- 7/5/2025
You may know their fame, but not their pain.
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re taking a closer look at celebrities whose lives have been marked by heartbreaking tragedy behind the scenes.
Despite their success, these stars have faced unimaginable struggles — from loss and addiction to family trauma and personal battles that shaped who they are today.
Our countdown includes emotional stories from stars like:
Matthew Perry,
Lindsay Lohan,
Keanu Reeves,
Whitney Houston,
And many more.
These stories remind us that fame doesn’t shield anyone from pain.
Which celebrity backstory surprised you the most?
Let us know in the comments — and don’t forget to show some love for the strength it takes to keep going in the spotlight.
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re taking a closer look at celebrities whose lives have been marked by heartbreaking tragedy behind the scenes.
Despite their success, these stars have faced unimaginable struggles — from loss and addiction to family trauma and personal battles that shaped who they are today.
Our countdown includes emotional stories from stars like:
Matthew Perry,
Lindsay Lohan,
Keanu Reeves,
Whitney Houston,
And many more.
These stories remind us that fame doesn’t shield anyone from pain.
Which celebrity backstory surprised you the most?
Let us know in the comments — and don’t forget to show some love for the strength it takes to keep going in the spotlight.
Category
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PeopleTranscript
00:00I remember a lot of the times looking back and really hiding my face, crying.
00:05Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're examining well-known celebrities who led lives filled with personal tragedies.
00:11We'll explore the sad events that haunted them and the potential problems that arose from them.
00:15I still believe in it, you know, the love you find with an audience.
00:22Glenn Close.
00:23So yes, I had nothing in my toolbox, except I could act.
00:28Today, she's one of the most beloved and successful actors in the industry.
00:32But for the first couple of decades of her life, Close lived a very different existence.
00:36When she was seven, her family joined the Moral Rearmament Movement and moved to the group's headquarters in Switzerland.
00:42So I think I really understand why they were so vulnerable to a group like that.
00:49Close described the MRA, now known as the Initiatives of Change, as a cult that dictated what members could do, say, or even wear.
00:57The group made their members believe that doing or thinking anything that benefited them was considered selfish.
01:02While Close managed to leave the MRA when she was 22, she has spoken about the scars negatively impacting her romantic relationships to this day.
01:10This is all so familiar, and I love you all so much. I know that sounds gross, doesn't it?
01:16Rose McGowan.
01:17They won't join us willingly.
01:19I don't think I can do it alone.
01:22From the moment she was born in Italy in 1973 to U.S. parents, her life was troubled.
01:27McGowan's father ran the chapter of Children of God, a controversial group that twisted hippie philosophy into an authoritarian cult.
01:34When she was nine, McGowan's parents became disillusioned with the group.
01:38They believed their daughter could become a victim of the cult's alleged abuse.
01:41So, they fled back to the States.
01:43Imagine what the world would have been like.
01:46People always say, like, people going into cults are lost, but I think people living in Ohio might also be lost.
01:51But McGowan struggled, becoming a runaway for a year due to an abusive stepfather, and later getting emancipated from her parents at 15.
01:59McGowan thankfully turned it around by carving out a successful acting career.
02:03Sadly, she had more tragedy when she spoke about her experiences with the convicted film producer Harvey Weinstein.
02:09Matthew Perry
02:13In 2022, the Friends legend detailed how he spent $9 million on his substance use disorder,
02:28which included around 6,000 AA meetings, therapy twice a week for 30 years, 14 stomach surgeries, and 15 stints in rehab.
02:36And it all began when Perry was 14 with alcohol, after feeling like an outsider in his family when his mother started having children with his stepfather.
02:44Your disease is just outside, just doing one-arm push-ups, just waiting, just waiting for you, waiting to get you alone.
02:51Because alone, you lose.
02:53In 1997, it got worse for the actor when a jet ski accident left him hooked on painkillers.
02:59This caused Perry to not remember much for three years, between Friends, seasons 3 and 6, as he rapidly lost weight on screen.
03:07His struggles caused numerous near-death experiences throughout his life.
03:10Perry would be taken from us too soon in 2023.
03:13Now, I may not understand why you have to win so badly, but if it's important to you, then it's important to me, because I love you.
03:21Joaquin Phoenix
03:21Who killed my mother?
03:24When he was born in Puerto Rico in 1974, Joaquin's parents had been involved with the infamous Children of God cult, working as missionaries.
