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Musicians / Actors / Artists Dying During Performances Or Productions

Sid James died on stage, at the Sunderland Empire Theatre, on 28 April 1976, while touring in a farce, The Mating Season. Apparently, at first, the other actors thought he was just ad-libbing a gag.

Les Dawson claimed to have seen Sid's ghost in his dressing room, when Les was in panto at the Empire in 1989.
 
Here's a quiet death in the middle of a song ...
Singer-songwriter David Olney dies on stage at age 71

Americana singer and songwriter David Olney, whose music was recorded by Linda Ronstadt, Steve Young, Emmylou Harris and others, died of an apparent heart attack while performing on stage in Florida Saturday, according to a statement on his website. He was 71.

Olney stopped in the middle of a song and paused, said "I'm sorry," and "put his chin to his chest," said fellow singer-songwriter Scott Miller, who was performing with Olney at the 30A Songwriters Festival in Santa Rosa Beach.

"He never dropped his guitar or fell (off) his stool," Miller wrote on Facebook. "It was as easy and gentle as he was."

Amy Rigby, who also was on stage with Olney, also wrote a powerful Facebook post.

"He was very still, sitting upright with his guitar on, wearing the coolest hat and a beautiful rust suede jacket ... I just want the picture to be as graceful and dignified as it was, because it at first looked like he was just taking a moment," Rigby said ...
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FULL STORY: https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/19/us/david-olney-death/index.html
 
Anonymous said:
Probably getting all my facts mixed up, but didn't Bela Lugosi die during the filming of the superb Plan 9 from Outer Space. So he is in some scenes but in others he is replaced by the directors wife's much taller dentist who holds a cloak in front of his face.

Man, I love that film.......
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I think Bela died while filming scenes for an unwritten Ed Wood movie, and after his death, Wood incorporated the footage into Plan 9, with his wife's chiropractor (taller, younger, thinner) as Bela (hunched over and with the cape covering his face) - Ed Wood is a better director and made better films than Michael Bay...
 
Timble2 said:
Sid James died on stage, at the Sunderland Empire Theatre, on 28 April 1976, while touring in a farce, The Mating Season. Apparently, at first, the other actors thought he was just ad-libbing a gag.

Les Dawson claimed to have seen Sid's ghost in his dressing room, when Les was in panto at the Empire in 1989.
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Didn't Sid speak to Les, revealing some awful truth which was never revealed? Or am I overdoing the shoe polish again?
 
I thought that Tiny Tim might be a good candidate for this list but reading some webpage, he "merely" collapsed at his last venue.
 
DrPaulLee said:
I thought that Tiny Tim might be a good candidate for this list but reading some webpage, he "merely" collapsed at his last venue.
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Like Eric Morecambe, who was entertaining an audience at a charity event and collapsed as he stepped off stage.
 
Funnily (?) enough, I was just watching a repeat of Sunday Night at the London Palladium on Talking Pictures TV, and one of the acts on it was comedian Dick Shawn, best known as LSD who played Hitler in Mel Brooks' The Producers.

It's often said, aside from that role the screen couldn't really contain him and he was always better onstage, which is probably why when he literally died onstage in the 1980s the audience laughed merrily because they thought it was part of his act.
 
An actor performing at the Bolshoi Theatre was crushed to death by scenery during an opera set change.
Performer at Moscow's Bolshoi Theatre killed by falling scenery

A Russian actor has been crushed to death by falling scenery at Moscow's world famous Bolshoi Theatre.

The theatre said Yevgeny Kulesh was killed in an accident during a set change in the opera Sadko on Saturday.

Footage appeared to show panicked performers pleading with staff to lift the prop. Onlookers attempted to revive Mr Kulesh, but were unsuccessful. ...

In a statement issued on Saturday evening, the Bolshoi said: "The performance was immediately stopped, the audience was asked to leave the hall."

It is believed that Mr Kulesh went in the wrong direction during the descent of the scenery and was subsequently trapped underneath it.

Shocked spectators said on social media that they had initially believed that the accident was a staged trick.

However, the reality of the incident quickly became apparent when performers reacted in horror and some on stage shouted "call the ambulance, there is blood". ...
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FULL STORY: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-58859522
 
A Nigerian seminary student playing the role of Simon Peter in an Easter drama collapsed and died.
Seminary student dies in Jesus crucifixion reenactment

A university student in Nigeria died Friday while participating in a reenactment of Jesus's crucifixion.

Sule Ambrose, 25, was a first-year student at the Claratian Institute of Philosophy and was taking classes to become a priest when the horrific incident happened, according to the BBC.

Ambrose was taking part in a reenactment of Jesus's crucifixion and was given the role of Simon Peter, a Disciple of Jesus, during the play "Passion of Christ." ...

During Ambrose's performance in the play, he collapsed and was taken to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.

One person at the university said that people thought Ambrose was joking when he collapsed, thinking it was part of the drama ...
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FULL STORY: https://news.yahoo.com/seminary-student-dies-jesus-crucifixion-221013951.html
 
The famous Broadway actor Zero Mostel died on stage of a brain aneurysm, whilst performing 'The Merchant".
He'd been on a restrictive diet which had resulted in dizzy spells leading up to his death in 1977.


Troy "Trouble T Roy" Dixon of Heavy D and the Boyz.

Died in 1990 by falling off a ledge next to the stage just after rehearsing for a tour.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trouble_T_Roy

This song was made in his memory.



Soul legend Curtis Mayfield.

Severely injured when a storm caused a stage light to fall on him during a performance.

Eventually died of poor health caused by his injuries, but years later.

A harrowing article:

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/...ayfield-bio-detailing-tragic-accident-126593/


Brazilian Funk Rapper "Daleste", shot dead whilst performing in 2018.

https://zhiphopcleveland.com/4047242/brazilian-rapper-killed-on-stage-while-performing-video/#:~:text=Brazilian funk artist Daniel Pellegrine,stage came to his aid.
 
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25-year-old drag queen dies mid-performance in Pennsylvania.​


Valencia Prime, a 25-year-old transgender woman, performed as a drag queen known as “Philadelphia’s Plus Size Dancing Diva,” according to her Instagram.

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Prime collapsed onstage and died during a performance at Tabu Lounge and Sports Bar on Monday, Sept. 12, the Philadelphia venue owner told NBC News.

https://www.centredaily.com/news/state/pennsylvania/article265911311.html

maximus otter
 
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