20 Celebrities Who Died From Seizures

Juice WRLD

Sadly, many celebrities throughout time have died from seizures. A seizure can cause momentary loss of awareness, abnormal shaking, and loss of conscience. Epilepsy is a disease, usually diagnosed in childhood, when there are 2 or more seizures. Seizures can be provoked or unprovoked. Unprovoked seizures include those caused by epilepsy, sleep deprivation, or stress. Provoked seizures can be caused by drugs, alcohol withdrawal, low blood sugar, fever, concussion, injury, or a brain infection.

1. Juice WRLD

American rapper, singer, and songwriter Juice WRLD was born Jarad Higgins in Chicago, Illinois on December 2, 1998. He died days before his 21st birthday. He started playing the piano at the age of 4 and was recording rap songs his sophomore year of high school. Juice WRLD rose to fame with his first album Goodbye and Good Riddance which was released in 2018. Hit singles from the album include All Girls Are the Same and Lucid Dreams. He collaborated with Future on World on Drugs. Juice WRLD’s second album, Death Race For Love wa released in 2019. It topped the Billboard 200 chart. Jarad Higgins ingested multiple Percocet pills while on a private airplane landing at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. He died of seizures.

2. Florence Griffith Joyner

Track and Field record setter Florence Griffith Joyner died of a seizure September 21, 1998 at her home in California at the age of 38. Griffith Joyner was born in Los Angeles and excelled at track during college at California State University, North Ridge and the University of California, Los Angeles. She competed in the 1984 and 1988 Olympics. In the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, Korea, she broke records in the 100 and 200 meter races. Known for her flamboyant outfits, “Flo-Jo” was a hit with fans After retiring, she was named co-chair of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports by President Bill Clinton. Flo-Jo was diagnosed with a congenital brain abnormality that caused seizures in 1990, 1993, and 1994 before succumbing to a seizure in 1998.

3. Truman Capote

American novelist, screen writer, and playwright Truman Capote suffered a seizure believed to be from alcohol and drug withdrawal on August 25, 1984 at his home in Bel Air, California. Born in New Orleans on September 30, 1924, Capote was famous for his novels and plays. Two of his novels, In Cold Blood and Breakfast at Tiffanys, were made into successful films. Capote enjoyed friendships with author Harper Lee, artist Andy Warhol, and Jacqueline Kennedy Onasis’ sister Lee Radiswell. Later in life, Capote was known for his drug and alcohol addiction. He suffered a hallucinatory seizure in 1980 and was hospitalized. He became reclusive and died in 1984.

4. Caligula

The third Emperor of Rome is described as arrogant, conceited, a sadist, and even insane. We may never know that these descriptions are completely accurate. The grandson of Marc Anthony was born in the year 12 AD. He grew up to rule the most powerful Empire at that time in history. Caligula expanded the Roman Empire and backed large construction projects. He also, most likely, had the disease of epilepsy. At a young age the future emperor began what was termed “the falling sickness”. Modern historians believe this was epilepsy. They also believe that Caligula feared the seizures. Caligula was assassinated by members of the Roman Senate and supporters who wanted to return to a Republic. His seizures may have led to his personality changes, leading to his death.

5. Arfa Karim

Arfa Karim was born in Pakistan on February 2, 1995. The computer prodigy was the youngest Microsoft Certified Pro when she was just 9 years old. She was named in the Guinness World Book of Records for receiving her pilot’s license when she was just 10 years old. As a young teenager, Karim represented Pakistan in international forums including the TecEd Developers Conference. The Afra Software Technology Park in Lehore, Pakistan. The child prodigy unfortunately suffered from epilepsy and died on January 14, 2012 when she was only 16 years old.

6. Jett Travolta

Jett Travolta was the oldest child of actors John Travolta and Kelly Preston. He was born in Los Angeles in 1992. When he was just 2 years old, Jett was diagnosed with Kawasaki Disease. The disease can lead to coronary abnormalities and symptoms can include seizures. Of course, Jett’s family was devastated at the news but got their son the best treatment. Unfortunately, Jett had a seizure and hit his head on a bathtub. He died on January 2, 2009 during a family trip to their home in the Bahamas. He was only 16 years old.

7. Prince John of Wales

Prince John of Wales was the youngest of the six children of the heir to the British Throne who would become King George V and his wife who would become Queen Mary. Prince John was born on July 12, 1905. As a baby and young child, Prince John was robust. However, when he was just 4 year olds. he was diagnosed with epilepsy. His symptoms worsened when he was about 11 years old. He was sent to live at the royal Sandringham estate. Prince John succumbed to his illness and its consequential seizures on January 18, 1924 when he was just 13 years old. A biographical movie, The Lost Prince, was released in 2003.

