Tragic Death of Celebrities

Tragedy is nothing new to Tinseltown.  Whether it is Hollywood or Bollywood, celebrities have never had it easy handling the immense pressure that fame brings with itself. Our famous actors and actresses who live a thousand lives on screen have very interesting and often mysterious personal lives as well. Their deaths become food for the media as much as their lives once did. Here are some of these deaths that shook the industry as well as the entire nation:
One of the most famous artists of his time and an inspiration for generations to come, Guru Dutt left this world on 10^th October 1964. Guru Dutt took his own life and had tried doing it on a couple of more occasions before in which he was unsuccessful. Finally he succumbed to an overdose of sleeping pills and alcohol on that fateful day. He was extremely emotionally connected to his movies, Pathar ke Phool and Pyaasa being a few which were very dear to him. The cause of his depression was the feeling that his films are not doing great.
Parveen Babi was one of the most beautiful and popular actresses of her decade with a number of hit movies and memorable songs to her name. She fell prey to a bad case of schizophrenia and became paranoid in the later years of her life. She did not have anyone by her side to share her grief with and ended her life in January 2005 alone in her apartment.
Perhaps the most stunningly beautiful actress Indian film industry had ever seen was Madhubala. The elegant and attractive lady left the world at an early age of 36 leaving behind nothing but memories for her fans across the country. Madhubala was suffering from a heart condition commonly known as ‘hole in the heart’. Unfortunately there was no treatment for this in India and she had to resort to going to London to get it checked. The doctors there refused to operate as she would barely have another year to survive. Madhubala continued doing movies despite her illness and on 23^rd February 1969 she died a peaceful death bereaving the country of a gem of an actress.
The Queen of Tragedy of Indian cinema, Meena Kumari did not receive this title for her role in movies alone but also for her personal life which was extremely depressing. A skilled actress and poetess Meena Kumari gave her life to alcohol and depression after a failed marriage. Despite a successful career, it is said that when she died, there was no money to pay the hospital bills.
Geeta Bali was a heartthrob of the 50s in Bollywood. She hailed from an extremely poor family and made her way through the industry all on her own. She went on to marry Shammi Kapoor in 1955 when he was still a struggling actor and a year younger to her. They had a happy life together and had two children, a son and a daughter. Unfortunately Geeta was diagnosed with small pox which finally took her life on 21st of January 1965. Shammi Kapoor was devastated by her death and is said he was at the verge of quitting his career when friends and family supported him emotionally and made him continue.
A much hailed and appreciated actress of the 80s was Smita Patil who did not merely wow audiences in movies but also on stage and on television.  Her hard work and talent made her win numerous national honours and awards including the Filmfare Award, National Film Awards and even the Padma Shree which is the fourth highest civilian award in the country. She was married to another star during her time, Raj Babbar. Her death was extremely tragic owing to the fact that she died due to childbirth complications after giving birth to their son Prateik who is now also following in the footsteps of his late mother.
Who has not heard of Nazia Hasan, the iconic Pakistani pop singer who made it big not only in India but all of South Asia at a very early age. Her song ‘Aap Jaisa Koi’ is still one of the most loved and remembered 80s song by young and old. It got her a Fimfare Award because of which she became the youngest person to win this award as the Best Female Playback Singer till date. She was all of 15 years old then. The talented star lost her life to lung cancer at an early age of 35. Her songs had made records, her very first album Disco Deevane became the bestselling Asian album at the time of its release by debuting in fourteen countries and selling millions of copies.
One of the most shocking and mysterious deaths of Bollywood, however, is that of the young and bubbly actress Divya Bharti. She was just a teenager when she had already captured the hearts of millions by her movies and song sequences. She died at the tender age of 19, the reason of her death is yet unknown. Media highlighted it as a suicide as she appeared to have jumped off the window of the fifth floor of her building. Many people speculate however that this untimely death could be a case of murder. Whatever be the cause, the industry lost a budding star forever.
The movie Dirty Picture immortalised the sultry South Indian actress commonly known as Silk Smitha. Silk had a rough childhood and made her way to Bollywood with sheer passion. When stardom struck, she had already started falling into depression. This coupled with alcohol abuse and a failed attempt at becoming a successful film producer took its toll on Smitha and she was found dead on 23^rd September 1996 at her Chennai home. She was also having trouble with her love life and managing finances. She is said to have hanged herself to death.
These are just a few of the many celebrities who have suffered an untimely death. Their sudden demise did not only sadden their families but the nation at large that looked up to them as their idols. Despite not being alive anymore, all of these stars are still remembered and revered for their contribution to this industry and it is unlikely that they will ever be forgotten.