13 Famous People Who Were Tragically Shot — 30 Pics

From chart-topping musicians to beloved actors and world leaders, these notable names all met the same devastating fate — a life cut short by a bullet.

We have lost many beloved stars over the years, but those who were shot dead leave an especially haunting mark. In this photo gallery, we remember 13 famous individuals whose lives were taken by gun violence.

John Lennon

Lennon was just 40 years old when tragedy struck outside New York's famed Dakota building on December 8, 1980. His killer, Mark David Chapman, had coldly asked for an autograph hours earlier — then returned to shoot the beloved Beatle.

Chillingly, Chapman stayed at the scene reading "The Catcher in the Rye," and in a 2022 parole hearing admitted there was "evil in [his] heart."

Tupac Shakur

Shakur was just 25 when he was shot four times in a brutal drive-by near the Las Vegas Strip in 1996. He died six days later, his lyrics about violence and struggle eerily foreshadowing the end he would meet.

Selena Quintanilla-Pérez

At only 23, the radiant singer was gunned down by Yolanda Saldívar, a woman entrusted with her fan club and boutiques. The confrontation at a Corpus Christi hotel turned fatal after accusations of embezzlement. Quintanilla-Pérez was shot in the back as she tried to flee.

Christina Grimmie

Grimmie, just 22, was greeting fans in Orlando in 2016 when a gunman, Kevin James Loibl, opened fire. Her brother tackled the killer, who then turned the gun on himself.

Sharon Tate

A scene of pure horror unfolded on August 9, 1969, when Tate, eight months pregnant, was slaughtered by followers of Charles Manson inside her Los Angeles home. She was one of several victims in what Manson hoped would ignite a race war.

Johnny Wactor

In May 2024, Wactor, best known for his role in "General Hospital," was shot and killed in downtown Los Angeles while bravely confronting thieves stealing a catalytic converter. One suspect has since been sentenced to more than five years in prison.

The Notorious B.I.G. (Biggie Smalls)

Christopher Wallace, aka The Notorious B.I.G., was murdered in a drive-by outside Los Angeles' Petersen Automotive Museum in 1997. He was only 24. Gunfire erupted from a dark vehicle, leaving the rap world in stunned silence.

Charlie Kirk

Charlie Kirk, 31, was fatally shot during a recent 2025 event at Utah Valley University. No suspect has been caught at the time of writing. However, a nationwide manhunt continues, with questions piling up as fast as the grief.

John F. Kennedy

In one of America's darkest days, the former president was assassinated in Dallas on November 22, 1963. Shot in the neck and head as his motorcade passed the Texas School Book Depository, he was rushed to Parkland Memorial but pronounced dead at 1 p.m. Kennedy was just 46.

Lana Clarkson

Clarkson, a glamorous actress, died from a single gunshot at music mogul Phil Spector's Alhambra mansion in 2003. She was 40. Spector was later convicted of second-degree murder in a case that rocked Hollywood.

Phil Hartman

Hartman, a beloved comedian famed for "Saturday Night Live," was shot and killed by his wife, Brynn Hartman, in 1998. After the attack in their Encino home, she turned the gun on herself as police escorted their children to safety.

Gianni Versace

Versace, 50, was gunned down outside his Miami Beach mansion on July 15, 1997. The legendary fashion designer had just returned from breakfast when serial killer Andrew Cunanan shot him twice in the back of the head — a murder that stunned the fashion world.

Rebecca Schaeffer

Schaeffer, the bright-eyed star of "My Sister Sam," was just 21 when she answered the door of her Los Angeles apartment in 1989. A man — later identified as her stalker — then shot her in the chest in cold blood.

These 13 public figures were more than just celebrities — they were icons, trailblazers, and beloved human beings whose lives ended not with a farewell, but with gunfire and heartbreak.

Whether taken by obsessed fans, cold-blooded criminals, or cruel fate, their deaths left gaping wounds in the hearts of millions.

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text "help” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741, or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org.