8. Vladimir Lenin

Vladimir Lenin led a revolution in Russia and helped establish a socialist regime. Lenin was born on April 22, 1870. At Kazan University, he embraced politics and radicalization. He studied Karl Marx and believed in the emancipation of the working class and social reform. He led the Bolshevik Revolution which overthrew the Tsarist regime and introduced Russia to socialism, helping to create the socialist Soviet Union government. In 1921 Lenin became ill. He began to have severe headaches and became hypersensitive to sound, developing neurological issues. He also suffered an assassination attempt where he was shot. Lenin suffered three strokes in 1923 and fell into a coma before his death on January 21, 1924. His cause of death was listed as incurable disease of the blood vessels.

9. Prince Nelson

Prince Nelson was born on June 7, 1958 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He would grow to become one of the greatest musicians of his time. Prince was influenced by his father. a musician whose stage name was Prince. At a young age Prince was diagnosed with epilepsy but vowed to his mom, he wasn’t going to be sick anymore. At 19 years old, Prince signed with Warner Brothers Records. His music combined funk, R & B, jazz, soul, hip hop, new wave, and rock. Prince played multiple instruments. He wrote, recorded and produced his music which became known as the “Minneapolis Sound”. Prince collaborated often with other musicians and produced 39 albums throughout his career. His 1984 album Purple Rain became a movie loosely based on his life. The song Purple Rain won an Academy Award for Best Original Song. Prince was very active on stage and developed physical problems. He began to rely on opiates to relieve the pain. Prince overdosed on Fentanyl laced opiates at his home in Minneapolis on April 21, 2016.

10. George Gershwin

American pianist and composer George Gershwin suffered a brain tumor late in life which led to his seizure and death on July 11, 1937. He and his brother Ira composed popular music during the 1920’s and 1930’s. They established themselves in New York City before moving to Los Angeles. George Gershwin’s hit songs include Rhapsody In Blue, An American In Paris, I Got Rhythm, and the 1935 opera Porgy and Bess. George was diagnosed with a Gilioblastoma Multiforme tumor. The tumor caused olfactory issues ad brief blackouts or seizures. The tumor was removed, but Gershwin died of a seizure 6 months later on July 11, 1937.

11. Cameron Boyce

American actor Cameron Broce was born on May 28, 1999 and was diagnosed with epilepsy at a young age. He died in his sleep of a seizure on July 6, 2019. Bryce appeared in a music video for the band Panic! At the Disco. He went on to appear in the 2008 film Mirrors and the Disney Channel series Jesse. Boyce appeared in 3 Descendants television films, Disney XD’s comedy series Gamer’s Guide to Pretty Much Everything, Jake In Jake, and Neverland Pirates. He was in the movies Eagle Eye, Grown Ups, and Grown Ups 2 as well as Spider-Man. B0yce was only 20 years old when he died.

12. Michael Jeter

Michael Jeter is famous for his film, stage, and television roles. He was in the television series Evening Shade from 1990 through 1994. He played Mr. Noodle’s Brother in Elmo sketches on Sesame Street. Jeter was in films including Zelig, Tango & Cash, The Fisher King, Sister Act 2, Waterworld, Air Bud, Patch Adams, The Green Mile, Jurasic Park III, Welcome to Collinwood, Open Range, and The Polar Express. Jeter was born in Tennessee on August 26, 1952. He died of an epileptic seizure on March 30, 2003 when he was only 50 years old.

13. Roy O. Disney

Roy O. Disney was the older brother of Walt. They boys were born in Chicago, Illinois and grew up in Kansas City, Missouri. The brothers would partner to create Disney Studios in the 1920’s. While Walt was the creative mind behind Disney Studios and later Walt Disney Land and Walt Disney World, Roy worked on the business and finance end of the company. Roy did not like the fame that Walt adored and preferred to stay in the background. Roy came out of retirement to help build Walt Disney World which opened in 1971. Roy’s son helped continue to run the company. Roy O. Disney suffered a stroke and seizure and died on December 20, 1971.

