Death, like taxes, is one of the few guarantees in life. There will come a day when the Grim Reaper turns up like a bad host of a terrible reality show and says to you, “It’s time to go [insert name].” Death is at its most tragic when it visits at an early age, when the person is young, beautiful and has everything to live for. These 13 ladies, whose lives were tragically cut short will always be remembered because they were hot and “a thing of beauty is a joy forever.”
13. Lisa "Left Eye" Lopez, 30
Why she’s hot: Lisa was the “L” in R&B girl super group TLC, who were responsible for such hits as Waterfalls and No Scrubs. Lisa gave herself the nick-name "Left Eye" as someone once told her she had beautiful eyes, particularly the left one. In concerts she would wear glasses with a condom over the left lens, to promote safe sex – a cause she was passionate about.
How she died: Lisa was the sole fatality of a car crash in Honduras in 2002. She was in the middle of recording both her second solo album and the fourth TLC album titled 3D.
How long she stayed hot: Fans were devastated. At the time of her death, she was the subject of a documentary, which was later released as The Last Days of Left Eye and chronicled her final 26 days.
12. Jean Harlow, 26
Why she’s hot: With nick-names such as the “Platinum Blond” and the “Blond Bombshell,” Jean Harlow was Marilyn Monroe before Marilyn Monroe. She stared in many films including Howard Hughes’ Hell Angels and several films with Clark Gable. She was loved by audiences for her “magnetic sex appeal” and on-screen presence.
How she died: Jean died of renal failure at the tender of age of 26. It is thought that the thrice married movie star suffered a bad case of influenza the year she died, which weakened her body. Also, kidney transplants and dialysis had yet to be invented.
How long she stayed hot: Jean was buried in a sexy negligee in a private room lined with marble in the Great Mausoleum, which is part of Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California. Marilyn Monroe was set to play Jean in a biopic before her own early death.
11. Anna Nicole Smith, 39
Why she’s hot: Anna Nicole Smith gained widespread fame after appearing in Playboy magazine and marrying an 89 year old Texan oil billionaire. The voluptuous blond was named 1993’s Playmate of the Year and planned on being “the next Marilyn Monroe.”
How she died: Anna Nicole Smith died at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. She was found unresponsive in room 607 by a friend. Her death was later ruled an accidental drug overdose after traces of 11 different drugs were found in her body.
How long she stayed hot: It is reported that Smith’s body started decomposing at a faster-than-normal pace. This was due to a combination of the drugs found in her body and the warm tropical weather. Smith’s body was embalmed a week later due to a court order and she was finally buried a month later in a closed-casket funeral.
10. Princess Diana, 36
Why she’s hot: Diana, the Princess of Wales, was the first wife of Prince Charles who is next in line to the throne of the United Kingdom. She was famous around the world for her compassion, charity work and regal beauty.
How she died: Diana died as a result of a car crash in a tunnel in Paris, France. She was killed alongside her boyfriend, Dodi Al-Fayed and the car’s diver, Henri Paul. At the time of the crash the car was being chased by paparazzi. It was later confirmed that the driver, Henri Paul was way over the legal blood alcohol limit.
How long she stayed hot: It’s hard to say if Diana’s hotness will ever fade. Her death resulted in a massive outpouring of public mourning in the United Kingdom and around the world.
9. Dorothy Stratten, 20
Why she’s hot: Dorothy was born in Canada and rose to prominence after being name Playmate of the Month for August 1979 and Playmate of the year in 1980.
How she died: Dorothy was murdered by her estranged husband, Paul Snider. The two were in the middle of a divorce and Dorothy was then living with director Peter Bogdanovich. The couple had met to iron-out a financial settlement and she was later found dead in Snider’s bedroom. Dorothy died from a gunshot to the head and Snider had then shot himself.
How long she stayed hot: Her memory lives on in countless films, books and songs.
8. Selena, 23
Why she’s hot: Known as the “Mexican Madonna,” Selena was a prolific Mexican-American singer who dominated the Latina music scene. She found success at an early age and released nearly a dozen albums.
How she died: Selena was gunned down by the President of her fan club, Yolanda Saldivar. Saldivar was also the manager of Selena’s Texas clothing boutiques, Selena Etc. The two had met at a Days Inn in Corpus Christi, Texas to hand over paperwork after Saldivar had been fired for embezzling money. An argument broke out and as Selena walked away, Saldivar shot her in the back. Selena managed to hobble to reception, but later died in the hospital due to massive blood loss.
How long she stayed hot: Her death resulted in an outpouring of emotion. Then Governor of Texas, George W. Bush declared Selena’s birthday, April 16th, as "Selena Day." A few years later Jennifer Lopez starred as Selena in a biopic of her life.
7. Edie Sedgwick, 28
Why she’s hot: Edie Sedgwick is best known for being a socialite, actress and Andy Warhol’s muse. She gained fame during Warhol’s Factory days and appeared in several of his underground films.
How she died: Sedgwick battled drugs and alcohol for most of her adult life. In late 1971 she was sober, but had been prescribed barbiturate to treat a physical illness. On November 15th, 1971 she attended a fashion show in Santa Barbara and was shaken up after a guest called her a “heroin addict.” That night she took her prescribed amount of barbiturate and never woke up. The coroner ruled her death as "undetermined/accident/suicide."
How long she stayed hot: Edie’s beauty still haunts from the grave and she has been the subject of numerous songs and films, including the recent Sienna Miller vehicle Factory Girl.
6. Krissy Taylor, 17
Why she’s hot: Krissy shot to fame in the modelling world as the sister of supermodel Niki Taylor. At age 11 she started appearing with Niki in photo shoots, and from there her career took off.
How she died: Krissy was found by her sister Niki lying unconscious on the floor of their family home in Florida. Attempts to revive her were unsuccessful. Her cause of death was an acute asthma attack complicated by a sudden cardiac arrhythmia. She was not known to have any heart problems.
How long she stayed hot: Krissy's memory is carried on by her mother, who has worked tirelessly with the Cardiac Arrhythmia Research and Education (CARE) Foundation.
