#1 Heath Ledger
Ledger died at 28 from an accidental overdose of prescription painkillers, anti-anxiety meds, and sleeping pills. At the time he had just finished filming Dark Knight and was in the middle of production for The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus.
#2 Paul Walker
The Fast and Furious star tragically died in a high-speed car crash in 2013. He and his friend Roger Rodas were killed almost instantly when Rodas lost control of the Porsche he was driving and slammed into a tree. Fast & Furious 7 was still being filmed, but after Walker's death, Universal Pictures put the movie on hold.
#3 River Phoenix
Phoenix died age 23 from a drug overdose outside the Viper Room in Hollywood. He was in the middle of filming the movie Dark Blood, which stayed unfinished for 19 years and was finally released in 2012.
#4 Marilyn Monroe
The 20th-century movie icon died from a tranquilizer overdose in 1962 while in the middle of filming the comedy Something's Got to Give.
#5 Philip Seymour Hoffman
The Oscar-winning actor died in his apartment bathroom after taking cocaine, amphetamines, heroine, and sedatives. He was just one week away from the end of filming for the second installment of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay.
#6 Natalie Wood
Wood drowned in mysterious circumstances on a boat trip with her husband Robert Wagner and the actor Christopher Walken, with whom she was filming the movie Brainstorm.
#7 Cory Monteith
In 2013, during hiatus between Glee's fourth and fifth seasons, the much-loved star was found dead in his hotel room of an overdose of heroin and alcohol.
#8 John Ritter
Ritter died from an undiagnosed heart condition while filming the ABC sitcom, 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter.
#9 Brandon Lee
The 28-year-old actor died after he was accidentally shot in the abdomen while filming The Crow in 1993.
#10 Bruce Lee
The martial arts legend and movie star died in 1973 while filming Game of Death. The studio released the unfinished version the same year, and a more complete version was patched together and released in 1978.
#11 Aaliyah
The R&B singer died in a plane crash in 2001. At the time of her death, the 22-year-old had been shooting the movie Queen of the Damned and was also set to star in two Matrix sequels.
#12 David Carradine
The Kill Bill star died in mysterious circumstances at age 72. He was found dead in his hotel room while filming Stretch in Thailand in 2009. The cause of death was suspected suicide but was ruled accidental asphyxiation.
#13 Steve Irwin
The Australian explorer and animal advocate was killed by a stringray's spine that pierced his heart while filming his TV show.
#14 Larry Hagman
The actor became a household name playing J.R. Ewing on the wildly popular 80's sop opera Dallas. He died from leukemia while filming the second season of the 2012 continuation of the show.
#15 John Candy
The much-loved comedian and actor died of a massive heart attack in his sleep at age 43, just hours after he filmed his final scene in the comedy Wagons East!
#16 James Dean
The iconic actor was killed in a car accident in 1955. He was almost done shooting the movie Giant, for which he won a posthumous Oscar. His good friend, Nick Adams, finished the movie for him by dubbing his voice in a single scene.
#17 Clark Gable
Spencer died of a heart attack in 2005 while playing Leo McGarry in The West Wing, a part for which he won an Emmy. He was written out of the show by having his character also die from a heart attack.
#18 John Spencer
Spencer died of a heart attack in 2005 while playing Leo McGarry in The West Wing, a part for which he won an Emmy. He was written out of the show by having his character also die from a heart attack.
#19 Diana Hyland
Diana Hyland died just 12 days after the first episode of her ABC series Eight is Enough aired in 1977. Her character had to be written out of the show.
#20 Vic Morrow
Morrow died instantly when a helicopter crashed on top of him and two child actors during filming for the Twilight Zone: The Movie..
#21 Jean Harlow
Harlow's death at age 26, while filming Saratoga, stunned everyone. She collapsed on the set and died of kidney failure about a week later. The few remaining scenes were shot with another actress.
#22 Heather O'Rourke
The child star died at age 13 during production of the horror film Poltergeist III. She died of cardiac arrest after surgery to treat a suspected bowel obstruction.
#23 Jerry Orbach
Orbach played Detective Lennie Briscoe on NBC's long-running series Law & Order. He died from prostate cancer after taping only two episodes of Law & Order: Trial By Jury.
#24 Chris Farley
The Saturday Night Live comedian died from an accidental overdose of cocaine and heroin in 1997, while providing the voice of Shrek. His friend Mike Myers stepped into the role.
