12 Recent Celebrity Suicides That Took the World By Surprise

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Following the tragic death of TV chef Anthony Bourdain last week, attention is being drawn to the recent spate of celebrity suicides

Bourdain's death followed the passing of fashion designer Kate Spade only a few days prior.

Like Mr. Bourdain, Spade was found hanging in the same way that a growing number of celebrities have been found.

These death are just the latest of our most recent loses, as suicide for celebrities seems to be a reoccurring theme.

Celebrity suicide

Spade and Bourdain were just the latest in a long line of suicides that have made headlines.

Who else was found dead?

L’Ren Scott

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L’Ren Scott, (former girlfriend of Nate Rothschild) was found dead by her assistant at her apartment in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan on March 17, 2014.

The police reported that no note was found and there was no sign of foul play.

The New York City Chief Medical Examiner determined Scott's manner and cause of death to be "suicide by hanging."

She was 49.

Chris Cornell

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Cornell was found unconscious by his bodyguard, hanging in the bathroom of his hotel room at the MGM Grand in Detroit, after performing at a show with Soundgarden at the Fox Theatre on May 17.

He was lying on the floor with an exercise band around his neck and blood in his mouth. 

An MGM medic and EMS personnel were unable to revive Cornell. 

Cornell was pronounced dead by a doctor at 1:30 a.m. 

Police ruled out homicide by reviewing a hotel surveillance video, which showed nobody entering or exiting the suite after his bodyguard left at around 11:35 p.m.

The cause of death was determined to be "suicide by hanging."

Before his death, Chris and his wife set up a charity called the Chirs and Vicky Cornell Foundation which works to help victims of child abuse.

Chester Bennington

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Bennington was found dead at his home in Palos Verdes Estates, California; his housekeeper discovered his body hanging from a doorknob around 9:00 a.m. PDT on July 20, 2017. 

His death was officially ruled as suicide. 

His bandmate Mike Shinoda confirmed his death on Twitter, writing, "Shocked and heartbroken, but it's true. An official statement will come out as soon as we have one".

On July 21, Brian Elias, the chief of operations for the office of the medical examiner-coroner, confirmed that a half-empty bottle of alcohol was found at the scene, but no other drugs were present.

Robin Williams

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On August 11, 2014, Williams died at his home in Paradise Cay, California. 

In the initial report released on August 12, the Marin County Sheriff's Office deputy coroner stated Williams had hanged himself.

The final autopsy report, released in November 2014, ruled that Williams had committed suicide.

Neither alcohol nor illegal drugs were involved, while all prescription drugs present in his body were at "therapeutic" levels, the coroner declared.

Alexander McQueen

Fashion designer Alexander McQueen's death was announced on the afternoon of 11 February 2010.

In the morning, his housekeeper found him hanging at his home in Green Street, London W1.

Paramedics were called and they pronounced him dead at the scene.

The Metropolitan Police stated that the note was not suspicious, but did not confirm that the death was a suicide.

Queen Maxima's sister Ines Zorreguieta

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Dutch Queen Maxima's sister Ines Zorreguieta was found dead in Argentina last week.

Zorreguieta, 33, was found dead by a friend who discovered her body in her apartment in the Almagro district of Buenos Aires. 

Police said the autopsy report would be available in a week but did not suspect foul play.

The cause is death is still unknown.

Aaron Swartz

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Tech pioneer, and Reddit co-founder, Aaron Swartz was found dead in his Brooklyn apartment by his partner, Taren Stinebrickner-Kauffman on January 11, 2013.

A spokeswoman for New York's Medical Examiner reported that he had hanged himself.

No suicide note was found.

Swartz's family and his partner created a memorial website on which they issued a statement, saying:

"He used his prodigious skills as a programmer and technologist not to enrich himself but to make the Internet and the world a fairer, better place."

Michael Hutchence

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INXS frontman Michael Hutchence was found dead on the morning of 22 November 1997, Hutchence, aged 37.

His body was found in Room 524 at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Double Bay, Sydney.

The occupant in the room next to Hutchence's heard a loud male voice and swearing at about 5 AM; the coroner was satisfied that this was Hutchence arguing with another male.

On 6 February 1998, after an autopsy and coronial inquest, New South Wales State Coroner, Derrick Hand, presented his report.

The report ruled that Hutchence's death was a suicide.

Avicii

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Swedish DJ Avicii, real name Tim Bergling, died on 20 April 2018 near Muscat, Oman, at the age of 28.

No cause of death was immediately given.

On 21 April, the Omani police stated that there was "no criminal suspicion" or evidence of foul play in Bergling's death. 

On 26 April, his family released an open letter stating that Bergling "really struggled with thoughts about meaning, life, happiness. He could not go on any longer." 

On 1 May, TMZ reported that the cause of death was a suicide due to self-inflicted injuries.

Although full details of his death were not released, TMZ reports that he suffered cuts from broken glass along with neck injuries.

David Carradine

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On June 3, 2009, at the age of 72, Hollywood actor David Carradine was found dead in his room at the Swissôtel Nai Lert Park Hotel on Wireless Road, near Sukhumvit Road, in central Bangkok, Thailand.

He was in Bangkok to shoot his latest film, titled Stretch.

A police official said that Carradine was found naked, hanging, causing immediate speculation that his death was suicide.

However, reported evidence suggested that his death was accidental, the result of autoerotic asphyxiation.

Two autopsies were conducted, one involving the celebrity pathologist Pornthip Rojanasunan, and both concluded that the death was not a suicide.

The cause of death became widely accepted as "accidental asphyxiation."

Carradine's lawyer Vicki Roberts said:

"I believe there may have been foul play." 

UPDATE: The official cause of deaths for all those mentioned in this article, except David Carradine, was suicide. A previous version of this article suggested that some of these days may have somehow been connected which would be inaccurate. The previous version also inaccurately speculated that their deaths may have been related to them having knowledge of a "pedophile ring" prior to dying which there is no evidence for. The article has been updated to reflect this correction.