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Billie Holiday -

Billie Holiday is widely considered one of the most influential female vocalists of the jazz and blues genres.

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Billie Holiday -

She quickly achieved mainstream success, but her career became blighted by legal troubles and substance abuse. She died of cirrhosis when she was just 44 years old.

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Richard Burton -

Richard Burton, esteemed actor and on-off husband to Elizabeth Taylor, suffered from alcoholism the majority of his adult life. In 1974, he had a brush with death due to excessive drinking.

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Richard Burton -

When he did pass in 1984 at the age of 58, it was due to an intracerebral hemorrhage. His actual death was sudden, but his health had been declining for many years due to alcoholism.

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Mickey Mantle -

Mickey Mantle was a baseball legend who is widely regarded as the greatest switch hitter in history. He was also a very heavy drinker for many years.

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Mickey Mantle -

In early 1995, doctors found that Mantle's liver had been rotted by hepatitis, cirrhosis, and cancer. He received a liver transplant, but ultimately died on August 13, 1995.

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Jack Kerouac -

Author Jack Kerouac, whose second novel 'On the Road' (1957) made him an icon of the Beat Generation, struggled with alcohol abuse throughout his life.

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Jack Kerouac -

He died in 1969 after being rushed to the hospital when he started vomiting blood while drinking whiskey. His cause of death was a hemorrhage caused by cirrhosis.

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John Bonham -

John Bonham was an English musician best known for the being the drummer of Led Zeppelin. He died at the age of 32 due to asphyxiation from vomit.

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John Bonham -

The coroner's inquest revealed that Bonham had been on a real bender the day before his death, and reports suggest he had kicked off the day with 16 shots of vodka at breakfast.

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Ryan Dunn -

Former 'Jacka**' star Ryan Dunn died in a car accident when he was just 34 years old. He was driving himself and one passenger when he veered off the road and hit a tree.

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Ryan Dunn -

The toxicology report showed that when Dunn crashed his blood alcohol level was over twice the legal limit. This was not Dunn's first DUI offense, and he was known to struggle with addiction.

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Hank Williams -

Country musician Hank Williams, who brought us such classics as 'Hey, Good Lookin,' died at a tragically young age from complications after alcohol abuse.

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Hank Williams -

The cause of his death was hemorrhages as a result of alcoholism. He was just 29 years old when he died.

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Veronica Lake -

Veronica Lake was an actress best known for her femme fatale film roles. She was very successful initially, but her career quickly declined, in part due to her drinking.

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Veronica Lake -

The 'Sullivan's Travels' (1941) actress died in 1973 at the age of 50. The cause of her death was acute hepatitis and acute kidney injury.

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Errol Flynn -

Errol Flynn was an Australian-born actor who rose to fame during the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was best known for playing romantic swashbuckler roles.

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Errol Flynn -

The actor was known for his hedonistic behavior, which included hard drinking and at one point narcotics abuse. He died at 50, and the autopsy showed he had heart disease and cirrhosis.

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Oliver Reed -

English actor Oliver Reed died of a heart attack during a break from filming 'Gladiator' (2000).

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Oliver Reed -

As the story goes, Reed, who was renowned for being a heavy drinker but who had apparently been off booze for months prior, got involved in a drinking match that ultimately killed him.

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Peter Cook -

Peter Cook was an English comedian who had a successful career in British television and film. He struggled with alcoholism for much of his life.

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Peter Cook -

Cook died in 1995 at the age of 57. The cause of his death was a gastrointestinal hemorrhage, most likely the result of years of alcohol abuse.

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William Holden -

Former actor William Holden, whose golden years were during the 1950s, was a heavy drinker whose antics affected his professional and personal life.

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William Holden -

He once killed another driver while driving drunk. Holden himself died from bleeding out after he fell over inebriated and knocked his head.

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Michael Elphick -

Michael Elphick was an English actor who was known for playing the role of Harry Slater in the BBC's long-lasting soap 'Eastenders.'

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Michael Elphick -

Elphick had a very public battle with alcoholism and at his worst was said to drink 2 liters of liquor per day. His drinking was a contributing factor to the heart attack that killed him in 2002.

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Barbara Payton -

Barbara Payton was once an aspiring actress whose promise was blighted by her problems with alcoholism and drug addiction. Her life was the subject of much public interest.

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Barbara Payton -

Payton's battles with substance abuse got her in trouble for check fraud and prostitution, and were her ultimate cause of death: she died from heart and liver failure at the age of 39.

Sources: (Ranker) (The Hollywood Reporter)

See also: Celebrity last words and deathbed quotes

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