Five Movie Stars Who Died In The Middle Of A Movie Production

While some celebrity deaths are hoaxes and many famous actors such as Heath Ledger died before completing a project, not all of them met their end on set.

Some of these deaths were the result of natural causes while other stars met a more gruesome end. 

Below are five movie stars who died in the middle of movie production. 

5. Bruce Lee

Bruce Lee died on July 20, 1973, at the height of his fame. He had left the set of 'Game of Death' halfway through to accept a role in 'Enter the Dragon'.

He died from an allergic reaction to painkillers after 'Dragon' wrapped and before completing 'Game of Death'.

Director Robert Clouse jumped on board to finish filming, employing body doubles and even a cardboard cut-out of Lee to ensure the film's completion. 
   

4. Oliver Reed

During a break from filming 'Gladiator', the hard-drinking Englishman died of a heart attack in Malta after downing three bottles of rum and arm-wrestling some British sailors.

Ridley Scott spent an additional $3 million on digital effects to complete the role of the freed slave who trains a champion gladiator.

3. Heath Ledger

Heath Ledger died of a drug overdose in his Manhattan apartment on January 22, 2008.

When he died, the Australian actor had just finished filming Christopher Nolan's 'The Dark Knight' and was in the middle of filming Terry Gilliam's 'The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus'.

Gilliam cast close friends Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell to play Ledger's character in the remaining scenes.

2. Brandon Lee

Brandon Lee, the son of martial arts legend Bruce Lee, died in a stunt accident on the set of 'The Crow' on March 31, 1993.

"Lee's character was supposed to be shot in a scene, but the handgun used contained a fragment of a real bullet," Ranker writes.

1. Paul Walker

Paul Walker, the star of the 'Fast and Furious' action franchise, died in a car accident off-stage in 2013.

To complete the film's production, the producers enlisted Walker's younger brothers, Cody and Caleb, to serve as his body doubles in some of the stunt scenes.