Famous People Who Died At 22

Aaliyah was an American singer, actress and model, who became famous when her debut album, Age Ain't Nothing but a Number sold three million copies in the US. Her subsequent albums also sold in millions and won her numerous accolades. She also acted in some films. She tragically died in an airplane crash in the Bahamas, at the age of 22.

Musician and singer-songwriter Buddy Holly was a central figure of mid-1950s rock and roll. Born to a musical family, he learned to sing and play the guitar as a child. He began his career as a teenager and found much success within a short period. Sadly, he died in an aircraft crash when he was just 22 years old.

Christina Grimmie was an American singer-songwriter, actress, and YouTuber. She was fatally shot in 2016 when she was signing autographs after performing at The Plaza Live in Florida. Following her murder, celebrities demanded better security measures at concert venues and Billboard published an open letter demanding background checks for gun purchases. Several venues observed safety precautions like adding metal detectors.  

Aziz Shavershian was a Russian-born Australian personal trainer, bodybuilder, and model. He started posting videos on YouTube in 2007, establishing a cult following. Aziz was the poster boy of aesthetics, a subculture of amateur bodybuilding. Before his death, due to a heart attack, Aziz Shavershian had established a clothing line and his own protein label called Protein of the Gods.

Terry Fox was a popular cancer research activist and humanitarian. Despite suffering from cancer and having lost one of his legs to cancer, he embarked on a cross-country run to raise money for cancer research. Although he died at the age of 22, his efforts resulted in a worldwide legacy and gave rise to the annual Terry Fox Run.

Freddie Prinze, father of Freddie Prinze Jr., was best known as Chico Rodriguez from Chico and the Man. A trained ballet dancer, Freddie had dropped out of high school to become a stand-up comedian. He shot himself to death, though a jury later ruled it an accidental and medicine-induced death.

Ariel Camacho was a Mexican singer and songwriter best remembered for leading his Regional Mexican band, Ariel Camacho y Los Plebes del Rancho. He died in a car accident at the age of 22. Following his death, his album El Karma became immensely popular. His band continues to make albums in his honor. 

Ekaterine "Kato" Svanidze, a shy girl from a poor Georgian family, was the first of Joseph Stalin’s two wives. Stalin, then 24, fell in love with a 16-year-old Kato while studying together at the Tiflis Spiritual Seminary. She died a year after the birth of their son, Yakov.

Black Dahlia was an American murder victim whose case gained national attention due to the gruesome nature of the crime. Her murder is often cited as one of Los Angeles County's oldest unsolved cases and the most popular unsolved murders in the history of the United States. Dahlia's life and death have inspired a number of books and films.

Also known as the Giant of Illinois and the Alton Giant, Robert Wadlow was the tallest person in recorded history, having reached 2.72 m (8 ft 11.1 in) in height at the time of his death, at the age of 22. His continued growth was due to a medical condition that results in a high level of human growth hormone.

Neerja Bhanot was an Indian purser and model who died at the age of 22 while trying to save passengers on an airplane that had been hijacked by terrorists. She was posthumously honored with the Ashok Chakra Award, India's highest peacetime gallantry, becoming the youngest recipient of the honor. Her life inspired the 2016 biographical thriller film, Neerja.

Henry Louis Vivian Derozio was an Anglo-Indian poet who became the assistant headmaster of Hindu College, Kolkata. He was born to a Christian Indo-Portuguese father and an English mother in British India. A brilliant young man, he was a radical thinker of his time, and his activities kindled the intellectual revolution in Bengal. Unfortunately, he died at the age of 22.  

One of the best-known French fighter pilots of World War I, Georges Guynemer reportedly shot 54 enemy planes. Awarded with honors such as the Légion d'honneur and the Médaille militaire, he was a national hero. He went MIA and was later declared dead after he failed to return from a combat mission in 1917.

Belgian cyclist Bjorg Lambrecht was not just a national junior champion but also made it to the 2018 Vuelta a España starlist. The Lotto–Soudal member was just 22 when he died of internal hemorrhage after crashing into a concrete culvert during the 3rd stage of the 2019 Tour de Pologne.

Felice Schragenheim was a German Jewish resistance fighter who fought against the Nazi regime during the Second World War. She is best remembered for her relationship with Lilly Wust; the tragic love story inspired the 1999 German drama film Aimée & Jaguar. Schragenheim was killed at the age of 22, when she was part of a death march from Poland to Germany.

A member of the SA, the paramilitary wing of the German Nazi Party, Horst Wessel was murdered by his enemies, probably Communists. Following his death, he was hailed as a Nazi hero and martyr. The song Horst Wessel Lied later became the Nazi anthem and the co-national anthem of Nazi Germany.

Remembered for his aerial battles during the North African Campaign, Hans-Joachim Marseille was a German Luftwaffe fighter pilot and a flying ace, who claimed a total of 158 victories, out of which 151 victories were against the British Commonwealth's Desert Air Force. Nicknamed Star of Africa, he is also credited with shooting down seventeen Allied fighters in a single day.

Shunzhi Emperor of the Qing Dynasty was the first Qing ruler of China proper. Shunzhi relied on Buddhist priests and eunuch officials. While some believe he had died of smallpox, others state he had retired to a monastery to cope with the death of his favorite consort.

The first wife of European ruler Charlemagne, Desiderata was also the daughter of the Lombardian king Desiderius. Her marriage to Charlemagne was a political alliance that strengthen ties between Frankia and the Lombardian kingdom. Some historians believe Himiltrude, and not Desiderata, was Charlemagne’s first wife, though most believe Himiltrude was a concubine.