What you might not know about the American author
On August 5, 1962, the film star was found dead in her bedroom at her California home. Investigators were torn over whether it was an overdose or murder.
See also: Celebrities who passed away tragically young.
The former Playboy model was found strangled to death at her Ardmore, Pennsylvania apartment back in August 2018. Police eventually arrested a man, Jonathan Harris, who was convicted of the charges.
The former Playmate (she was Playboy's Miss March in 2011) took her own life on April 15, 2020, at her Austin, Texas home, where she left a suicide note. Her family has shared that she had been struggling with substance abuse, and that the "shelter-in-place" order in Texas due to the coronavirus pandemic did not help, as it led to increased loneliness. Mattingly was only 33 years old.
It's thought that she was in contact with her former lover at the time, a fact that upset her husband, Ryan Jenkins. He quickly became the prime suspect.
The November 1992 Playboy Playmate was a business owner, author, CEO, and the first Playmate to come out as a lesbian. Her career was going up, until it suddenly plunged with tragic consequences.
The reported cause of death was cited as an overdose on at least nine prescription drugs. She passed away six months after her own son died from drug-related causes.
Despite her looks, career, and relationships, or perhaps because of them, Monroe grew dependent on alcohol and prescription medications.
On May 18, 2018, Adams killed herself by jumping out the window of a New York City hotel. Even worse, she took her 7-year-old son down with her. Reports suggest the murder-suicide was due to a strenuous custody battle with her ex.
Though the cause of death is well-known, the reasons why she consumed a lethal amount of so many different drugs at once remains a mystery.
The world’s biggest sex symbol in the '50s and '60s was the cover model for the very first Playboy issue, published in December 1953.
Model and actress Ariane Bellamar was reported dead on December 20, 2024, according to the Clark County coroner’s office in Nevada. She was 46 years old at the time. Bellamar’s ex-husband Tanner Slaught shared a GoFundMe in January to raise funds for her funeral expenses. Slaught described her passing as unexpected and said her cause of death was a heart attack.
Bellamar was born in Florida and raised in Toronto, Canada. She was a longtime collaborator with Playboy and also landed a number of small roles in movies like ‘The Hangover Part III’ (2013) and ‘Suicide Squad’ (2016), as well as the series ‘Entourage.’
Mystery shrouds the gruesome ends that far too many Playboy Playmates have met. To learn more about the numerous ill-fated Playmates, check out this gallery and read about the tragic, bizarre, and often unexplained deaths of the celebrity models who were ultimately destined for disaster.
Dorothy Stratten was only 17 when her naked photos were submitted to Playboy by her 26-year-old boyfriend, Paul Snider. She and Snider later married, a union that would end in tragedy.
Anna Nicole Smith's demise was surrounded by controversy. She died during an ongoing paternity and custody battle over her recently-born daughter, and was embroiled in multi-million dollar lawsuits.
The strangest part of this tale is the public's obsession with the idea that Mansfield had been decapitated. But while she suffered serious head trauma, this wasn't the case.
Playboy model and actress Ariane Bellamar dies at 46 from heart attack
Many Playmates have met premature ends
CELEBRITY Tragedy
Model and actress Ariane Bellamar was reported dead on December 20, 2024, according to the Clark County Coroner in Nevada. She was 46 years old at the time. Bellamar’s ex-husband Tanner Slaught shared a GoFundMe in January to raise funds for her funeral expenses, in which he described her passing as unexpected and said her cause of death was a heart attack.
Bellamar was born in Florida and raised in Toronto, Canada. She was a longtime collaborator with Playboy and also landed a number of small roles in movies like ‘The Hangover Part III’ (2013) and ‘Suicide Squad’ (2016), as well as the series ‘Entourage.’
Mystery shrouds the gruesome ends that far too many Playboy Playmates have met. To learn more about the numerous ill-fated Playmates, check out this gallery and read about the tragic, bizarre, and often unexplained deaths of the celebrity models who were ultimately destined for disaster.