03:32The family traveled through South America and the Caribbean to promote the group.
03:35However, the method of flirty fishing, where women were used to entice men to join, and the group's twisted policies, caused the family to leave.
03:44Any time hold work?
03:45Any what?
03:46Any time hold work?
03:48I don't think so. I don't know what that is.
03:51I'm sure you're gonna love it.
03:53The siblings then began carving out their acting careers.
03:56However, in 1993, River Phoenix perished from an overdose at the Viper Room in Los Angeles.
04:02Joaquin's haunting 911 call for his brother was published everywhere.
04:05In the aftermath, the Phoenix family left for Costa Rica to heal from the tragedy before returning and restarting their acting careers.
04:12What are you running from?
04:15Maybe hurt a man, I think. Maybe he's dead. I don't know.
04:18Where?
04:19In Salinas, he stole a batch of my booze and he drank it.
04:21Chester Bennington
04:22I bleed it out, take it deeper, just to throw it away. I bleed it out, take it deeper, just to throw it away.
04:29During his youth, the legendary frontman for Linkin Park was abused by a family friend.
04:35He spent years living in silence, afraid to tell anyone what was happening.
04:39Eventually, Bennington told his dad years later, but chose not to press charges against the predator.
04:44I was exposed to it really, really young, and there was a lot of things that happened to me as a young person that were really difficult to deal with.
04:52After this, being tormented at school and his parents splitting up, Bennington began his descent into substance use disorder as his mental health deteriorated.
05:00Eventually, he got everything under control.
05:02In 2011, Bennington spoke about quitting drinking after an intervention by his bandmates.
05:08In 2017, music icon Chris Cornell, a close friend of Bennington, passed away.
05:13A couple of months later, Bennington sadly lost his life.
05:25Lindsay Lohan
05:26Lohan won audiences over at age 11 with her dual role in The Parent Trap.
05:36She continued to show promise as a teenager, starring in hits like Freaky Friday and Mean Girls.
05:41Ever since receiving a DUI in 2007, however, it was all downhill for the actress.
05:46Yeah, you know, there's some weird ingredient in them that's not legal in the U.S. yet.
05:51A bedroom?
05:52No.
05:53Over the years, Lohan would become synonymous with rehab as she struggled with substances.
05:58In addition to her various legal issues and substance use, Lohan has also been widely criticized for her poor film choices and the lackluster quality of her performances.
06:06Defending controversial figures like Harvey Weinstein and Donald Trump on social media has not helped to redeem Lohan in the public eye either.
06:13Although, she did stage a mini-comeback with a few popular Netflix movies.
06:18It's something that people go through and unfortunately I waited too long to face it, even though I've been going to see a therapist for years and years.
06:26Brandon Lee
06:26There were a lot of martial artists who weren't paying enough attention to their instrument, you know, and certainly the instrument of the body is what you're going to be using in your practice of the martial arts.
06:36In 1973, Lee's life changed dramatically after his legendary actor and martial artist father Bruce Lee died suddenly at a young age.
06:44Lee was pushed into following his father into martial arts, but grew disillusioned on seeing his photos in dojos.
06:50He was even asked to leave school as a teenager due to his behavior.
06:54Eventually, Lee decided to pursue acting, but avoided projects that involved martial arts.
06:59Try hard. Try again.
07:01This later led him to be cast in 1994's The Crow.
07:07Sadly, just as his career was taking off, Lee's life came to a tragic end in 1993.
07:13During a scene that involved actor Michael Massey firing a prop firearm, a mistake by the crew caused a dummy bullet to fatally strike Lee.
07:20Look.
07:23Mother is the name for God on the lips and hearts of all children.
07:28Michael Jackson
07:28In 1964, at the age of six, the future king of pop joined the family band that would become the Jackson 5.
07:43Yet while everything seemed great on the outside, behind the scenes, it was anything but.
07:47Managed by their father Joe, he watched his children rehearse with a belt in his hand, ready to punish them for mistakes, especially Michael.
07:54He used me as the example. It was like, do it like Michael. You know, and he practiced us with a belt in his hand.
08:02The Jackson patriarch defended his actions by claiming he kept his children away from trouble.
08:07Joe was also known to be mentally abusive, criticizing Michael's nose from an early age and banning friends from seeing him, making him feel alone.
08:15This abuse caused several of his children to cut ties with Joe, while some defended his methods.
