It had to be River Phoenix...

I would say Phil Hartman, due to its violent nature and for being so out-of-left-field.

Jim Henson

Jill Dando, British television presenter. She was fatally shot outside her home in Fulham, London in 1999. A local man, Barry George, was convicted and imprisoned for the murder but was later acquitted after an appeal and retrial. A Yugoslav terrorist connection was initially dismissed by police, but has since acquired more credence. The case remains open. What made this more shocking for me was I was half a mile away when it happened.

I would have to say Princess Diana.



Cat

The 20th anniversary commemorations on Diana's death serves as testimony to the lasting echoes of the death.

Honorable mentions:

Frank Sinatra
Dean Martin
John F. Kennedy, Jr.
Bill Bixby
Audrey Hepburn
Richard Nixon
Mickey Mantle
Dusty Springfield
Mother Teresa
Dino Valenti
Robert Young

That said, outside of Diana, there wasn't a landmark passing like you had with the 1960s (JFK), 1970s (Elvis), 1980s (John Lennon), or 2000s (Michael Jackson). So far in the 2010s, Prince seems to be the most shocking celebrity death, followed by Whitney Houston and George Michael. But there seemingly have been a lot more "moderately shocking" deaths this decade compared to the 1990s, mostly because my generation can relate to more of these, compared to most of the 1990s which my parents and grandparents felt more. The thing was (even among the honorable mentions) is that most of the celebrity deaths were well past their prime (usually between the 1940s-1960s), a higher share of B- and C-listers, or simply old. However, the 1990s had a high proportion of Golden Age Hollywood deaths due to most actors born in the early 20th century, and although the 2010s have had some, there aren't as many simply due to most of that generation responsible for its success (the GI generation and even a few holdouts from the Lost Generation) having passed on by this point.

Still, this is quite a list among those stars that have been twinkling in a galaxy far, far away for quite awhile: In addition to what's been posted, the epitaphs and eulogies of Oliver Reed, Dirk Bogarde, Roddy McDowell, E.G. Marshall, Sylvia Syms, Conway Twitty, Harry Nilsson, Ella Fitzgerald, Shari Lewis, Flip Wilson, Burl Ives, Lloyd Bridges, Daniel Massey, Robert Mitchum, Del Shannon, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Roy Acuff, Pearl Bailey, James "Jimmy" Stewart, Richard Jaeckel, Don Porter, Yuri Nikulin, Greer Garson, Guy Madison, McLean Stevenson, Johnnie Ray, Art Lund, Mary Martin, Sir Robert Stevens, Elisha Cook Jr, Lana Turner, Peter Cushing, Joseph Cotten, Charles Drake, Natalie Hall, Dinah Shore, Telly Savalas, Jack Gilford, Raymond Burr, Fred Gwynne, Lillian Gish, John Anderson, Tammy Wynette, Curtis Mayfeild Dana Andrews, Carl Perkins, Danny Thomas, Jimmy Witherspoon, Michael Landon, Gene Roddenberry, Jean Arthur, Kevin O'Connor, Nancy Kulp, Ken Curtis, Robin Harris, Barbara Stanwyck, Jessica Tandy, Eve Arden, Ava Gardner, Susan Oliver, Fabia Drake, and Greta Garbo all took place in the 1990s, and is a reminder of our mortality and our understanding of out compassion for what we really are. Every decade (even year) has its share of sorrowful moments, and of course we most move on and believe in positive things, both from what they were and also both their and our spirits and another world that we won't know until it's our turn to pass on.

One thing I'm dreading about the 2020s is that it will be the decade that the Baby Boom generation (the 2010s has already seen quite a few passings) will replace the Silents has the generation with the highest mortality rate, and since Millenials were inspired by them as childhood role models, the shockiness will likely only get worse.

I would have to say Princess Diana.



Cat

The 20th anniversary commemorations on Diana's death serves as testimony to the lasting echoes of the death.

