Divya Bharti
 
The darling of millions of cine lovers, she would have surely ruled ticket-counters,  had her life been long. The fresh faced beauty who took filmdom by storm with hits like Deewana and Shola Aur Shabnam had a tragic end when she died mysteriously in 1993 at the age of 19.


Smita Patil

Regarded as the epitome of parallel cinema, this former news reader was the undisputed queen of histrionics. With classics like Manthan, Bhumika and Mandi in her kitty, Smita was the top choice among filmmakers both parallel and mainstream. At 31, when she was at the peak of her career, her sudden demise due to childbirth complications on December 13, 1986 left the entire country in a state of shock.
 

Jim Morrison

James Douglas Morrison opened The Doors to a never-before rock revolution in the Sixties. The Young Lion ruled rock charts for many years, stirred many a riot and hailed hippiedom while making the world dance to his tunes. At 27, he died a tragic death due to heroin overdose, the cause being under controversy till date.


Madhubala

With her 1,000-watt smile and effervescent persona, she was the ultimate screen goddess. The Anarkali of Indian cinema was diagnosed with a heart problem in 1950 and in 1960, while shooting for Mughal-e-Azam, she was declared unfit to shoot further. The actress was bed-ridden for the next nine years before she breathed her last in 1969. She was only 36.


Marilyn Monroe

Despite high profile lovers like Joe Di Maggio, Arthur Miller and John F Kennedy, the blonde beauty never had a blissful life. Dogged by her difficult childhood days and the constant pressure of the arclights, The Seven Year Itch belle fell ill repeatedly and faced personal problems. While her death at the age of 36 was tagged as a 'probable suicide', many still feel she was murdered. And just by the way, today's her death anniversary, so do pay a tribute your own way!
 

Heath Ledger
 
The man who immortalised the Joker in the recent release The Dark Knight, earlier made his presence felt in the role of a gay cowboy in Brokeback Mountain. Ledger, who is now winning laurels for his classic representation of the Gotham City villain, died almost six months before the release of the grosser. The 28-year-old actor caved in to an overdose of prescribed drugs on January 22 this year.


Bruce Lee

This American-born martial artist is still a cult figure when it comes to Chinese martial arts. Lee collapsed in Golden Harvest Studios while dubbing for Enter the Dragon. The same symptoms that occurred in his first collapse were later repeated on the day of his death in the year 1973. He was 32 then.


Guru Dutt

After a poor show of Kaagaz Ke Phool in 1959, the maverick filmmaker slipped into depression. His estranged relationship with wife Geeta and reported affair with Waheeda Rehman further aggravated his illness. Dutt was found dead with an overdose of sleeping pills at the age of 39 leaving the film fraternity with a mystery was his death an accident or suicide?


Meena Kumari

Had she lived for five more months, the tragedy queen would have blown 40 candles on her birthday cake. Her marital life with famed director Kamaal Amrohi ended briefly. Though she enjoyed her initial single status, she soon drowned her sorrows in alcohol like the despairing Chhoti Bahu of Sahib Biwi Aur Ghulam. Meena breathed her last at the age of 39.