08:20Because he sat in the chair, and he had this belt in his hand. And if you didn't do it the right way, he would tear you up. Really get you.
08:28Keanu Reeves
08:29I reported the thing, man! You act like I'm guilty of some crime!
08:33What, do you think you're going somewhere?
08:35I've got my rights. You can't keep me here forever.
08:37Seen as one of the nicest people in Hollywood, on the surface, no one would know the mountain of trauma Reeves has sustained.
08:43His father walked out on the family when he was three. The actor last saw his dad when he was 13.
08:49His father was later sentenced to prison for drug offenses.
08:51You know, stories help us contextualize the world, help us see it, you know, for the things that we don't know, things that we can imagine, get advice, whatever, all of those kinds of communications.
09:02Reeves was even kicked out of school due to bad behavior. In 1993, his best friend and fellow actor River Phoenix lost his life from an overdose.
09:11In 1998, Reeves began dating Jennifer Syme. The following year, they sadly experienced a stillbirth.
09:17The devastating loss caused the couple to break up. However, they eventually reconciled. In 2001, Syme lost her life in a car accident.
09:25When I left home, the mate asked me where I was off to. I said, wherever, whatever. Have a nice day.
09:34Kurt Cobain.
09:35I really was a lot more negative and angry and everything else a few years ago, but that had a lot to do with not having a mate.
09:47When he was nine, the future frontman of Nirvana experienced his parents divorcing. After this, his mother saw his personality shift to become more withdrawn, as he resented his parents for taking away his, quote, typical family.
09:59Feeling ostracized as his father began having children with another woman, Cobain saw his mom become a victim of domestic violence from her partner.
10:06Acting out, he started picking on kids at school, causing Cobain to be moved under his father's care and later with another family.
10:12Come as you are, as you were, as I want you to be.
10:21Cobain then lived with his mom until she kicked him out, leaving him without a home.
10:26During these struggles, chronic stomach pain chipped away at the musician's mental health, leading him to use substances.
10:32In 1994, Cobain sadly took his own life.
10:35I mean, if anything is going to stop me from pursuing this rock and roll thing, it's going to be her, because I don't want her to be screwed up.
10:45Corey Feldman
10:46But you flinched.
10:49I know. Too for flinching.
10:52In the 80s, this child star was a household name, thanks to his roles in The Goonies and Gremlins.
10:57As the years went by, though, Feldman became better known for substance use while his acting career took a nosedive.
11:03Corey Haim, Feldman's close friend and frequent co-star, endured a similar fall from grace, eventually dying from pneumonia in 2010 at the age of 38.
11:11All you guys are saying to me is, man, I'll take responsibility and deal with it. It's your problem. It's your fault.
11:16No, no.
11:17I agree with that.
11:17I never said the words, it's your fault. Never said that.
11:20Buddy.
11:20One year later, Feldman revealed that both he and Haim had been abused.
11:25Feldman referred to the predator as Ron, who also played a hand in his substance use disorder.
11:30Following the allegations against Harvey Weinstein in 2017, Feldman set out to self-finance a film exposing the evils of Hollywood.
11:38What happened to Corey Haim? He told me the story. It's not my place to go out and name the name of his abuser because it didn't happen to me.
11:47Kelsey Grammer
11:48But I don't know what he wants.
11:50Then why do you keep trying to bury him in psychiatric exercises?
11:54Because that's all I have.
11:56As the legendary actor for Frasier, Grammer looks like he has it all.
12:00But before he reached the lofty heights of TV stardom, his family life was incredibly tragic.
12:05In 1968, his father was killed during the violence in the wake of Martin Luther King's assassination.
12:10In 1975, Grammer's sister Karen was kidnapped by a group of men led by Freddie Glenn.
12:16She was assaulted before having her life ended.
12:19There's people in our lives that aren't here anymore, but they're still around us, I guess.
12:24Struggling with the loss, Grammer was expelled from the Juilliard School for not turning up.
12:29Glenn was sentenced for his crimes and handed three life sentences.
12:32Grammer has spoken at his parole meetings ever since.
12:35Finally, in 1980, two of Grammer's half-brothers perished during a scuba diving accident.
12:40She was so smart and good and decent.
12:45She wrote poetry and loved being alive.
12:51Marlon Brando
12:52Oh, mighty Caesar, dost thou lie so low,
12:56or all thy conquest, glory's triumph, spoils shrunk to this little measure.
