The Most Tragic Autopsy Results From Stars Of The 2010s

Sociologists have long argued that when it comes to the modern world, death is "publicly absent but privately present." That particularly in Western societies focused on meritocracy, wealth, and happiness, there are few forums where death and our experiences of it are openly discussed and represented. As the 21st century has seen a greater embrace of psychiatry and other mental health therapies, this has slowly begun to change. Grief counseling groups, greater support for the emotional needs of terminally ill people, and even podcasts on the subject of death and dying are all becoming more commonplace.

In the news, however, death, and particularly celebrity death, is still treated the same as it ever was: With a good deal of sensationalism. Today, celebrities are more willing to show their human side and discuss personal issues including poor health, addiction, and more. Nevertheless, for many celebrity fanbases, their heroes remain superhuman. When news of a death hits the headlines, unexpected or otherwise, it's still often met with the same wave of shock and horror as that of classic stars Marilyn Monroe or James Dean. And in the age of the internet, speculation around celebrity demise often reaches fever pitch, only quelled with the release of the autopsy report recording the official cause. Here are some of the previous decade's most tragic deaths — and what the coroner revealed about them in the aftermath.

Chicago rapper Juice WRLD was one of the most promising rising stars of the 2010s. Born Jarad Anthony Higgins, he had established a massive following by the age of 21 after releasing a series of hugely popular songs on the music streaming platform SoundCloud. He released his debut EP, "Juice WRLD 9 9 9," in 2017, and its lead single, "Lucid Dreams," peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2018, he released his first studio album "Goodbye & Good Riddance," which hit No. 4 on the Billboard 200.

Juice WRLD's lyrics were often confessional. The rapper bluntly shared his drug experiences with listeners, and his substance use became more out of control as his career took off. In December 2019, he was booked to enter rehab after an intervention by friends during his Australian tour. Sadly, as Juice WRLD was flying into Los Angeles on December 8, he suffered a fatal seizure while security services were searching his private jet — a search that found firearms, 70 pounds of cannabis, and a six bottles of prescription cough syrup the rapper used to make the intoxicant "lean." His cause of death was listed as an accidental overdose of codeine and oxycodone, two opioids known to be dangerous in combination.

Cameron Boyce had a promising career ahead of him when he died tragically in 2019 at age 20. In his early years, he was a popular figure on the Disney Channel, and he looked set to enjoy a lucrative and successful career as an adult, following in the footsteps of previous generations of former Disney stars like Zac Efron and Miley Cyrus. But Boyce's sudden death meant that his potential remained unfulfilled. 

As his autopsy later revealed, the actor died of a epileptic seizure. His cause of death was listed as Sudden Unexplained Death in Epilepsy, an occurrence known in medical circles as SUDEP. Boyce had been diagnosed with epilepsy three years prior to his death, and though the diagnosis was a shock, his seizures were comparatively infrequent and treated with medication. 

SUDEP is little-known and little-understood, and the first time his family had heard of it was when it was listed as his cause of death. According to The New York Times, it kills around 2,600 people a year in the U.S. Since Boyce's death, awareness of SUDEP has grown in the U.S., thanks in part to his family, who launched the Cameron Boyce Foundation. The effort aims to continue his legacy and fund research to cure epilepsy.

Amy Winehouse's use of drugs and alcohol was no secret. Propelled to international fame with the release of her sophomore album "Back to Black" in 2006, the British jazz singer became a target of the paparazzi. Particularly, those attached to the tabloid newspapers in her native country. Such outlets covered Winehouse's visually obvious experiences with alcoholism and addiction at the height of her fame. They arguably contributed to the pressures that underpinned her substance abuse issues, which reportedly left the singer distraught.

Winehouse's career waned as a result of her addictions. After a period away from the limelight — she spent almost a year on the island of St. Lucia — she returned to London and attempted to get sober, seeking treatment through rehab. Winehouse was found dead in her London apartment on July 23, 2011 at just 27 years old. Her autopsy revealed that she died of alcohol poisoning, with two empty bottles of vodka found nearby. Winehouse had abstained from alcohol for a period before relapsing, which experts say can prove fatal, as the person's tolerance for alcohol decreases during periods of sobriety.

