It takes a lot to create something out of scratch. The same is the case in movies or TV shows. It takes an army of people to create the beautiful experience we go through while watching. It’s not just about the hefty amount of money that goes into the production, but also the sentiments behind it. Just like the production team, the fans/audience are also connected to the project for various reasons. The most common reason is the actor(s) who is a part of the project. But, not every time does the actor complete the project. Some unfortunate things happen. One of them is the demise of the actor. So, here’s a list of actors who died in the middle of the production of a project. Check it out!
1. Heath Ledger
Ledger is one of the fan’s favorites and his death came as a shock to them. He had just finished filming for Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight and was in the middle of Terry Gilliam’s The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus when he was found dead in his Manhattan apartment in 2008. After this unfortunate event, Gilliam got the late actor’s close friends Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell, and Jude Law to complete Ledger’s remaining scenes.
2. Paul Walker
“I’m not afraid of anything. That’s just the way I am.” Paul Walker was a person who was full of life and took life as an adventure. However, in 2013, Fast & Furious star died in a car crash. When this happened, Fast & Furious 7 was in the middle of production. For some while, the makers put the movie on hold. Eventually, he went ahead with CGI and stunt doubles and took Paul’s brother’s help to finish the filming!
3. River Pheonix
Pheonix was in the middle of Dark Blood’s production when he was found dead in 1993 due to a drug overdose outside The Viper Room in Hollywood. The autopsy report showed a combination of various drugs. The film was put on hold for good 19 years. But it was later released in 2012.
4. Philip Seymour Hoffman
The Oscar-winning actor was filming for the second installment of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay when he was found dead in a Manhattan hotel room due to a heroin overdose in 2014. He was 46 years old when he died.
5. Natalie Wood
Wood was in the middle of the production of the movie Brainstorm when she died in 1981. It is reported that she drowned off the coast of California’s Catalina Island during a weekend getaway with her husband. But still, her death is mysterious in many ways!
6. Heather O’Rourke
The child actor of the Poltergeist horror trilogy died in 1988 due to cardiac arrest caused by septic shock brought on by intestinal stenosis. She died just before the post-production of Poltergeist III.
7. Diana Hyland
Hyland was a talented stage, film, and TV actor. However, just 12 days after her first episode of ABC series Eight is Enough aired, she died in 1977. She was diagnosed with breast cancer. Her character was written out of the first season after her demise.
8. Tyrone Power
Power was an icon of his time. While filming for the epic Solomon and Sheba he suffered a massive heart attack on set while filming. On his route to the hospital, he died.
9. David Strickland
During the filming of the third season of Suddenly Susan, David Strickland was found dead in a Las Vegas hotel room in 1999. He committed suicide by hanging himself.
