Gone Too Soon: 9 '90s Stars Who Died Early — From Aaliyah to Kurt Cobain and More

Aaliyah

On August 25, 2001, Aaliyah died alongside eight others onboard a twin-engine Cessna 402-B after it crashed near the runway. She was only 22 at the time.

In the book Baby Girl: Better Known as Aaliyah , Kathy Iandoli cited Kingsley Russell 's story, which claimed the singer did not insist on boarding the plane back to Miami. According to Russell, who worked as a baggage carrier for Aaliyah at the time, the "Are You That Somebody" songstress refused to board the plane after seeing its size.

Members of Aaliyah's entourage and the pilot argued as it would be too heavy to board eight passengers and their luggage — including heavy camera equipment. Aaliyah, who went back to the taxi van due to a headache, was given a pill that made her fall into a deep sleep.

Russell claimed Aaliyah was still asleep when the pilot allowed the team to take the flight back to Florida.

Reports added the pilot, Luis Morales , received probation for crack cocaine possession less than two weeks before the accident. Traces of cocaine and alcohol were found in his system during the autopsy. He was also reportedly not certified to fly the aircraft.

Brad Renfro

Brad Renfro 's trouble with drugs led to his untimely death on January 15, 2008.

The Tom and Huck and Apt Pupil actor, who was only 25 at the time, was found unconscious and not breathing in a Los Angeles apartment after a night out with his friends. His girlfriend called 911 and informed the operator of the situation, but Renfro was later declared dead.

Authorities ruled his death an accident, saying he died of acute heroin/morphine intoxication .

Brandon Lee

Bruce Lee 's son, Brandon Lee , died on the set of The Crow on March 31, 1993. He was only 28.

His costar, Michael Massee , fired a prop gun during the filming in North Carolina. The revolver used at the time was loaded with blanks, but gunpowder in a cartridge ignited and caused a bullet fragment to hit Brandon's abdomen.

He died in a hospital afterward.

Brittany Murphy

Brittany Murphy passed away on December 20, 2009, at the age of 32. She collapsed on the bathroom floor and died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles a few hours later.

According to the Los Angeles County coroner, the Clueless actress died from pneumonia combined with anemia and multiple drug intoxication from prescription and over-the-counter medication.

Coroner Assistant Chief Ed Winter said, "She was really sick with pneumonia , very anemic, and she was taking medication and all that combined killed her ."

No illegal drugs were found in her system.

Winter added that Murphy's death could have been prevented since she was planning to visit a doctor. Her husband, Simon Monjack , was accused of keeping her from having a consultation, but he denied the accusations, saying she was "properly taken care of."

Heath Ledger

Famed The Dark Knight actor Heath Ledger was 28 when he was found dead inside a Manhattan apartment on January 22, 2008.

Authorities ruled the cause as an accidental overdose of prescription medications, including Restoril, Xanax, OxyContin, Unisom, Valium and Vicodin.

In February, Oscar winner Stephen Gaghan shared details about Ledger's death and how he reacted upon learning about the loss .

“I’m in an airport with my wife [ Minnie Mortimer ] just going from one place to another, and I literally just collapse, never happened to me before or since. My feet went out from under me," he recalled .

Gaghan added, "I just literally sat down because I was like, ‘What?’ The emotion, what they were going through, I should not have been a party to in any way really, and yet as a human or as somebody who just cares, I just was there and I was listening and my wife was looking at me. I remember her face and I was just like, I was speechless. I just listened and listened and listened. It was just really, really sad. And it’s still sad. For me, I just had to put a pin in it.”

Kurt Cobain

Nirvana lead singer and guitarist Kurt Cobain left the music industry in deep shock after his death was announced on April 5, 1994.

The rocker, 27, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. His body was not found until three days later, on April 8, when electrician Gary Smith discovered him when he arrived at Cobain's property to install a security system.

Cobain's autopsy result also confirmed he had heroin in his system at the time of his passing.

Lee Thompson Young

The Famous Jett Jackson alum Lee Thompson Young died on August 19, 2013, in an apparent suicide . He was 29. His manager confirmed that he died by suicide.

Los Angeles police officer Sally Madera told the Associated Press that police were called to Young's property to check on him after he failed to film earlier on that day. Responders found him with a fatal self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Janet Tamaro , the showrunner of Rizzoli & Isles , said in a statement, “Everyone at Rizzoli & Isles is devastated by the news of the passing of Lee Thompson Young. We are beyond heartbroken at the loss of this sweet, gentle, good-hearted, intelligent man. He was truly a member of our family. Lee will be cherished and remembered by all who knew and loved him, both on- and offscreen, for his positive energy, infectious smile and soulful grace. We send our deepest condolences and thoughts to his family, to his friends and, most especially, to his beloved mother.”

River Phoenix

On October 31, 1992, River Phoenix suffered from multiple seizures while on the sidewalk outside of The Viper Room. He was transported to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where he went into full cardiac arrest. Despite the efforts to save him, he was declared dead 20 minutes later.

Two weeks after his death, the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office ruled that Phoenix died from a drug overdose . His toxicology report showed the late Stand by Me star had “lethal levels of cocaine and morphine” in his system, including morphine. Additional tests also detected Valium, marijuana and ephedrine.

Phoenix famously starred in My Own Private Idaho , Dark Blood , Interview with the Vampire and Sneakers .

Tupac Shakur

Tupac Shakur sustained multiple gunshot wounds during a drive-by shooting on September 7, 1996, shortly after he and Suge Knight watched a boxing match at the MGM Grand on the Las Vegas strip.

He was rushed to the University Medical Center in Las Vegas, where he remained in critical condition until his death on September 13, 1996.