Here too are stories about celebrities who died young because of alcohol or drug-related problems-John Belushi and Elvis Presley among many others-and of the tragic 1998 murder of comedian Phil Hartman. Here are accounts of the sudden, premature deaths of stars like Rudolph Valentino, Montgomery Clift, and Peter Sellers. This heavily illustrated book recounts these and many other tragic events that have haunted the Hollywood movie community from its early-twentieth-century beginnings to the present day. Among its stars, James Dean was soon killed in a car crash, Sal Mineo died several years later, murdered by an unknown assailant, and the beautiful Natalie Wood died mysteriously when she fell from a docked pleasure boat and drowned. If you are interested in Hollywood deaths, this is the book to buy.Rebel Without a Cause was one of the most talked-about movies of the 1950s. there is a category for movies that are associated with curses or real-life deaths, including THE CONQUEROR (filmed near a nuclear test site 91 people who worked on the film developed cancer) and TWILIGHT ZONE (fatal helicopter crash). If this sounds confusing, it is you could find your favorite celebrity better if the author dispensed with the categories. There's also a category for definite murder (only nine people), as well as definite accident that did not involve drugs or alcohol (although William Holden tripping & hitting his head while drunk could be classified as alcohol-related). No, Marilyn's there, all right, under the Predators category (possible accident or murder).

If, for example, you are searching for Marilyn Monroe, and you don't find her death in the Drugstore Cowboy (drug and alcohol related) category, nor do you find it in the Dangerous Liaisons (suicides & scandals) category, you may conclude that one of Hollywood's most famous deaths has been omitted.

However, like THE HOLLYWOOD BOOK OF DEATH, it would have been better to simply list the celebrities in alphabetical order, rather than sorting the deaths into often-arbitrary and overlapping categories.

It is better than its closest competitor, THE HOLLYWOOD BOOK OF DEATH, by virtue of having more photos and being more comprehensive. This book covers Hollywood deaths up to 2005, with emphasis on the scandalous and mysterious. The best reference book on Hollywood deaths

Cut! by Denise Imwold