Global celebrities who died suddenly, unexpectedly and tragically. In the wake of their passing, claims, counter claims, wild rumours and salacious theories were everywhere. But the real truth about how they died doesn’t lie in trashy biographies or internet rumours – it lies in their autopsies. These cold hard medical documents establish exactly what killed them and how and why it happened.
Natalie Cole was a unique singing legend. The daughter of crooning icon Nat ‘King’ Cole became a huge success in her own right, winning nine Grammies in the process. After falling deep into drug addiction and overdosing on several occasions, she turned her life around in the 1980s and found renewed success. But Dr. Michael Hunter discovers that in 2008 her dark past catches up with her and sets off an extraordinary chain reaction of medical conditions. Through all her health battles, Natalie bravely continues to perform all over the world and has an extensive tour lined up for 2016. But on New Year’s Eve, 2015, after yet another hammer blow, her multitude of illnesses finally prove too much for her body.
Watch Now:AmazonJanis Joplin was a true rock and roll icon and her explosive performances electrified audiences around the world. She fully embraced the rock and roll spirit of the age and had a music career that was going stratospheric. But on October 4th 1970, aged just 27 years old, Janis Joplin died alone in her Los Angeles hotel. Her body lay undiscovered for 18 hours. Forensic pathologist, Dr Michael Hunter is using Janis Joplin’s autopsy report to build up a picture of her last days and hours to find out exactly how this young, talented musician suddenly died.
Watch Now:AmazonRoy Orbison was one of the most influential rock stars of the Twentieth Century. With hits like "Pretty Woman" he was one of the most influential rock stars of the Twentieth Century. He died at age 52 after collapsing at his mother’s house.
Watch Now:AmazonDavy's acting and singing talents garnered international acclaim and by 19 years old, he was the first of four to be cast in the whacky TV show about a failing pop band, The Monkees.
Watch Now:AmazonLuther Vandross was one of the brightest stars in the music business in the 80s and 90s; His career faltered in the 90's,but in the early 2000's, He was making a successful comback when disaster struck, he was victim of a massive storke
Watch Now:Amazonin 2015, Aaron Hernandez was convicted of murdering Odin Llyod, the boyfriend of his Fiancee's sister. At 303am on April 19, 2017, while serving a life sentence, he was found dead in his prison cell
Watch Now:AmazonForensic pathologist, Dr Michael Hunter, examines Greg Allman’s death certificate and other documents to review what was going on inside Allman’s Body that causes tragic death.
Watch Now:AmazonDr. Hunter unravels the details of Prodigy’s life-long battle with sickle cell anemia and seeks to shed light on the reason for his death.
Watch Now:AmazonOn December 13, 2016, Thicke collapsed while playing ice hockey with his son Carter at Pickwick Gardens in Burbank, California. The manager of the rink said he was talking and even joked to his son to take a photo as he was being wheeled out on a stretcher. Thicke died of type-A aortic dissection at the Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, at the age of 69.
Watch Now:AmazonOn March 5, 1988, Gibb celebrated his 30th birthday in London while working on a new album. Two days after celebrating his birthday, he entered John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford complaining of chest pains. At around 8:30 am on March 10, 1988, Gibb's doctor told him that more tests were needed to determine the cause of his chest pains. Later that day, Gibb slumped into unconsciousness and died as a result of myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle caused by years of cocaine abuse that fatally weakened his heart. This diagnosis was supported by William Shell, a cardiologist who had previously treated Gibb. With the announcement of Gibb's death, his ex-wife, Kim Reeder, was not surprised. "I always knew that one day I'd get a call with news like this. It was only a matter of time." The Gibb family would also maintain it was not an overdose that killed Gibb, as some media reports suggested, but natural causes after years of substance abuse.
On May 8, 1999, Plato and her fiancé Robert Menchaca were returning to California and stopped at Menchaca's mother's home in Moore, Oklahoma for a Mother's Day visit. Later on in the visit, Plato revealed that she felt unwell, and took a few doses of painkiller Lortab, along with the muscle-relaxant Soma, and went to lie down inside her Winnebago motor home with Menchaca, which was parked outside the house. Upon waking up, Menchaca and their family discovered that Plato had passed away, which they later found out was due to an accidental overdose, which was later ruled a suicide based on Plato's long history of drug abuse.
On June 25, 2007, police entered Benoit's home in Fayetteville, Georgia when WWE, Benoit's employers, requested a "welfare check" after Benoit missed weekend events without notice, leading to concerns. The officers discovered the bodies of Benoit, his wife Nancy, and their 7-year-old son Daniel at around 2:30 p.m. EDT. Upon investigating, no additional suspects were sought by authorities. It was determined that Benoit had committed the murders. Over a three-day period, Benoit had killed his wife and son before committing suicide. His wife was bound before the killing. Benoit's son was drugged with Xanax and likely unconscious before Benoit strangled him. Benoit then committed suicide by hanging himself on his lat pulldown machine.
Upon returning from Somalia to Switzerland in late September 1992, Hepburn began suffering from abdominal pain. While initial medical tests had inconclusive results, a laparoscopy performed at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles in early November revealed a rare form of abdominal cancer belonging to a group of cancers known as pseudomyxoma peritonei. Having grown slowly over several years, the cancer had metastasised as a thin coating over her small intestine. After surgery, Hepburn began chemotherapy. Hepburn and her family returned home to Switzerland to celebrate her last Christmas. As she was still recovering from surgery, she was unable to fly on commercial aircraft. A private jet took Hepburn from Los Angeles to Geneva. She spent her last days in hospice care at her home in Tolochenaz, Vaud and was occasionally well enough to take walks in her garden, but gradually became more confined to bedrest. On the evening of 20 January 1993, Hepburn died in her sleep at home.
Multi millionaire a convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein is found dead in his presence so while awaiting trial on charges of sex trafficking of minors; his death is designated as a suicide by hanging but the truth maybe stranger than fiction
Desi Arnaz was famed for playing the much loved character, Ricky Ricardo, in the 1950s TV series “I Love Lucy”; 30 years later, in the early hours of December 2nd, 1986, Desi Dies; he was 69 years old
On March 29th 2016, the world id saddened by the news that American sweetheart, Patty Duke has died. As a hollywood child star, Duke had been charming audiences for over sixty years.
Television star John Ritter died at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, California on September 11th 2003. The beloved actor fell in while filming on set of his acclaimed sitcom '8 Simple Rules.' A full body medical scan just two years prior to his death showed the father of four to be in perfect health. So what caused the much beloved 54 year old actor to die so unexpectedly?
Gilda Radner was an icon of American comedy, whose unique characters on hit show Saturday Night Live catapulted her into the nation’s heart. But behind the laughter was a life blighted by illness and sorrow- from bulimia to multiple miscarriages. And at the age of just 42 she died of ovarian cancer in a Los Angeles hospital. So what caused her to catch the deadly disease at such a young age and why did doctors miss multiple opportunities to catch it? World renowned medical examiner and forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Hunter leads the investigation to find the answers.