Maybe this well help drive the point home!. Look at this list of people who died from smoking related illnesses, Look how old they all were as well.
Allen, Gracie, 58, actress; heart attack (August 27, 1964)
The Burns and Allen Show
Allen lived with an George Burns, an inveterate cigar smoker, for 38 years; she had a long history of heart problems.
Ambrose, Stephen E., 66, historian; lung cancer (October 13, 2002)
Band of Brothers, The Good Fight, Nothing Like it in the World
Armstrong, Louis, 74, musician, heart attack (July 6, 1971)
Armstrong, a smoker, advertised Camels.
Arnaz, Desi, actor, lung cancer (December 2, 1986)
Lucy & Desi plug Philip Morris Check out the Philip Morris commercial at: http://www.tvparty.com/tv/ilovelucy1.ram
Astor, Mary, 81, actress; emphysema (September 24, 1987)
The Maltese Falcon
Baldwin, James, 63, author, esophageal cancer.(November 30, 1987)
Go Tell it on the Mountain; The Fire Next Time
Ball, Lucille, actress, aortic aneurism (Helen Gurley Brown claims cause of death was “smoking-induced lung cancer”)
I Love Lucy Lucy & Ricky Call for Philip Morris
See the “I Love Lucy” entry at the Female Celebrity Smoking LIst
Bankhead, Tallulah, 65, actress; lung cancer or emphysema (December 12, 1968)
The Blue Angel
Barger, Carl, President, Florida Marlins; aortic aneurysm (December 9, 1992)
Barker, George Granville, 78, English Poet; emphysema (October 31, 1992)
Basie, William “Count”, 79 Band Leader; pancreatic cancer (1984)
smoker; advertised camels
Becaud, Gilbert, 74 Singer; cancer (December 17, 2001)
Et maintenant (What Now My Love?)
Bel Geddes, Barbara, 82, Actress; lung cancer (August 8, 2005)
First “Maggie” in ” Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” on Broadway; Miss Ellie Ewing, “Dallas”
Benson, Renaldo “Obie”, 69, Singer; lung cancer (July 1, 2005)
The lung cancer was discovered when he had a leg amputated several weeks before because of circulation problems
The Four Tops “Baby I Need Your Loving,” ”Reach Out (I’ll be There),” ”I Can’t Help Myself,” ”Standing in the Shadows of Love.” Wrote
- “What’s Goin’ On?”Benny, Jack, 80, comedian/violinist; pancreatic cancer (December 26, 1974)Benaderet, Bea, 62, TV actress; emphysema/lung cancer (October 13, 1968)
Beverly Hillbillies, Burns & Allen, Petticoat Junction, Betty Rubble’s voice in The FlintstonesBernstein, Leonard, 72, composer, conductor; heart attack due to lung failure (October 14, 1990)Blake, Amanda, 60, actress; throat cancer complicated by a type of viral hepatitis brought on by AIDS, according to her physician, Lou Nishimura. (August 16, 1989)
Miss Kitty on Gunsmoke;
At 48, Blake, once a 2-pack a day smoker, had a malignant tumor removed from her tongue; she re-learned how to speak, toured for the American Cancer Society, and fought oral cancer until her death 12 years later. President Reagan presented her with the ACS’s “Courage Award” in 1984. Dr. Nishimura contributed his information in a 1991 UPI item.Blakey, Art,71, jazz drummer and band leader; lung cancer (1990)
Blass, Bill,79, fashion designer; throat cancer (June 12, 2002)
Brand, Neville,71, actor; emphysema (1992)
Bogart, Humphrey, 57, actor; cancer of the esophagus (January 14, 1957)
Boone, Richard, 64, actor; throat cancer (January 10, 1981)
Have Gun, Will Travel; The Kremlin LetterBrand, Neville, 69, actor; decorated WWII soldier; emphysema (April 16, 1992)
D.O.A., Stalag 17, That Darn Cat!Brinegar, Paul, 77, actor; emphysema (March 27, 1995)
Wishbone, RawhideBrynner, Yul, 65, actor; lung cancer (October 10, 1985)
The King and I
Diagnosed in 1983, Brynner made a memorable anti-smoking commercial.Buck, Frank, 66, writer/adventurer, lung cancer (1950)
Bring ‘Em Back AliveButler, John, 56, General Manager of the San Diego Chargers football team, lung cancer (April 11, 2003)
Caen, Herb; SF columnist; lung cancer (February 1, 1997)
Calhoun, Rory, 76, actor; emphysema (April 28, 1999)
TV: The Texan, Capitol Calhoun’s Chesterfield ad is PM Bates# 2023238532Caldwell, Erskine, 83, author; lung cancer (April 11, 1987)
Tobacco Road, God’s Little AcreCandy, John, 43, actor; heart attack (March 4, 1994)
Second City TV; Planes, Trains and AutomobilesCantineflas (Mario Moreno Reyes), 81, popular Mexican comedian; lung cancer (April 20, 1993)
Carson, Johnny, 79, talk show host; emphysema (January 23, 2005). Carson also had heart problems, including a bypass operation in 1999.
