When tragedy strikes, we are often left trying to pick up the pieces of our lives, searching for answers and desperately trying to find answers. Many times the answers never come and others we not only have the answers, we have photographs. These images capture some of the last moments before tragedy struck these people, some you may remember, others have rarely been shared.
John Lennon
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Truly a saddening image, John Lennon was signing autographs near his home in New York City. The guy standing behind Lennon is Mark David Chapman, his murderer. Ten minutes after this photo was taken Mark shoots and kills Lennon.
Air France Disaster
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Air France Flight 4590 – The Concorde was on a scheduled international flight from Paris, France, to New York City, on 25 July 2000. During takeoff, it ran over debris on the runway that somehow punctured a tire causing a chain reaction that made its fuel tank catch fire. The plane quickly crashed into a nearby hotel, killing all 109 people on board.
Robin Williams
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This is the final known image of comedic actor Robin Williams. This was taken a few days before he took his own life in 2014. While the media thought Williams suicide was because of his lifelong struggle with anxiety,depression and drugs, it was later revealed that he had Lewy Body Dementia and was recently diagnosed with cancer and Parkinson’s.
Bear Attack
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What would you do if you saw a bear charging at you in the woods? In 2014, Darsh Patel, age 22 was faced with that exact situation. Instead of running, he took this picture of a bear that kept approaching him and the group of friends with whom he was hiking. He was killed just seconds after this photo was taken.
Glider Down
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In 1943, The mayor of St. Louis Mayor William D. Becker (pictured here on the left), climbed onto an experimental military glider to take a publicity photo and a short flight. Just as they were reaching the desired altitude, the left wing collapsed sending the glider into a downward death spiral. Everyone on board died in the crash.
USS Titanic
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The unsinkable Titanic. How ironic. This was the last photo snapped of the famous ship as it hauled out of New York on April 12th 1919. After the amazing ship hit an iceberg, it started the slow process of sinking, eventually killing 1,503 people including passengers and crew.
PSA Flight 182 Air Disaster
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The PSA air disaster over San Diego in 1978 was the worst mid-air collision ever and still ranks as one of the deadliest US air disasters ever killing all 137 people on both aircraft and seven people on the ground in houses, including two children.
Paul Walker
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Fast and Furious star Paul Walker is shown here getting into his beloved Porsche Carrera GT with his friend Roger Rodas. This was the last photo ever taken of Walker before the two men died after Rodas crashed into a tree while he lost control of the car at 100 mph. In the shocking video footage, you can see the men trying to escape the burning car while it was engulfed in flames.
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Biggie Smalls
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Oh Biggie…why! The greatest rapper of all time was gunned down just months after Tupac was killed in Las Vegas. This is the last photo ever taken of rapper Notorious B.I.G taken after he left a party in Los Angeles. Moments later he was gunned down and just like with Tupac, nobody was ever arrested for the crime.
Patrick Swayze
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The always fit actor who starred in Roadhouse and Ghost was but a shadow of his former self as he battled pancreatic cancer when this photo was taken on September 14, 2009. This is the last known photo of Patrick Swayze taken just days before he died.
2003 R.I Nightclub
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The band Great White was performing in a Rhode Island nightclub when the pyrotechnics malfunctioned. This malfunction caused an accidental fire to the sound insulation foam in the walls and ceiling of the nightclub. The photo above was taken right when the fire started as you can see in the back of the musicians. This tragic incident took the lives of 100 people enjoying the band’s performance.
Niagara Falls Claims Another Life
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In 1995, A so-called “daredevil”named Robert Overacker tried to jet ski over Niagara Falls in order to raise awareness for a homeless charity. While his heart was in the right place, the execution went terribly wrong when his parachute failed to open. He drowned in the icy waters
Malaysia Flight 17
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This sad picture is of a family onboard Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 that was lost as it travelled from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. It is believed that the plane was deliberately shot down over Ukraine by a hand held rocket that launched a missile by pro-Russian insurgents. All 298 people on the plane lost their lives.
The Mountain Always Wins
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Pictured here in 1924 at their camp at the base of Mt. Everest, George Mallory and Sandy Irvine are preparing to begin their ascent. It would become a journey from which they would never return. Some say they died before the reached the top and others say they perished on their way back down. Does it matter?
World Trade Center, September 11, 2001
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One of the most tragic events in the history of humanity. A day that changed the modern era. On this sad morning 19 terrorist from Al-Quidea hijacked four airplanes with the goal of crashing them into public places. Two of those planes were crashed into the World Trade Center in New York. This photo was taken at the exact moment that the second airplane crashed into the South Tower. 2,996 innocent lives were killed on this day.
James Dean
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1955 – Cars and favorite actors don’t always make for good bedfellows. Take for instance the beloved actor James Dean and his Porsche Spider. Here the Rebel Without a Cause star stands with his Porsche at a gas station just hours before his fatal crash.
Johnny Cash
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This photo was taken at Johnny Cash’s last performance at The Carter Ranch in Hilton, located in Virginia. He was 71 years old at the time of the photo, only a few months later after this performance he passed away from complications due to diabetes.
Japan Airlines Flight 123
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One of the worst air disasters happened August 12, 1985 when a Boeing 747 flying from Tokyo to Osaka had a sudden explosive decompression happen mid-flight. This photo was recovered after the plane crashed into Mount Takamagahara, killing 15 crew members and 505 of 509 passengers on board.
Joy Division
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Ian Curtis a band member from the famous Joy Divison is pictured here with his young daughter. A few days after this photo was captured he took his own life, it was later known that Ian suffered from depression and epilepsy. Joy Division broke up after this tragedy and later formed the band New Order.
Hot Air Balloon Disaster
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Hot air balloons have always terrified me. Mostly because of the height and the hot air component. Ive always thought that they could catch fire at anytime. In 2012, a scenic hot air balloon ride from Carterton, New Zealand, crashed into high voltage power lines resulting in a tragedy that claimed the lives of all twelve people on board. After the crash there were allegations that the pilot may have been under the influence at the time
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A National Tragedy
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In 1961, 18 members of U.S. figure skating team, along with their coaches and family members were on their way to Brussels to compete in the World Figure Skating Championships. They never made it. The all died when their plane crashed. It was such a disaster for the sport that the event was cancelled.
Ebola Outbreak
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In 1976, the first widespread Ebola outbreak ever was reported in Africa. Mayinga N’Seka, the nurse pictured here looking at the camera died just a few days after this photo was taken. She succumbed to the horrible death after contracting it after the picture above was taken.