"Glee" actress Naya Rivera tragically died on July 8, 2020 at age 33. The circumstances of the accident that killed her first emerged in news reports, but further disturbing details came to light later with the publication of her autopsy report. On the day of her death, Rivera was boating with her 4-year-old son on Lake Piru in Los Angeles, when she and the boy decided to jump into the water together. Her autopsy report later revealed that she began to struggle, and though she managed to get her son safely back onto the boat, she was soon submerged and ultimately drowned.

The report noted that she had a history of vertigo and experienced a sinus infection shortly before her death that may have further impacted her ability to swim. Tragically, it also stated that Rivera had waved and called for help before going under. Her son, who wore a life jacket throughout, was later recovered from the boat and given to the care of his father.

Naya Rivera's co-star on "Glee," Cory Monteith, was another talented young actor who lost his life during the 2010s, and in similarly tragic circumstances. Monteith, who was best known to audiences as Finn Hudson, was just 31 years old when he died in the early hours of July 13, 2013, in a Vancouver hotel. His autopsy revealed that he was found collapsed on the floor at noon alongside a used syringe and two empty bottles of champagne. 

As reported by the British Columbia Ministry of Justice, the toxicology report showed that Monteith had a "moderate" amount of alcohol in his blood, as well as heroin. His death was described as an accident caused by "combined heroin and alcohol toxicity." Four months earlier, Monteith released a public statement claiming he was receiving treatment for addiction. His autopsy noted that his heroin use may have proved fatal as a result of his lowered tolerance following his abstinence, just as Amy Winehouse experienced in her deadly alcohol relapse two years prior.

As one of the stars of the incredibly lucrative "Fast & Furious" franchise alongside Vin Diesel, Paul Walker proved himself to be one of the 21st century's most bankable screen actors. He became a hero to lovers of speed and action the world over. On-screen, he was routinely shown undertaking terrifying driving maneuvers that would make even the most hardened racer's hair stand on end. The stunts typically involved high-performance vehicles that the franchise's audience of motorheads dreamed of driving.

Walker was also known to indulge in cars in real-life and was an avid car collector and supporter of car subculture. Sadly, he died at the age of 40 in a high-speed Porsche crash on November 30, 2013, while attending a charity event in Los Angeles. The vehicle, which was driven by his financial advisor Roger Rodas, slammed into a pole and trees at a speed of over 100 mph, far higher than the local limit of 45 mph. It split in half and burst into flames.

The autopsy revealed that Walker received severe traumatic injuries from the collision, but also included devastating details about the fire. Not only could Walker not be identified due to the degree of the burns on his body, his remains were unable to be used for tissue donation. Rodas was also killed in the accident.

Anton Yelchin was a young actor best known for his role as Pavel Chekov in the "Star Trek" movie trilogy released between 2009 and 2016. However, the filmography and television credits he had to his name after first breaking through as a child actor in the early 2000s was vast. From blockbuster action movies like "Terminator Salvation" to heavyweight auteur cinema like "Only Lovers Left Alive," and appearances in top TV shows like "ER" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm," Yelchin proved himself to be a versatile talent.

Horrifyingly, Yelchin's sudden death in 2016 put an end to his promising career. On June 19 that year, the actor was found pinned between a fence and mailbox pillar at his home in Studio City, California by his own car. It is believed that his vehicle, a Jeep Grand Cherokee, rolled toward Yelchin, trapping him and causing injuries to his chest and head. His cause of death was blunt traumatic asphyxia, with the Los Angeles County coroner's office suggesting that the actor was unable to breathe for around a minute before dying. The model of Jeep was later recalled due to safety concerns amid other reports of unexpected rolling.

Mac Miller was one of hip-hop's fastest rising rappers, a star much loved within the music industry. Among his friends and collaborators were bassist and vocalist Thundercat, rapper ScHoolboy Q, and singer and actress Ariana Grande, with whom he had a highly publicized romantic relationship. Miller's music, which was hugely popular during his lifetime, is now considered some of the classic rap of the period. 2011's "Blue Slide Park" topped the Billboard 200, and his final album, "Swimming," was nominated for a Grammy Award. Though originally associated with the "frat rap" party music genre, fans connected with Miller's increasing maturity. He produced confessional work discussing relationships, addiction, and the emotional turbulence he experienced through his career.

In 2018, Miller's relationship with Grande ended, and he gained significant media coverage after receiving a DUI just days later. Though he spoke in interviews around the release of "Swimming" that he was doing well, he was found dead on September 7, 2018, a month after its release. His cause of death was an accidental drug overdose, with fentanyl, cocaine, and alcohol listed in his autopsy. As reported by the Associated Press, the document also notes the presence of a tattoo, which featured an hourglass and the words: "Only so much time left in this crazy world."

