in 1983.

Selena, 23 (1971-1995): There was nothing self-destructive about Selena, who had built herself an extraordinary career and at the age of 23 was widely known as "The Queen of Tejano Music." Born in Texas to Mexican parents, she built a multi-national following that included platinum sales and a Grammy award. Selena was murdered by an obsessed fan.

Bruce Lee, 32, (1940-1973): The martial arts artists died three weeks before the 1973 premiere of "Enter the Dragon." Although "Game of Death" and its sequel "Game of Death II" would be released later, they are based on footage shot before Lee made 'Enter the Dragon.'

Kurt Cobain, 27 (1967-1994): "Grunge" was a loving term slapped onto a style of music, much of it coming from Seattle, because terms like "punk" and "new wave" had already been used. But there was nothing especially grungy about the music of Nirvana, the three-man band Kurt Cobain fronted and for which he wrote most of the music. Cobain shot himself in his Seattle home.

River Phoenix, 23 (1970-1993): River Phoenix, one member of a large and successful acting family, told people he hated the movie business - how it worked, what it did to people, what it did to creativity. He kept getting bigger, though, despite these reservations. He died of a drug overdose.

Chris Farley, 33 (1964-1997): The "Saturday Night Live" alum was often compared to the late John Belushi, and died of a drug overdose much like his idol. The "Tommy Boy" actor died five months before the release of his final film, "Almost Heroes."
Janis Joplin, 27 (1943-1970): Janis was known as the white girl who sang the blues. A lot of white girls have sung the blues, of course, some of them just as well as the insecure girl from Port Arthur, Texas. But few of them seemed to live the blues quite as thoroughly as Janis. Joplin died of a drug overdose.

Otis Redding, 26 (1941-1967): People who knew Otis Redding still say he was one of the nicest guys ever to walk through the music business, and while some would say there's little competition for that title, it remains true that everybody loved the Georgia man with the soft touch and a voice that could propel freight trains. Redding died in a plane crash.

Frankie Lymon, 25 (1942-1968): It's been argued that Frankie Lymon was rock ‘n' roll's first teen idol - that is, someone who actually a teenager when he became an idol. Frankie was 13 when he and his Harlem vocal quintet, appropriately called the Teenagers, recorded "Why Do Fools Fall In Love." Lymon died of a drug overdose.

Hank Williams, 29 (1923-1953): There's no plainer way to put it: Hank Williams was the finest country musician in the history of country music. It takes nothing from Jimmie Rodgers or George Jones or any other masterful performer to say that if it all needed to be summed up in one man and his work, that man would be Hank. He died of drug-related heart failure.

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/galleries/hinckleys_look_at_celebrities_who_died_before_age_30/hinckleys_look_at_celebrities_who_died_before_age_30.html

All and all, fame is sometimes not all its cracked up to be. Often times, stars put too much pressure on themselves or let bad influences enter their life. Or they become targets or victims of unfortunate circumstances. Chris Henry is now among a list of stars in sports and entertainment whose flame burned out too fast.