Showbiz Christmas Death Curse Of The Stars

Christmas is a magical holiday full of traditions — which often includes the death of a beloved celebrity! Take a look at the famous faces who've had their fans mourning at the most wonderful time of the year...

In 1995, Rat Pack member  Dean Martin died on Christmas Day at the age of 78. He was outlived by Frank Sinatra and Joey Bishop, but had outlasted Peter Lawford and Sammy Davis, Jr.  The last laugh on those legends was still had by their pal Jerry Lewis, though — who died at the age of 91 on Aug. 20, 2017.

It was the "Last Christmas" for pop star George Michael on Dec. 25, 2016. Police confirmed his death after finding his body at his Oxfordshire estate in England on Christmas Day. Authorities quickly declared that the death was “unexplained,” but not suspicious. The National ENQUIRER, however, later revealed how an autopsy that said he died of "natural causes" covered up drug use and more!

Screen legend Charlie Chaplin died on Christmas Day, 1977, from natural causes at age 88 at his home in Switzerland.  He had been repeatedly denied re-entry to the United States since 1952 due to his suspected status as a communist sympathizer, but returned to Hollywood for an honorary Oscar six years before his death. He didn't rest in peace, though. In March 1978, two men were arrested for stealing his coffin for a ransom!

Christmas Day 2012 was a double tragedy to fans of beloved character actors — with both Jack Klugman and Charles Durning passing away the day before! Jack, 90, finally succumbed to prostate cancer, but had defiantly spent years on stage after losing a vocal cord in another operation. Charles was 89 years old, and passed from natural causes.

James Brown probably didn't have to die on Christmas Day, 2006. Just two days prior, the beloved "Godfather of Soul" had visited his dentist's office in Atlanta, Georgia — and arrived several hours late and looking disheveled and ill. The dentist told James to skip the appointment and go see a doctor. It was too late, however, and the singer soon succumbed to complications caused by pneumonia.

Peter Lawford became the first member of Frank Sinatra's notorious Rat Pack to pass away — failing to make it to Christmas as he died on the evening of Dec. 24, 1984, at the age of 61. He took a lot of secrets to his grave, as well, having been a close confidante to John F. Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe!

Eartha Kitt spent decades as a renowned entertainer — and yet still mostly found fame with her turns as Catwoman alongside Adam West on "Batman."  She died of colon cancer in 2008 on Dec. 25 at the age of 81. Somebody somewhere was playing her sultry hit single "Santa, Baby" from 1953.

Acclaimed vaudeville icon and early comedian W.C. Fields died on Christmas Day, 1946 — living up to his hard-drinking legend by passing from cirrhosis of the liver ! Fields conveyed his love for alcohol to Gloria Jean in Never Give a Sucker an Even Break with a memorable quote: "I was in love with a beautiful blonde once, dear. She drove me to drink. That's the one thing I am indebted to her for."

Billy Martin, a baseball player and manager for the New York Yankees, often found himself in the headlines for all of the wrong reasons. The circumstances of his death were no different. He died prematurely at the age of 61 on Christmas Day of 1989 — after a a low speed car collision on an icy road while being driven home from a bar near Binghamton, New York by his inebriated friend William Reedy!

JonBenet Ramsey, tragically, became a famous face because of her unsolved murder on December 25, 1996. A ransom note was discovered at her family's mansion in Boulder, Colo., on Christmas morning. About eight hours after she was reported missing, her corpse was discovered in the basement of the family home.