Celebrities Who Tragically Lost A Best Friend
Losing a best friend can be one of the most traumatic experiences in a person's life. A special bond is broken, and grieving can last a lifetime, whether one realizes it or not. Celebrities aren't immune to this tragedy, and many of them have lost a friend along the way.
Grief has been studied by several experts, and among them is Sir Simon Wessely, the president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. During an interview with The Guardian, he said, "It's not rocket science, and we should be wary of applying an orthodox approach to the individual experience of grief. However, there are times when prolonged grief can become a barrier, preventing us from moving on in life, and then it can become a problem which may perhaps need help."
But as an experience most people go through in their life, experts aren't the only ones talking about it. During an episode of "The Ellen Show," after the death of her boyfriend, Cory Monteith, Lea Michele shared some advice on how to deal with grief. My mom has experienced a lot of loss in her life and she told me at one point, there is an empowerment that comes with grief — at some point you find it. It's very hard but you will find it, and I think at a certain point you can choose to sort of fall from this, or you can choose to rise" (via Glamour).
Dove Cameron
In 2019, actor Cameron Boyce died at the age of 20 after suffering a seizure in his sleep. "He passed away in his sleep due to a seizure which was a result of an ongoing medical condition for which he was being treated," a person close to the family said in a statement (via ABC News). During his time as an actor, he touched the lives of fans and co-stars alike. One of those lives was his co-star of "Descendants," Dove Cameron.
Celebrities sometimes have a hard time controlling the limits and boundaries between their personal and public lives. For Dove Cameron, it was hard to mourn her best friend in private when she knew others many joined her in her pain. She posted a video talking about Cameron Boyce, discussing this difficulty as well. "I've decided that I think the only way to get through right now is to ... I think we all need to just, if we want to, be expressive and connective," she said on her social media (via Regularstv3).
Years later, she continues to remember who she called her soulmate. "He was just someone who should never end, let alone end so early and disturbingly and unjustly," she told People. In his memory, she got a tattoo of a revolver with a bouquet of flowers.
Vin Diesel
"The brotherhood in Paul Walker was something completely different. It was someone that we grew up in the business together, and we became famous together, and we represented the biggest franchise together, and he was my partner," Vin Diesel said on "Live with Kelly & Michael" in 2014 when asked what filming the movies without his friend Paul Walker was like.
Walker died in 2013 in a car accident. According to the reports shared by The Guardian, the car hit the sidewalk, making the driver's side collide with a tree, then a light post, nearly splitting the vehicle in half. His death weighed heavy on the hearts of his "The Fast and The Furious" family. Especially Diesel, who was so close to his co-star that he gave Walker's daughter Meadow away at her wedding years later, as reported by 7News.
The bond these two men shared was passed down to their daughters, something Diesel revealed in an Instagram post remembering Walker, and sharing how his daughter had been Meadow's Maid of Honor. "It's been eight years today ... and not a day goes by that I don't reflect of the brotherhood we were blessed to have ... How could I have known that back on the 2008 set of Fast ... but maybe somehow you did. Miss you. My children always tell me that uncle Paul is with you dad, always ... and I know in my heart that they are right. Miss you Pablo ..."
Cillian Murphy
In 2021, "Harry Potter" and "Peaky Blinders" fans came together to mourn the loss of a woman who portrayed some of the most iconic characters on the big and small screen, Helen McCrory. As news of her passing due to cancer was announced, many began to share memories of who she was as an actress and a person.
"Peaky Blinders" aired its fifth season in 2019, and Season 6 was supposed to start filming right after. However, due to the pandemic and McCrory's passing, filming was delayed. Cillian Murphy spoke about this during an interview with Variety and said, "I think the whole series is really in tribute to her and to honor her. Her presence and her character's presence are very much still felt in the series, and it is very much part of Tommy's journey in the season. It'll be different without her, you know. It simply won't be the same. I've spoken about how phenomenal she was as an actress and as a person."