The Tonight ShowCarr, Allen, 72, British-based, world-wide quit-smoking guru; lung cancer (November 29, 2006).
Allen Carr’s EasywayCarver, Raymond, 50, author; lung cancer (August 2, 1988)
What We Talk About When We Talk About Love, Fires: Essays, Poems, StoriesCaruso, Enrico, 48, opera singer; absesses from pleurisy of the lungs (August 2, 1921)
Smoked 2 packs of Egyptian cigarettes a day.Cassidy, Jack, 50, actor; died in a fire from smoking in bed (December 12, 1976)
Father of Patrick, Shaun and David CassidyCervone, Ed, 56, artist; lung cancer (2001)
Cipollone, Rose, 58, housewife; lung cancer (1984)
Clooney, Rosemary, 74, singer, actress; lung cancer (June 30, 2002)
MOVIES: White Christmas SONGS: Come on-a My HouseCobb, Ty, 74, baseball player; cancer, diabetes, chronic heart disease (July 17, 1961)
Cole, Nat “King”, 45, singer, first African-American TV show host; died after surgery for lung cancer (February 15, 1965)
The Christmas Song, UnforgettableCooper, Wilhelmina Behmenburg, 40, model; lung cancer
Connors, Chuck, 71; actor; lung cancer (November 10, 1992)
The RiflemanCoward, Noel, 73, playwright, entertainer; heart attack (March 26, 1973
Cooper, Gary, 60, actor; lung cancer (May 13, 1961)
High Noon, Sgt. York Advertised ChesterfieldsCooper, Wilhelmina Behmenburg, 40, modeling agency pioneer; throat cancer (1980)
Crawford, Victor,63, tobacco lobbyist-turned-tobacco-control-advocate; lung cancer (March 2, 1996)
Coined the phrase, “Health Nazis” I used the oldest trick in the book — when there’s no way you can attack the message, attack the messenger. There was no way I could attack anything advocates said about health and addiction and win. It wasn’t even an option. So I’d always say, `Well, the jury’s still out on the health stuff, but that’s not the real issue. The real issue is freedom of choice, freedom of choice, and these health Nazis want to take it away!'”Crosby, Gary, 61, author, son of Bing Crosby; lung cancer (August 24, 1995)
Going My Own Way (1983)Davis, Bette, 81, stroke (1989)
Davis, Jr., Sammy, 64, entertainer; throat cancer (May 16, 1990)
Dederich, Charles E., 83, addiction counselor, heart and lung failure (March 4, 1997)
Founder and head of Synanon, Dederich in 1971 decided not only to stop supplying his community of ex-heroin addicts cigarettes without charge but also to ban smoking on Synanon property. The next year is one of the most tumultuous in Synanon’s history to that point. About 100 people left. At least one member told the New York Times that quitting tobacco was much harder than quitting heroin.Desmond, Paul, 52, musician, composer, bon vivant; lung cancer (May 30, 1977)
Alto saxophone; Take Five with Dave Brubeck quartetDewhurst, Colleen, 67, actress, lung cancer (1991)
Diamond, Selma, 64, actress; lung cancer (May 14, 1985)
Night Court, My Favorite Year, It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad WorldDisney, Walt, 65, animator, producer; lung cancer (acute circulatory collapse following an operation to remove a tumor) (December 15, 1966)
Dorsey, Jimmy, 53, musician, bandleader; lung cancer (June 12, 1957)
So Rare, TangerineDowney, Morton, Jr. , 67, talk show host, actor (“The Mouth”); lung cancer (March 11, 2001)
The Morton Downey Jr. Show.Duisenberg, Wim , 70, heart attack, July 31, 2005
Former European Central Bank chief who helped create the euro currency. Duisenberg “died a natural death, due to drowning, after a cardiac problem.”Eliot, T.S., 76; author, poet; emphysema (January 4, 1965)
The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, The Hallow Men, Murder in the CathedralFaria, Mimi, 56; singer, activist; complications from lung cancer (July 18, 2001)
Reflections in a Crystal Wind, Bread and Roses founder; sister of Joan Baez, wife of Richard FariaEllington, Duke, 75; composer/band leader; lung cancer/pneumonia (May 24, 1974)
Sophisticated Lady, It Don’t Mean a Thing if It Ain’t Got that SwingFenneman, George, 77; announcer, actor; emphysema (May 19, 1997)
Groucho Marx sidekick, You Bet Your LifeFinks, Jim, 65; football team president/manager; lung cancer (1993)
