Johnson had his hardships, including an ailment that had affected him since infancy. Prodigy was diagnosed as an infant with sickle cell anemia, a painful, chronic disorder where red blood cells take on a crescent shape, which slows down and obstructs blood flow.
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Since its official inception in 1917, the House of Windsor has been wrought with tragedy and scandal. From forbidden love affairs, to sex scandals, to a struggle to stay legitimate in an ever-modernizing world, here are the tragic details of the House of Windsor.
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Liberace defined glitz and glamour. However, when the stage lights dimmed and the curtain closed, Liberace was a man at war with himself. Here's his story.
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Sonny & Cher rode a rollercoaster of successes and failures. Together they topped the charts, danced on the edge of bankruptcy and became a television sensation. But they eventually split, effectively ending Sonny Bono's time as a star. After a rebirth in politics, his life was cut short by tragedy.
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The Doobie Brothers have won Grammy Awards, sold nearly 50 million records, and been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Here's their story.
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Hillel Slovak was a founding member of the groundbreaking funk-metal group the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, a talented guitarist who used heavy guitars in what would become a major influence in honing the group's signature sound.
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Clemente was one of the best players in baseball history, both on and off the field. Aside from the 3,000 hits he racked up before his death, his 12 All Star appearances, and 12 Gold Glove awards, he was well known as an honest man of his word who had a great desire to help people.
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The Blues Brothers would become such a hit that you can find a statue of "Joliet" Jake and Elwood at The House of Blues in Chicago, Illinois. A statue may not be the epitome of comedy fame, but that's okay; Belushi has been immortalized in other ways.
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In the story of NASA, one of the worst disasters in the department's history happened on solid ground. As NASA reports, on January 27, 1967, a fire during a preflight test for the Apollo 1 mission took the lives of astronauts Gus Grissom, Edward White, and Roger Chaffee.
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In all of his in-ring iterations, Nelson Frazier Jr. was an undeniably larger-than-life presence in professional wrestling. Whether he was rocking a spandex onesie or silk pajamas, the formidable 6'9" WWE Superstar struck fear in the hearts of his opponents and excited his throngs of loyal fans.
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T.E. Lawrence -- "Lawrence of Arabia" -- was an archaeologist, writer, and a freedom fighter who created a bond with the Arabs during World War I. His life was marked by tragedy, something that followed him until his untimely death at 49. The accident that took his life, however, raised questions.
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When bands break up, members are free to branch out and establish their own identities and projects. But suddenly being responsible for making their own decisions and solving their own problems often leads to disaster. Members of the Pre-Fab Four, the sitcom-centric Monkees, were no exception.
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The life of an athlete can be short and bittersweet. After their competitive years are over, their lives can be just as hard. Debi Thomas, an Olympic bronze medalist in figure skating, considered the best Black figure skater of her generation, went from extreme highs to extreme lows.
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Fans of the Discovery Channel's series "Deadliest Catch" have seen several tragedies in the lives of the cast, starting in 2010 when Captain Phil Harris died.
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Despite his accomplishments, Ivers is probably best remembered for how he died, his life and career cut short at the age of 36, when his star was still rising. And even today, there are still no clues as to the reason for Ivers's sudden and shockingly tragic death.
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Known in the automotive industry as an innovator, John DeLorean's life was one of rebellion, struggle, and peerless invention. We now know John DeLorean's car from the Back to the Future franchise, but his tragic life included many divorces and an FBI sting for smuggling cocaine.
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He talked of studying an undergraduate degree and continuing on to do a master's. Despite his family, hobbies, and plans for the future, however, Halladay battled with depression and addiction, and these would combine with his dangerous hobby to bring about his early demise.
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In his lifetime, Ishi, the last member of the Yahi tribe, watched his people be wiped off the Earth. This is the last member of the Yahi's tragic life story.
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They'd sing, play music, and go through a number of routines to keep the eyes looking their way. This would lead to a couple of stints in Hollywood before their death in the late 1960s. Unfortunately, the Hilton sisters didn't reach fame by living easy lives, and their deaths were equally tragic.
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Snuka, whose real name was James Reiher, was born in Fiji, grew up in Hawaii, and also lived in Camden County, New Jersey. After a successful stint as a bodybuilder, he started as a professional wrestler in the 1970s and made his WWE debut in 1982, helping the organization on its skyrocket rise.
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At that point in time, few had any true understanding the mental and physical complexities of anorexia nervosa. And sadly, it took seeing the young, fragile Karen Carpenter wither and waste away before the world's very eyes that made people stand up and take serious notice of the condition.
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Poison was among the most successful "hair metal" rock bands of the 80s. Life outside of the music wasn't always great. Here's the dark tale of Poison.
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No one knows for sure if their lyrical theories are right or wrong, since McLean likes to respond to questions about the song's meaning with statements like, "It means I never have to work again." That part, at least, is true. The song has made the artist millions.
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Born in Nashville and raised in Florida, Duane Allman was a popular session musician for Atlantic Records, playing out of the storied Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama well before he and his brother Gregg started their band.
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You'd think with the level of fame Lee amassed in geek and mainstream culture, the end of his life would've been pretty grand. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. His last days were filled with tragedy.
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In the early morning hours of February 4, 2018, Indianapolis Colts linebacker Edwin Jackson asked his Uber driver to pull over. He wasn't feeling well and needed to get some air. In a tragic turn, Jackson and driver Jeffery Monroe were struck by a drunk driver who had swerved onto the shoulder.
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John Belushi lived a short but eventful life filled with both overwhelming success and heartbreaking tragedy. This is the tragic real-life story of John Belushi.
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