However, for Murphy, he didn't just lose a co-star, he lost a dear friend. "I still can't believe she's not here. It doesn't make sense. I've never lost anyone like that — who was young and a friend," he told Esquire. "It was very confusing. But she was magnificent. She was an absolutely magnificent person."
Sean Combs
There is a sad reality that many celebrities have been killed, and one of them was The Notorious B.I.G in 1997. According to what the FBI shared with New York Post, he was assassinated by a hitman: "All the evidence points to Amir Muhammad. He's the one who pulled the trigger. There were plenty of others who helped orchestrate it [and] allowed him to pull the trigger."
Many, including fans, friends, and family, mourned his death, and among them is rapper and actor Sean Combs. The two came up together in the industry, shared friends and social circles, and were best friends. In 2019, 22 years after Biggie's death, Combs remembered him in a now-deleted Instagram post. "There will NEVER be another," Diddy wrote (via E! News). "The GREATEST RAPPER OF ALL TIME. Today we celebrate and honor you king. Love and miss you!!!!!!!!! Happy Biggie Day!"
One of the saddest parts of Combs and Biggie's story is how the rapper feels years after losing his friend. "I think I'll always feel some sort of responsibility because I'm in this thing with him. He's my artist ... He was supposed to go to London that night and I let him talk me into not going to London and staying in L.A. That's something that really bothered me throughout my life. Sometimes you have to really go with that decision in your gut and in my gut it was like, 'You need to get on the plane'," he said during "The Wendy Williams Show" (via ABC News).
Diana Ross
Many times there have been rumors circulating about relationships between celebrities and whether or not they ever crossed the lines between friends and partners. One of those relationships surrounded by an uncountable number of rumors was the one between Diana Ross and Michael Jackson. In his autobiography "Moonwalk," he wrote about her: "my mother, my lover, and my sister all rolled into one" (via Vulture).
Given the tight bond, it was no surprise when in 2009, after his death, Ross gave a statement saying, "I can't stop crying, this is too sudden and shocking. I am unable to imagine this. My heart is hurting. I am in prayer for his kids and the family" (via Vulture). It was around that time when people found out he had appointed her guardian of his children. Family lawyer Stacy Phillips told Express, "Raising children was the most important role Michael Jackson believed he had. And to put down that Diana Ross would replace his mom, you can't have any greater honor."
Since his passing, many controversies have arisen surrounding Michael Jackson's name. In 2019, Ross took to her Twitter to defend him by saying, "This is what's on my heart this morning. I believe and trust that Michael Jackson was and is A magnificent incredible force to me and to many others. STOP IN THE NAME OF LOVE."
Snoop Dogg
"We're just talking to Suge and he's got his head wrapped up and he's telling us what happened, you know, 'Pac's gonna be all right. He's gonna pull through. He got shot nine times before. He's gonna be alright.' So we're feeling like it's gonna be alright, until we go to the hospital and see that it ain't alright. He got tubes in. When I walked in, I could just feel like he wasn't even there, and I fainted," shared Snoop Dogg about the death of his friend Tupac in May 2022 when talking to "Impaulsive."
Tupac passed away in 1996 after being shot during a drive-by in Las Vegas (via History). To this day, everyone remembers the rapper for his talent and accomplishments during his life. Snoop Dogg is among the list of friends and rappers who continue to commemorate him.
Just like for the rest of us, for celebrities, there is a special meaning when the parents of their friends acknowledge, recognize, and respect their friendship. Tupac's mom appreciated the bond the rappers had. "She was like, 'My baby ain't never seen you weak. I don't want you to be weak in front of him. You go in the bathroom and fix yourself up and you go back in there and you talk to him and you tell him how you feel,'" Snoop revealed on the podcast.
Pete Townshend
In 1964, the world was introduced to an English rock band known as The Who. The band included a lead singer Roger Daltrey, a guitarist Pete Townshend, bass player John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. The latter sadly passed away in 1978 of an overdose.
