Jean-Michel Basquiat was a Neo-Expressionist painter in the 1980s. He is best known for his primitive style and his collaboration with pop artist Andy Warhol.
1960-1988
John Belushi was an actor and comedian, one of the first performers on "Saturday Night Live" and one half of the Blues Brothers.
1949-1982
Lenny Bruce was an American stand-up comic and satirist who became a target for prosecutors and a poster boy for freedom of speech.
1925-1966
American singer-songwriter Tim Buckley was known for combining folk, rock and other musical styles during his tragically short career.
1947-1975
Dorothy Dandridge was an American actress and popular singer, and was the first African American to be nominated for an Academy Award for best actress.
1922-1965
Tommy Dorsey was an American trombonist and band leader who, with his brother Jimmy, was best known as one-half of The Dorsey Brothers during the Big Band and Swing eras.
1905-1956
The music of British singer-songwriter Nick Drake wasn't a hit during his lifetime, but his albums Fruit Tree and Pink Moon have gained fans over the years.
1948-1974
1934-1967
Comedian and actor Chris Farley had an ensemble role on Saturday Night Live, and was also know for his movie roles in the comedies Wayne's World and Tommy Boy.
1964-1997
Actress and singer Judy Garland was the star of many classic musical films, and was known for her tremendous talent and troubled life.
1922-1969
Corey Haim was a Canadian actor who was a teen hearthrob in the 1980s (often paired with Corey Feldman). He battled addiction and died of an overdose in 2010.
1971-2010
Guitarist, singer, and songwriter, Jimi Hendrix delighted audiences in the 1960s with his outrageous electric guitar playing skills and his experimental sound.
1942-1970
Billie Holiday was one of the most influential jazz singers of all time. She had a thriving career for many years before she lost her battle with addiction.
1915-1959
Singer-songwriter Michael Jackson's award-winning career as the King of Pop transformed the face of pop music and popular culture. He released the best-selling album in history, Thriller, in 1982. He died unexpectedly in 2009.
1958-2009
Singer Janis Joplin rose to fame in the late 1960s and was known for her powerful, blues-inspired vocals. She died of an accidental drug overdose in 1970.
1943-1970
Chris Kelly is best known for making up one half of the rap duo Kris Kross, who had a No. 1 hit with their 1992 song "Jump."
1978-2013
Heath Ledger was an Academy Award-winning, Australian actor best known for his roles in Brokeback Mountain and The Dark Knight. He died of an accidental prescription drug overdose in 2008.
1979-2008
Sonny Liston was introduced to boxing while serving time in a Missouri State penitentiary. He became a professional fighter in 1953.
1932-1970
Aimee Semple McPherson was a controversial Pentecostal evangelist whose International Church of the Foursquare Gospel had tens of thousands of followers.
1890-1944
Actress Marilyn Monroe overcame a difficult childhood to become of the world's biggest and most enduring sex symbols. She died of a drug overdose in 1962.
1926-1962
Keith Moon was a legendary drummer for the rock band the Who before his untimely death by accidental drug overdose in 1978.
1946-1978
Jim Morrison was the charismatic singer and songwriter for the 1960 rock group the Doors until his death in a Paris bathtub at age 27.
1943-1971
1950-1988
River Phoenix was an Academy Award nominee and promising young actor who died at the young age of 23 from a drug overdose.
1970-1993
Dana Plato was a child actress on the television show Diff'rent Strokes. She fell into drug addiction and died of an overdose in 1999.
1964-1999
Musician and actor Elvis Presley endured rapid fame in the mid-1950s—on the radio, TV and the silver screen—and continues to be one of the biggest names in rock 'n' roll.
1935-1977
1982-2008
Edie Sedgwick was a socialite and model who became a muse to Andy Warhol in the 1960s.
1943-1971
Anna Nicole Smith gained early fame as a model for Guess and Playboy magazine, and later became known for her marriage to 89-year-old oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall II.
1967-2007
Punk rocker Sid Vicious became famous as bassist for the Sex Pistols before his entanglement with drugs and Nancy Spungen ended his career and life.
1957-1979
Amy Winehouse won five Grammy Awards for her 2006 album Back to Black, and is remembered for songs like "Rehab," "Back to Black" and "Valerie." She died in 2011, at age 27.
1983-2011