Honorable mentions:

Frank Sinatra
Dean Martin
John F. Kennedy, Jr.
Bill Bixby
Audrey Hepburn
Richard Nixon
Mickey Mantle
Dusty Springfield
Mother Teresa
Dino Valenti
Robert Young

That said, outside of Diana, there wasn't a landmark passing like you had with the 1960s (JFK), 1970s (Elvis), 1980s (John Lennon), or 2000s (Michael Jackson). So far in the 2010s, Prince seems to be the most shocking celebrity death, followed by Whitney Houston and George Michael. But there seemingly have been a lot more "moderately shocking" deaths this decade compared to the 1990s, mostly because my generation can relate to more of these, compared to most of the 1990s which my parents and grandparents felt more. The thing was (even among the honorable mentions) is that most of the celebrity deaths were well past their prime (usually between the 1940s-1960s), a higher share of B- and C-listers, or simply old. However, the 1990s had a high proportion of Golden Age Hollywood deaths due to most actors born in the early 20th century, and although the 2010s have had some, there aren't as many simply due to most of that generation responsible for its success (the GI generation and even a few holdouts from the Lost Generation) having passed on by this point.

Still, this is quite a list among those stars that have been twinkling in a galaxy far, far away for quite awhile: In addition to what's been posted, the epitaphs and eulogies of Oliver Reed, Dirk Bogarde, Roddy McDowell, E.G. Marshall, Sylvia Syms, Conway Twitty, Harry Nilsson, Ella Fitzgerald, Shari Lewis, Flip Wilson, Burl Ives, Lloyd Bridges, Daniel Massey, Robert Mitchum, Del Shannon, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Roy Acuff, Pearl Bailey, James "Jimmy" Stewart, Richard Jaeckel, Don Porter, Yuri Nikulin, Greer Garson, Guy Madison, McLean Stevenson, Johnnie Ray, Art Lund, Mary Martin, Sir Robert Stevens, Elisha Cook Jr, Lana Turner, Peter Cushing, Joseph Cotten, Charles Drake, Natalie Hall, Dinah Shore, Telly Savalas, Jack Gilford, Raymond Burr, Fred Gwynne, Lillian Gish, John Anderson, Tammy Wynette, Curtis Mayfeild Dana Andrews, Carl Perkins, Danny Thomas, Jimmy Witherspoon, Michael Landon, Gene Roddenberry, Jean Arthur, Kevin O'Connor, Nancy Kulp, Ken Curtis, Robin Harris, Barbara Stanwyck, Jessica Tandy, Eve Arden, Ava Gardner, Susan Oliver, Fabia Drake, and Greta Garbo all took place in the 1990s, and is a reminder of our mortality and our understanding of out compassion for what we really are. Every decade (even year) has its share of sorrowful moments, and of course we most move on and believe in positive things, both from what they were and also both their and our spirits and another world that we won't know until it's our turn to pass on.

One thing I'm dreading about the 2020s is that it will be the decade that the Baby Boom generation (the 2010s has already seen quite a few passings) will replace the Silents has the generation with the highest mortality rate, and since Millenials were inspired by them as childhood role models, the shockiness will likely only get worse.
With the world wide impact it had to be Princess Diana.

I would have to say Princess Diana.



Cat


I would think so too.

Can I say George Burns?

For me the one and only Freddie Mercury.

My neighbor was crying when Kurt Cobain died. Tupac and Notorious B.I.G. also hit me hard. My friends were rap fans...

Phil Hartman. Should've just broke up with your goddamn wife! And it's because of some robot at Disney World that wasn't even around for an entire month that I like him...

Phil Hartman. Should've just broke up with your goddamn wife! And it's because of some robot at Disney World that wasn't even around for an entire month that I like him...
.

I couldn't agree with you more! He didn't want to get a divorce, because he loved his kids so much and couldn't stand the thought of being away from them. Nevertheless, his wife was a self obsessed mentally ill woman.

Can I say George Burns?


Why would you say his death was shocking? He was 100 years old when he died.

My pick is Diana, she was world famous and very well liked. The manner of her death was a shock to all.

My pick is Diana, she was world famous and very well liked. The manner of her death was a shock to all.

Agreed 100%.

Why would you say his death was shocking? He was 100 years old when he died.

My pick is Diana, she was world famous and very well liked. The manner of her death was a shock to all.

Sorry Contigo I don't know what I was thinking 4 years ago.

We were shocked on the death of Mother Teresa one week after the sad demise of Princess Diana. It was announced on a news bulletin after the funeral coverage had finished.