14. Jimmy Reed

Musician and songwriter Jimmy Reed is considered a major influence for Elvis Presley, Hank Williams Jr., and The Rolling Stones. Reed was born one of 10 children of a sharecropper family in Mississippi on September 6, 1925. His skills as a musician would take him far. Reed introduced what would be called “electric blues” with an emphasis on his harmonica playing. He had 11 songs on the Billboard 100 Pop Chart. His music from the 1950’s and 1960’s include Honest I Do, Big Boss Man, and Bright Lights, Big City. Reed suffered epileptic seizures throughout his life. When he was just 50 years old, Reed suffered a massive seizure and died from respiratory failure in Oakland, California on August 29, 1976.

15. Melvin Franklin

David Melvin “Blue” Franklin is famous for singing bass in the band The Temptations. Franklin was born in Alabama in 1952 and moved with his mother and stepfather to Detroit, Michigan when he was 10 years old. Franklin sang in local bands eventually joining Otis Williams and Elbridge Bryant. Along with Paul Williams and Eddie Kendricts the group signed with Motown Records in 1961 calling themselves The Temptations who were later inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It was around this time that Franklin was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and prescribed cortisone. He developed a weakened immune system which led to diabetes. In 1995 Franklin had a series of seizures and went into a coma. After 8 days, Franklin died on February 23, 1995.

16. Luke Perry

Actor Luke Perry suffered a major seizure and massive ischememic cerebrovascular stroke. He died on March 4,1919 after suffering a seizure and stroke caused by a blood clot. Perry was born in Mansfield, Ohio on October 11, 1988. He began acting in soap operas and rose to fame playing teen idol Dylan McKay on Beverly Hills 90210 from 1990 to 995, reprising his role on the series from 1998 to 2000. Perry guest starred on many popular series. More recently he played the character of Fred Andrews on the popular CW series Riverdale. His death was honored on the series. Instead of just writing the character off, Fred Andrews died.

17. Richard Burton

Welsh actor Richard Burton died from a seizure due to alcohol withdrawal at his Switzerland home on August 5, 1984. Burton was born in Wales on November 10, 1925. His father was a coal miner, and his mother died after giving birth to their thirteenth child. Richard was just 2 years old and went to live with his older sister and her husband. Richard Burton would become one of the greatest actors of his time. He began his career performing Shakespearian plays at the Old Vic Theatre in London. He moved to Hollywood in 1952 and would become one of the highest paid actors of his time. His films include The Robe, Alexander the Great, Hamlet, and Cleopatra. During filming of Cleopatra Burton and his co-star Elizabeth Taylor began a love affair that was often turbulent. They married twice. Burton was a heavy drinker throughout his life. His health gradually deteriorated, and he suffered from liver cirrhosis and kidney disease. He suffered a seizure in 1984 and died of a cerebral hemorrhage.

18. William “Bud Abbott

William “Bud” Abbott is half of one of the greatest comedy duos of all time, Abbott and Costello. William was born in Asbury Park, New Jersey on October 2, 1897. His parents were a part of the Barnum and Bailey Circus so their son was born to be in show business. Abbott worked in the box office of a burlesque theater in New York City before performing Vaudeville acts. In the 1930’s he met Lou Costello and began performing minstrel and stage shows. The pair would go on to be a hit comedy duo, with Abbott playing the straight man. Their most popular routine was the baseball themed “Who’s on First?”. Abbott was diagnosed with epilepsy in 1926 and tried to hide it through the rest of his life. He died of a cancer and a seizure on April 24, 1974.

19. Demaryius Thomas

Demaryius Thomas was born in Georgia on Christmas Day 1987. He excelled at football and track and field in high school. He played football at Georgia Tech and was the first round pick in the National Football League for the Denver Broncos. He played wide receiver for the Broncos for most of his football career. He later played for the Houston Texans, the New England Patriots, and the New York Jets. Thomas suffered injuries in a car crash in 2019. On December 9, 2021 Thomas suffered a severe seizure due to his 2019 injuries and died just 16 days short of his 34th birthday.

20. Amy Winehouse

British singer and songwriter Amy Winehouse most likely died of a seizure on September 10, 2011. Her death was due to alcohol poisoning and withdrawal. Winehouse was born on September 14, 1983 in London. She excelled singing jazz as a child. She signed with EMI and released her debut album, Frank. Winehouse became popular with critics and fans with her unique songwriting and ability to create and sing jazz, R & B, and soul. Her 2006 album Back to Black was best selling and made her even more popular. Winehouse led a tumultuous young life suffering legal problems, drug and alcohol abuse, and an eating disorder. She was found at her London apartment dead on September 10, 2011 when she was just 27 years old. Her cause of death was alcohol poisoning and a librium overdose leading to a seizure.

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