Forty-four years after Moon's death, Townshend talked to People about his attempts to keep Moon sober by giving or taking money from him, encouraging him to go to rehab, and sending him to gurus, voodoos, and doctors. "I was obsessed with trying to keep Keith alive. It was quite clear that he was on a downward slide, and there was very little I could do. He was a very complicated character."
In his audible "Somebody Save Me" (via Ultimate Rock Classics), Townshend discussed Moon's death and how it affected him. One of the things he mentioned is how for a moment he believed leaving the band would be the best option, but ended up deciding against it even if Moon was an irreplaceable drummer. "Keith, of course, was really trying as hard as he could to stay alive and not doing a particularly good job of it. So it was an incredible shock because I thought he was OK. And then it turned out that he'd actually overdosed on the very medicine that he'd been given to help him avoid convulsions, a drug called Heminevrin, which is an anticonvulsant. However, if you take 11 of them ..."
Jerry Seinfeld
During an episode of "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee," Jerry Seinfield invited his friend Garry Shandling to join him and introduced him as "one of the first comedian friends of mine in LA." The two comedians collaborated throughout their careers and visited alot of the same spots like The Comedy Store and several late-night show sets. In a clip behind the scenes for "The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling," the comedians are seen sharing a meal when Shandling tells Seinfeld, "It's [his list] ... the stuff that I particularly loved [that Seinfeld did] which I thought was important to you but clearly I've made some mistake."
Shandling passed away in 2016 at the age of 66. According to People, he called 911 and was transported to a hospital in LA after suffering a heart attack. A few months later, People shared further details, explaining the death report showed the presence of different drugs, including opiates.
Seinfeld and his wife were among the many comedians and celebrities who remembered Shandling and shared memories about how funny he was. Seinfeld's wife paid tribute on Instagram, saying, "We have been crying/laughing/crying through Jerry's last day with Garry all afternoon. There is no better tribute and no better reminder of what a beautiful, gentle, BRILLIANT sweet angel Garry Shandling was."
Jake Gyllenhaal
Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger worked together in "Brokeback Mountain" in 2005, portraying Jack Twist and Ennis del Mar (respectively). The bond between the actors went beyond the filming set and created a strong friendship. "The relationship between me and Heath while we were making this movie was something that was based on a profound love for a lot of people that we knew and were raised by in our lives. A deep respect for their love and their relationship," he told Vanity Fair.
Ledger passed away in 2008 when Gyllenhaal was 27 years old. Nearly ten years later, he opened up to People about what that friendship and Ledger's death meant to him. "Personally, it affected me in ways I can't necessarily put in words or even would want to talk about publicly. In terms of professionally, I think I was at an age where mortality was not always clear to me," he said. "There are real friends, and there is a real community, Gyllenhaal continued, "And none of the attention or synthesized love that comes from the success of a film really matters at all. What matters is the relationships you make when you make a film, and the people you learn from when you're preparing for a film. That changed a lot for me."
Millie Bobby Brown
In 2017, Instagram star Olivia Hope Lorusso passed away from cancer, and Millie Bobby Brown began mourning her best friend. According to what the actor told Glamour, the two had been friends for a few years before Lorusso was diagnosed. Watching her friend go through this illness and subsequently losing her changed her life. "I think that's probably one of the biggest things that shaped me as a person because it genuinely made me look around and be grateful for everything I have, and made me grateful for not only my family but life itself, being young and really embracing everything you've got in this current moment," Brown said. "And then also trying to help other people."
Brown has constantly taken to social media to commemorate her friend and bring awareness to World Cancer Day. In 2020, she shared a photo on her Instagram story of her and Lorusso (via Hello!). However, she has used more than her social media platform to honor Lorusso. Through her beauty brand, Florence by Mills, she has created a product in memory of her friend.
The Love Liv Eyeshadow Palette includes five colors, and according to the Olivia Hope Foundation, each color has a special meaning for her nickname, her passing, the bond they shared, the logo of the foundation and Olivia's favorite plush animal, and Lorusso's favorite place.