The shocking thing about Diana's death is that it was the first of it's kind. It was completely new. "Death by paparazzi". Nothing like that had ever occurred before. I remember thinking at the time "a page has turned". And it certainly foretold today's shocking lack of privacy on all fronts, thanks to the likes of goofballs like Mark Zuckerberg who brazenly declared "the age of privacy is over" and proceeded to make it happen. In Diana's time it was celebrities and famous people. Now it's everybody.

Sorry Contigo I don't know what I was thinking 4 years ago.

Aww no problem Howard , I do many things without thinking  .
As I get older it's becomming the norm!  ;D

We were shocked on the death of Mother Teresa one week after the sad demise of Princess Diana. It was announced on a news bulletin after the funeral coverage had finished.

Yep, I remember that very well. I had just started my senior year of highschool.

However, Teresa, unlike Diana, died a natural death. (She wasn't in an accident involving a motorised vehicle or anything.) Even so, both ladies were special in their own regards.

Selena! She was too pure for this world! She would have been 2X as big as Jennifer Lopez had she still been alive, in my opinion!

Selena! She was too pure for this world! She would have been 2X as big as Jennifer Lopez had she still been alive, in my opinion!

Absolutely! Had she not been gunned down, she'd (in all likelihood) still be with us today. (And she would have turned 50 this past April.) She would have likely recorded more music, possibly won several awards for it, etc.

And the 1997 film based on her life, with J-Lo in the lead role, might not have been made.

But the world will never know for sure.

Who wasn't shocked by John Candy's death since he died on Catherine O'Hara's birthday? And I'm sure it's been difficult for Catherine to celebrate her birthday on the same day that she lost her friend and SCTV collaborator.

Another death that shocked me was Phil Hartman.  He had everything going for him, a wife, and two kids, and a lucrative film and television career, and all of that was taken away from him and his children because mom was jealous of his career that was going places.

The 20th anniversary commemorations on Diana's death serves as testimony to the lasting echoes of the death.

Honorable mentions:

Frank Sinatra
Dean Martin
John F. Kennedy, Jr.
Bill Bixby
Audrey Hepburn
Richard Nixon
Mickey Mantle
Dusty Springfield
Mother Teresa
Dino Valenti
Robert Young



Bill Bixby was hard for me. He was my major hearttrob since I was a teen.


Cat

The 20th anniversary commemorations on Diana's death serves as testimony to the lasting echoes of the death.

Honorable mentions:

Frank Sinatra
Dean Martin
John F. Kennedy, Jr.
Bill Bixby
Audrey Hepburn
Richard Nixon
Mickey Mantle
Dusty Springfield
Mother Teresa
Dino Valenti
Robert Young



I think an old hippie like me might be the only one who knows who Dino Valenti is. 

Absolutely! Had she not been gunned down, she'd (in all likelihood) still be with us today. (And she would have turned 50 this past April.) She would have likely recorded more music, possibly won several awards for it, etc.

And the 1997 film based on her life, with J-Lo in the lead role, might not have been made.

But the world will never know for sure.


Gunned down by the president of her fan club and the manager of her clothing boutiques.  I think she was intentionally gunned down by her so-called "best friend" or she wouldn't be spending the rest of her life in jail.

Tie between Princess Diana and Phil Hartman. Hartman was like the best cast member from '90s SNL.

Tie between Princess Diana and Phil Hartman. Hartman was like the best cast member from '90s SNL.


Another death that shocked me was Phil Hartman.  He had everything going for him, a wife, and two kids, and a lucrative film and television career, and all of that was taken away from him and his children because mom was jealous of his career that was going places.


Yeah, the voice of washed-up actor Troy McClure and bumbling defense attorney Lionel Hutz on The Simpsons.  ;D  ;D  ;D

Hartman was like the best cast member from '90s SNL.

Yeah. He impersonated certain political figures of the 80's and 90's, including Reagan and Clinton during the real ones' respective presidential terms. As well as other people.

Yeah. He impersonated certain political figures of the '80s and '90s, including Reagan and Clinton during the real ones' respective presidential terms. As well as other people.


And he did a pretty decent job of it!