To fans of daytime TV, actor Kristoff St. John was a near-constant presence for almost three decades. He began his career as a child actor back in 1979 with a breakout role on "Roots: The Next Generations" and appeared on both "Happy Days" and "The Cosby Show." As an adult, he took on numerous roles in shows including "Diagnosis: Murder" and "The Jamie Foxx Show." However, he was undoubtedly best known as Neil Winters, whose life and travails St. John portrayed in the long-running CBS soap opera "The Young and the Restless" starting in 1991.

Over the course of his long career, St. John's acting abilities were honored multiple times. He was the recipient of 10 NAACP Image awards and was nominated for nine Daytime Emmys, winning twice. He was still a star of "The Young and the Restless" as recently as 2019, until his sudden death on February 3 that year. He was just 52. His autopsy revealed that he died of hypertrophic heart disease, a condition with few symptoms that sadly went undiagnosed.

Pennsylvania-born rapper and songwriter Gustav Ahr, better known as Lil Peep, enjoyed a rapid rise to fame during his short career, which ended with his shocking death on November 15, 2017 at the age of 21. Peep relocated with his family to New York when he was 4 years old, and as a teenager he began posting music on SoundCloud. He became known for the vulnerability of his lyrics and his willingness to step outside of hip-hop's genre norms. It was during this period that he released 2016's "Crybaby," a mixtape that became a posthumous commercial hit after his death, along with 2017's "Come Over When You're Sober, P.t 1," the only studio album Peep released in his lifetime. The posthumous releases "Come Over When You're Sober, Pt. 2" and "Everybody's Everything," made up of previously unreleased material, arrived in 2018 and 2019 respectively.

Peep was found dead in his tour bus while on tour in Tucson, Arizona, heartbreaking news to his legions of fans. His autopsy report revealed that he died of a fatal overdose of alprazolam (Xanax) and fentanyl, a combination known to be highly dangerous. The document noted that Peep had suffered swelling of the brain, which was likely a fatal symptom of the overdose.

James Gandolfini was one of the most respected actors of his generation. He trained as a stage actor and cut his teeth on Broadway before becoming an icon thanks to his portrayal of Tony Soprano, the therapy-seeking mob boss and lead character in HBO's classic show "The Sopranos." The series ran for six seasons between 1999 and 2007, earning dozens of awards, including eight Emmy nominations and three wins for Gandolfini himself.

By the early 2010s, Gandolfini's career was continuing to flourish, with starring roles in several acclaimed movies including "Killing Them Softly" and "Zero Dark Thirty." Tragically, on June 19, 2013, the beloved actor collapsed and died while on vacation with his family in Italy, shortly after spending the day touring Rome. Gandolfini's autopsy confirmed that he died of a heart attack, with no alcohol or other substances uncovered in the toxicology report. Though Gandolfini had previously admitted to using cocaine and alcohol, his family was unaware that he was suffering from any underlying health problems at the time of his sudden death. He was 51.

Philip Seymour Hoffman was a continual movie presence for years after his breakthrough in 1997's "Boogie Nights." He was especially known for his roles in cult and auteur hits including "The Big Lebowski," "Almost Famous," "and "Synecdoche, New York." He won special praise for his role as a cult leader in Paul Thomas Anderson's "The Master" and for his portrayal of the author Truman Capote in the biopic "Capote," for which he won an Oscar for best actor.

In interviews, Hoffman was open about his use of alcohol and drugs, noting in a 2011 Guardian feature that he had checked into rehab after graduating from New York University in 1989. "It was pretty bad, you know what I mean," he said. "And I know, deep down, I still look at the idea of drinking with the same ferocity that I did back then. It's still pretty tangible."

Despite remaining a prolific screen presence in his final years, Hoffman was unable to maintain sobriety. On February 2, 2014 at the age of 46, the actor was found dead in an apartment two blocks away from the family home he shared with his wife and children, having moved out after returning to his addictions. A coroner's report, which noted that he had a syringe in his arm when he was found, indicated that he died of accidental acute mixed drug intoxication. Heroin, cocaine, amphetamine, and benzodiazepines were among the substances found in his system. He was due to collect his children later that day.

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).