13:02This acclaimed actor played a variety of iconic characters throughout his illustrious career,
13:06including Mark Antony in Julius Caesar.
13:09Despite finding incredible success on the silver screen,
13:12Brando's life off-screen was practically a Shakespearean tragedy.
13:15In 1990, Brando's son Christian was charged with murdering Dagdrelae,
13:20the boyfriend of his pregnant half-sister Cheyenne.
13:22Brother, how about a few more details on that subject?
13:25Pleading guilty to manslaughter, Christian went to prison for five years.
13:28Throughout her sibling's trial, Cheyenne attempted self-termination on two occasions.
13:34Suffering from mental health problems,
13:35she lost custody of her son and ultimately hung herself in 1995.
13:40Much like Don Vito Corleone,
13:42Marlon found himself at the head of a family riddled with death, infamy, and unspeakable turmoil.
13:47You have faith in my judgment?
13:50Yes.
13:51Do I have your loyalty?
13:52Yes, always, Godfather.
13:53Don't be a friend to Michael.
13:56Do as he says.
13:57Jennifer Hudson
13:57We tried to offer love, but you were so far gone, you couldn't even see that.
14:02A lot of things came out.
14:03For several years, Jennifer Hudson appeared to be on top of the world.
14:07She was a finalist on American Idol, won an Oscar for her performance in Dreamgirls,
14:12and released a debut album that went certified gold.
14:15Then, disaster struck Hudson's family in 2008.
14:18I turn my back and find myself out on the line.
14:22You could have warned me, but that would have been too kind.
14:25At her elder sister's home in Chicago, Hudson's mother and brother were shot to death,
14:30and her missing nephew was found dead three days later with multiple gunshot wounds.
14:35Hudson's brother-in-law was convicted for the heinous crimes, receiving three life sentences.
14:39Hudson walked away from the spotlight for a while in the wake of this tragedy,
14:43but came back with new projects.
14:45She is currently a coach on The Voice.
14:47It was not the agreement.
14:49I thought we was friends.
14:50Why would you do this?
14:52Gary Coleman.
14:53Don't you guys know when a little kid is bluffing to save his reputation?
14:57As a child, Coleman was diagnosed with a chronic kidney disease known as focal segmental glomerulosclerosis,
15:04requiring him to take medications that contributed to his stunted growth.
15:07He additionally went through multiple unsuccessful kidney transplants and dialysis.
15:12Never growing taller than 4 feet 8 inches, Coleman retained a youthful appearance as Arnold Jackson on different strokes.
15:18Uh, I have a big mouth.
15:21Despite making $100,000 per episode at one point,
15:24he lost much of that fortune at the hands of his adoptive parents and advisors.
15:28Although Coleman sued them for misappropriation, he still suffered from financial and legal troubles,
15:33filing for bankruptcy in 1999.
15:36Following a failed marriage, attempts to take his own life, and ceaseless illness,
15:40Coleman died at age 42 from an epidural hematoma.
15:44I don't want to see them see Gary Coleman as...
15:46I want them to see Gary Coleman playing a part that reminds him a little bit of himself.
15:53Whitney Houston.
15:55And I will always love you.
16:03This record-breaking, award-winning singer had a great career in music, movies, and modeling.
16:11Sadly, Houston's professional success was only matched by the misfortune that plagued her life.
16:15In 2000, Houston and her husband, Bobby Brown, were found with marijuana at an airport.
16:20This only fueled rumors of Houston's substance use.
16:23Not too long after divorcing Brown, Houston confessed in an interview with Oprah Winfrey
16:27that her marriage did involve serious substance use.
16:30Dragging dirt into my home.
16:31Did that hurt you?
16:33Were you offended by it?
16:34It disturbed me.
16:34It disturbed you?
16:35I was disturbed.
16:37Then in 2012, Houston accidentally drowned in a bathtub at age 48,
16:41a result of both her substance use and heart disease.
16:44I could tell you that I am not self-destructive.
16:50I'm not a person who wants to die.
16:53I'm a person who has life and wants to live.
16:55Anna Nicole Smith.
16:56This is hard drugs that they're trying to say.
16:59You know, I had Vicodin and Xanax.
17:01That's prescription drugs that I have to take for my migraines and for insomnia.
17:06Born Vicki Lynn Hogan, Anna Nicole Smith dropped out of high school when she was only 14
17:10and eventually rose to fame and was featured on the cover of Playboy.
