(Hollywood Forever Cemetery Photo)
You can’t have such high levels of fame and success floating around without some tragedy. Death is a natural part of life; even murder is a common occurrence in our society. However murder and death get a new level of notoriety and attention when a celebrity is involved. It’s just how it works, “all eyes on me” as 2Pac once said.
Hollywood, due to its dense population has had a lot of murders. And just based on statistics, some of these murders will involve famous celebrities.
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Since we already mentioned Pac, let’s start out this section within the genre of rap, “baby, baby.” “It was all a dream, I used to read Word Up magazine, Salt’N’Pepa and Heavy D up in the limousine”. Unfortunately the man to come up with these rhymes was murdered in LA. The Notorious B.I.G. was shot in a drive by shooting as a result of the ongoing East Coast–West Coast feud. The shooting occurred near the Peterson Automotive Museum(L), where an after party was held for that year’s Soul Train Awards. Biggie performed at the after-party that night and was booed on stage by some of the audience. Although there isn’t a particular correlation, Biggie was hit with a barrage of bullets and died in the hospital a few hours later. His murder is still unsolved. (picture of biggie+peterson museum?)
So if you have learned anything, it’s that you should not start an east coast vs. west coast rap beef, it doesn’t end well. Oh and also visit the Peterson Automotive Museum(L), its newly renovated and there haven’t been any after parties lately. No seriously, there are some amazing auto exhibits and unique cars that were used in Hollywood films being displayed there now! Batmobile! Wooh!
Here’s a fun transition, remember O.J.’s white bronco?
The Simpson fiasco has to be one of the most followed murder cases in the history of our country. Just to catch you up, this was the case where the famous athlete/actor O.J. Simpson was being tried for two counts of murder after the deaths of his ex wife Nicole Simpson and waiter Robert Goldman.
Although it was a crime committed in LA, the entire nation tuned in and watched the trial. By the way, you can take a drive on the same 405 freeway where O.J. and his friend Al Cowlings began their attempt to flee from the police in the now infamous white Ford Bronco. The chase actually ended up at O.J.’s home in Brentwood(L), down the street from Beverly Hills(L). You can easily check out the Juice’s former mansion in that neighborhood when you have a chance. (OJ simpson picture)
There’s now a show on FX called “American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson” that specifically revolves around this murder, it was filmed in all the original locations of the story, here in LA.
Even though we all know how the trial turned out, not guilty! And even though the glove did not fit, O.J. still ended up in prison some years later on an unrelated, but serious charge. He robbed someone to try and get back some of his sports memorabilia including his Heisman trophy. The moral of the story is that he is definitely in prison.
Let’s take a break from all these high profile murders and grab a drink at the Viper Room. Oh you’ve never been? Well it’s the famous bar on Sunset Strip owned by Johnny Depp. One night on October 31st, 1993, a hot young star by the name of River Phoenix overdosed and died here. It really is a sad story, Phoenix was a hot young actor, with a career that was heading in the right direction. He wasn’t a regular drug user nor much of a clubber but that night his friends’ band (consisting of Johnny Depp and Flea) were performing, the energy was high and things got out of hand. River died of a drug induced cardiac arrest. The autopsy report revealed that it was caused by multiple drug intoxication that included cocaine and morphine. (Viper Room photo)
Staying in that general vicinity, the Mendez Brothers murdered their wealthy parents, just up the street from here. This was a very publicized murder case because their father was a highly successful entertainment executive. The two cold-blooded offsprings took a shotgun to their parents after one of the family’s shark fishing yacht trips. Yup, that kind of wealthy family, the yacht fishing kind. The brothers were merciless when killing their parents. They used shotguns to shoot their parents multiple times in an attempt to make it look organized crime related. Then the two little angels dumped their shotguns near the famous Mulholland Drive and went to see a movie in order to create an alibi. Priceless!
More on Menendez Brothers Murders
Well we are in one of the most expensive areas in LA, why not take a break and relax at the glorious Beverly Hilton. “Who died here?’ you ask. Well, you’re definitely catching on. Whitney Houston, the artist that created “I will always love you” was found dead in the bathtub inside her room at this hotel. The final verdict was that she drowned, with the contributing factors of heart disease and cocaine.
“Cocaine, is a hell of a drug!”
There have been quite a few celebrities that died in LA from an illegal drug overdose. It’s sad that an addiction can ruin such promising careers, but it just shows that no one is invincible. Stars like Brittany Murphy, Marilyn Monroe and Heath Ledger, all fell victim to an overdose in Los Angeles. What’s crazy is that because of the demographics, these deaths have all happened in the same general area around Beverly Hills where the rich reside.
The lesson here is, be careful around them rich folks!
This city can bring the best out of some and the worst out of others. Enjoy the pleasant LA vibe while you’re here, just don’t get lost in the sauce.
