The Last Days of Dead Celebrities is not at all ghoulish despite the possible implications in the title. Instead, it provides an interesting and often poignant insight into the uplifting - and yes, at times depressing - final experiences of those who were so famous that we, the public, feel as if we know them intimately. Author Mitchell Fink enlightens fans about the inner lives of the famous with glimpses of their families and friends both before and after their deaths.
The days leading up to the demise of the following celebrities are chronicled: John Lennon (murdered), Lee Strasberg (heart attack), John Belushi (overdose by speedball, a heroin and cocaine combo), Orson Welles (heart attack), Lucille Ball (ruptured aorta), Lyle Alzado (brain cancer from steroid abuse), Arthur Ashe (AIDS), Margaux Hemingway (suicide or overdose), Tupac Shakur (murder), John Denver (private plane crash), Milton Berle (colon cancer), Ted Williams (leukemia), David Bloom (pulmonary embolism), Warren Zevon (lung cancer) and John Ritter (ruptured aorta).
Some of these deaths serve as cautionary tales to not mess with drugs and/or alcohol, or the necessity of diligent doctor visits, and then there are the two murder victims. The last two stories, unfortunately, provide no helpful message to readers but serve only to reinforce the sad reality that even the most rich and famous can become victim to the insanity of evil.
If celebrities fascinate you as they do me you will love reading The Last Days of Dead Celebrities.