17:14Not too long after her modeling career took off,
17:17Smith divorced her first husband and married aging businessman J. Howard Marshall.
17:21When Marshall died at age 90 just over a year later,
17:24the widowed Smith found herself in the midst of a lengthy court battle over his estate.
17:28Are you trying to suggest, do you want a nail file or anything?
17:33If you got one.
17:34In addition to her inheritance issues,
17:36Smith lost her son Daniel to an overdose in 2006.
17:40Smith also died from an overdose less than a year later,
17:43leaving behind her newborn daughter, Dani Lynn Burkhead.
17:46I just found an inner peace with myself.
17:49I'm happy.
17:51I just, I've really pulled myself together.
17:53John F. Kennedy Jr.
17:55You know, what happens is that you see so many images,
17:57you don't know if you kind of meld an image in your head.
18:01It's been speculated that there might be a Kennedy curse,
18:04considering the unbelievable bad luck that's hounded this political family.
18:08John F. Kennedy Jr. is perhaps the most tragic case of all.
18:11A mere three days before his third birthday,
18:14his father was shot in one of history's most infamous presidential assassinations.
18:17She parented for both of them,
18:20and I think she was deliberate in ensuring that his interests and his concerns were part of our upbringing.
18:27Heartbreak continued to follow JFK Jr.
18:30as his uncle was assassinated in 1968,
18:33his cousin died from an overdose in 1984,
18:35and his other cousin died during a skiing accident in 1997.
18:39Death loomed over this family like a shadow,
18:41and it inevitably caught up to JFK Jr.,
18:44who died when he crashed the plane he was piloting into the Atlantic Ocean.
18:48It's more a thing of having, you know, a fulfilling life,
18:52and then the other stuff takes care of itself, I think.
18:55Judy Garland.
18:57Somewhere over the rainbow,
19:02way up high.
19:05With a smile that could light up a room,
19:09Judy Garland seemed like the epitome of everything wholesome.
19:12Behind the emerald curtain, however,
19:13was a deeply troubled human being crying out for help.
19:16During her early days at MGM,
19:18many executives deemed her unattractive,
19:20and the studio forced her to diet.
19:22No, Mr. May, no one's ever told me that before.
19:25Maybe you're not quite as sober as we both thought you were, but thank you.
19:29This not only took a toll on Garland physically,
19:32but mentally as well.
19:33Although she reigned as one of Hollywood's most recognizable stars
19:36well into her adult years,
19:38Garland had a laundry list of money problems,
19:40including owing heavy amounts of back taxes.
19:43She was consumed by substance use,
19:45leading to a barbiturate overdose that claimed her life in 1969.
19:49You sit on the sidelines,
19:52and you watch the show,
19:55and you think that's making things happen.
19:58You think that's working.
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20:17Marilyn Monroe
20:18After this, nothing's going to surprise anyone.
20:20It's made to order.
20:22Like Judy Garland,
20:23Marilyn Monroe was a film legend
20:24who hid ungovernable pain underneath glitz,
20:27glamour, and a lovable screen persona.
20:29Born Norma Jean Mortensen,
20:31Monroe moved between various foster homes and an orphanage throughout her youth.
20:35Marrying her first husband at age 16,
20:38Monroe went on to find enormous success in acting, singing, and modeling.
20:42Imagine me on this beach here in my green bathing suit.
20:45Yipe!
20:46I almost bought a white one the other day,
20:48but it wasn't quite extreme enough.
20:49I mean, don't get me wrong,
20:50if I really went in for the extreme extreme,
20:52I would have bought a French one.
20:52Although she was widely adored,
20:55Monroe suffered from great depression brought on by her failed marriages,
20:58multiple miscarriages,
21:00relentless press coverage,
21:01and personal demons.
21:02Turning to substances,
21:04she died from a barbiturate overdose at age 36.
21:07While it's still debated whether or not this was intentional,
21:10there's no denying that Monroe's life was littered with tragedy.
21:13Which celebrity with a tragic past shocked you the most?
21:16Let us know below.
21:17Check out these other clips from WatchMojo,
21:30and be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos.
21:34So that's all.
21:36We'll see you guys wait.
21:36We'll see you next time,
21:49Bye.
21:50See you next time.
21:50Bye.
21:59Bye.
22:00Bye.
22:01Bye.
22:02Bye.
22:03Bye.
22:03Bye.
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