Famous people who passed away by drowning

When we think of drowning, our minds often paint scenes of lakes, pools, or strong ocean currents. Yet, reality sometimes tells a different tale, as these tragic celebrity drownings reveal.

On July 8, 2020, a boat ride on California's Lake Piru turned tragic. Accompanied by her four-year-old son, Josey, a current swept them away while swimming. The actress' final act was to save her son, but she couldn't save herself. Her body was found five days later, a mile away from the incident.

The news on October 28, 2023, was shocking. TMZ reported that actor Matthew Perry drowned in the jacuzzi of his newly acquired Los Angeles mansion. The autopsy later showed that the combo of the anesthetic ketamine, water and heart disease were a deadly mix.

January 15, 2018, marked the loss of a music icon at 46. The 'Cranberries' beloved singer was found lifeless in the bathtub of a London hotel, surrounded by empty alcohol bottles and prescription medications – another lethal mix.

July 3, 1969, saw the demise of 'The Rolling Stones' original leader and founder – yes, even Keith Richards stayed in the band he was kicked out of due to his excesses. He was found dead in his pool three weeks later, with high levels of alcohol and substances in his system.

Pictured second from the left.

The world lost a 20th-century legend on February 11, 2012. Her death in a Beverly Hills hotel bathtub was reported by TMZ, with substance use and heart disease as facators contributing to the drowning.

On June 27, 2023, a beach outing in Destin, Florida, turned deadly. Emergency responders, called to aid struggling swimmers, discovered an unresponsive ex-NFL player among them. He was declared dead on arrival at the hospital, aged 35.

July 26, 2015, brought a grim echo of the past. Whitney Houston's daughter met a fate strikingly similar to her mother's – found face-down in her bathtub. She lingered in a coma for six months before passing away at just 22. To this day, whether her death was accidental or intentional remains a mystery.

The singer's demise on May 29, 1997, remains shrouded in enigma. He plunged into Memphis' Wolf River, fully clothed, leaving more questions than answers. Theories range from an accidental sweep downstream by a boat's current to a deliberate act, possibly influenced by his bipolar disorder. Unlike other deaths on the list, no substances were found in his system.

June 26, 2022, saw a tragic end for an actress, aged 61. Swimming in New York's St. Lawrence River, she hit her head, lost consciousness, and was swept away by the current.

December 28, 1983, marked a bizarre end for a 'Beach Boys' founding member. After a rowdy Christmas celebration on a friend's boat, he dived into the water to retrieve items he'd thrown overboard three years earlier. Tragically, he never resurfaced after diving to retrieve a silver-framed wedding photo with Karen Lamm.

November 29, 1981 – Accident or not? The death of the 'West Side Story' star remains one of Hollywood's greatest enigmas.

Natalie Wood, vacationing on the yacht Splendour, was reported missing by her husband, Robert Wagner, and Christopher Walken. Her body was found 1 mile from the yacht, with severe injuries attributed to her fall into the water.

Theories on whether her death was accidental have persisted since that fateful night. In fact, in 2011, the cause of death was changed from "Accidental Drowning" to "Drowning and Other Undetermined Factors," and in 2018, Wagner was named a person of interest in the reopened investigation.

On August 27, 1965 the incredibly influential pioneer of modern architecture drown while swimming off the coast of a French Riviera resort. According to the New York Times, he had a heart attack while on a long swim. He was 77.

Joe Delaney, an American football player who played for the Kansas City Chiefs, tragically drowned on June 29, 1983 at the young age of 24. He died while attempting to rescue three children from drowning in a pond at Chennault Park in Monroe, Louisiana. Despite being unable to swim well, Delaney jumped into the water to save the children. Unfortunately, Delaney and two of the children drowned; one child survived.