26 Celebrity Deaths People Said Personally Affected Them, Some Even Still To This Day

"I can't shake how sad that is."

Celebrity deaths can hit you hard — you watched them so much, for so long, that it almost feels like you lost someone close to you.

Kieferpix / Getty Images

Reddit user u/FromTheMuck recently asked people, "What celebrity death was the saddest for you?" Here are 26 stars who were gone too soon:

1. "Alan Rickman."

—u/NationalJournalist42

"David Bowie, and then Alan Rickman's death came a few days later to obliterate my soul."

—u/FrancisOfTheFilth_

2. "I still get super bummed out thinking about Heath Ledger."

—u/fullmetalpetticoat

3. "Robin Williams."

—u/HAGeeMee

"I didn’t 'know' him, but I think I got a sense of the type of person he was, and I think more people like that belong in this world."

—u/DrProfessorSatan

Jim Spellman / WireImage

4. "Mr. Rogers."

—u/xTiredSoulx

"No single person has made a bigger impact on my life. I watched him every single day as a kid. His kindness, gentleness, and sense of inclusion were incredible. I'm not a religious guy, but he really taught people to love one another, be accepting, and be inquisitive about the world around you."

—u/stinky_wizzleteet

5. "Steve Irwin. Like, the world still needed him."

—u/dOOplord

6. "Chadwick Boseman."

—u/LyonsKing12

"Finding out that he was visiting children in hospitals with cancer while secretly battling it himself was absolutely heartbreaking."

—u/GodEmperorD00M

"I still get teary-eyed thinking about it."

—u/LyonsKing12

Sarah Morris / FilmMagic

7. "Anthony Bourdain. No Reservations was my favorite show when I was a teen. He/it was immensely influential in the trajectory of my interests and career goals."

—u/BravoEchoEchoRomeo

"Yes…I cried and genuinely felt at a loss when he died. I was a huge admirer of his work, and while his style is often imitated, it will never be duplicated. So often, his imitators try to emulate the edginess, but they don't have the heart. Parts Unknown was my particular favorite. His episodes in Manila and Mexico City hit me hard. RIP Chef — you changed a lot of our lives."

—u/Already-asleep

8. "Anton Yelchin."

—u/Curleysound

"Anton's death was heartbreaking. He was such a promising young star who you could tell was at the beginning of his rise to be a great actor."

—u/Maxtrt

9. "Phil Hartman. Damn, that one hurt."

—u/nk00

10. "Norm Macdonald."

—u/Sako280

"Norm was the GOAT of standup comedy. No one funnier and so under-appreciated in his own time. I'm still weepy over this one."

—u/JLW_DSM

11. "Aaliyah. She was too young. Same with Selena. A breakout star."

—u/Ambitious_Click6323

Evan Agostini / Getty Images

12. "John Ritter."

—u/Stiger0097

"I absolutely loved 8 Simple Rules as a kid. The way they handled his death in the show broke my heart."

—u/MountainEmployee

13. "Whitney Houston, she had such a gift and so much sadness, then the fucking drugs. Then Bobbi Kristina! It’s too sad."

—u/FaySheBaby

14. "Leslie Jordan!"

—u/Clari_babe

15. "Chester Bennington."

—u/Sensitive-Memory8225

"I still tear up whenever I hear, 'Leave Out All the Rest.' Absolutely soul-crushing."

—u/zeppelin1004

16. "Betty White."

—u/MuchLoveWaffleGirl

David Livingston / Getty Images

17. "Grant Imahara. I have to comment every time I see this question because that dude was one of the main reasons I got into STEM. More than just an entertainer, he showed such enthusiasm for engineering that it made me really want to get into it."

—u/Bryge

18. "Freddy Mercury. Not unexpected, but definitely the saddest."

—u/protogens

"At the time, it kinda was. Remember, he’d only announced his AIDS diagnosis the night before, so not everyone was expecting it."

—u/Complex-Currency698

19. "Carrie Fisher. Always our princess. I absolutely adored her. Love Star Wars, loved her books, loved her interviews. Always wanted to meet her. ♥️"

—u/katlyps0

20. "Princess Diana. Absolutely no call for what happened."

—u/opus600

21. "Mac Miller."

—u/spacecampchamp

"I really felt like Mac had so much left to give to the world. It feels like a complete robbery that he wasn't able to be here long enough to do it. I can't shake how sad that is."

—u/spacecampchamp

Tim Mosenfelder / Getty Images

22. "Brandon Lee. He was on the verge of stardom."

—u/CrediblyHandsome

23. "Alex Trebek."

—u/SadConsequence8476

"His last message to everyone made me cry so hard, dude."

—u/CostEffectiveGerms

24. "Patrick Swayze. He was in all of my favorite movies growing up."

—u/prosperosniece

25. "Amy Winehouse."

—u/nothingbeatagoodshit

26. "Prince was tough. The whole state mourned him."

—u/crepitusss

Were you deeply affected by a celebrity's death? If you want, share it in the comments below.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. Other international suicide helplines can be found at befrienders.org. The Trevor Project, which provides help and suicide-prevention resources for LGBTQ youth, is 1-866-488-7386.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline is 1-888-950-6264 (NAMI) and provides information and referral services; GoodTherapy.org is an association of mental health professionals from more than 25 countries who support efforts to reduce harm in therapy.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, you can call SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) and find more resources here.

These entries have been edited for length and clarity.