Much-admired New Orleans Saints football team president and general manager. Credited with helping to bring about the return of the Chicago Cubs and New Orleans Saints. From Tobacco News, 6/10/93: There is no smoking anymore on the grounds of the New Orleans Saints’ mini camp. Signs went up on orders of owner Tom Benson, after . . . Jim Finks was diagnosed with lung cancer April 30. “There’s no smoking anywhere on the Saints property,” Coach Jim Mora said. “And I mean anywhere.”Fitzgerald, F. Scott, 44, writer; heart attack (December 21, 1940)
The Great GatsbyFleming, Ian, 56, author; heart attack (August 12, 1964)
James Bond novelsFlood, Curt, 59, baseball player/free agent advocate; throat cancer (January, 1997)
Flynn, Errol, 50, actor; heart attack (October 14, 1959)
Robin Hood, Captain Blood
Sidelight: In his youth, Flynn ran a tobacco plantation in New GuineaFosse, Bob, 60, dancer/choreographer, smoked 4 packs a day; heart attack (1987)
Freud, Sigmund, 83, cancer of the jaw (1939)
Gable, Clark, 59, actor; heart attack (November 16, 1960)
The MisfitsGainsbourg, Serge, 63, poet, pop singer-songwriter, actor and director; heart attack (March 2, 1991)
Je t’aime… moi non plusGargan, William, 73, actor; heart attack (February 17, 1979)
50s TV detective series, Martin Kane
Gargan would hang out at Happy McMann’s Tobacco shop, touting his sponsor’s products. His career ended when he lost his larynx to cancer in 1960. He became the spokesman for the American Cancer Society, speaking out against smoking.Gassman, Vittorio, 77, Actor, author; heart attack (June 29, 2000)
Bitter Rice, Mambo, Scent of a Woman (1974)
“Suffering chronically from emphysema, bronchitis, high blood pressure and depression, the cigar-smoking Gassman abandoned stage acting in February, telling his final audience ruefully: ‘Death does not obsess me–it disgusts me.'”–LA Times, 7/1/00Giamatti, Bart, 51, baseball commissioner; heart attack (1990)
Godfrey, Arthur, 80, radio/TV entertainer; emphysema (diagnosed with lung cancer in 1959, then recovered after surgery) (March 16, 1983)
Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts “Smoke ’em by the carton”; also advised people not to smoke, but if they did, to smoke Chesterfields. For a classic medical claim, see, http://roswell.tobaccodocuments.org/pages/godfrey.htmGoizueta, Roberto, 65, Coca-Cola CEO, lung cancer (October 18, 1997)
Gotti, John, 61, Mafia Don, throat cancer (June 10, 2002)
The once-powerful boss was 100lbs when he died, and hadn’t eaten solid food in a year.Grant, General Ulysses S., 63, throat cancer (July 23, 1885)
18th President of the USGrable, Betty, 56, “pin-up” girl, actress; lung cancer (July 2, 1973)
How to Marry a MillionaireGray, Les, 57, singer, heart attack. (February 21, 2004)
The lead singer of 1970s chart topping band “Mud” had been battling against throat cancer, and had opted for chemotherapy over removal of his voice box.Gzowski, Peter, 67, Radio host (“The Voice of Canada”); COPD/emphysema (January 24,, 2002)
MorningsideGuardino, Harry, 69, actor; lung cancer (July 17, 1995)
Hamilton, Carrie, 38, writer, producer; lung cancer (January, 2002)
Daughter of Carol BurnettHammett, Dashiell, 67, writer; lung cancer (January 10, 1961)
The Maltese Flacon; The Thin ManHansberry, Lorraine, 34, playwright; lung cancer (1965)
A Raisin in the Sun, To Be Young, Gifted, and BlackHarrison, George, 58, musician; lung cancer (November 29, 2001)
The “Quiet Beatle.” He had been battling various forms of the disease for at least three years: In 1998, he underwent radiation therapy for throat cancer, which he attributed to years of smoking.Haynes, Lloyd, 52, TV actor; lung cancer (December 31, 1986)
General Hospital, Mr. Dixon in Room 222Hayward, Susan, 55, actor; lung cancer metastized to her brain (March 14, 1975)
I’ll Cry Tomorrow, I Want to Live!Heckart, Eileen, 82, actress, cancer (December 31, 2001)
Butterflies Are Fee, Bus Stop, Somebody Up There Likes MeHellman, Lillian, 79, author; lung cancer (June 30, 1984)
The Little Foxes, The Children’s HourHenderson, Joe, 64, jazz tenor saxophonist; heart failure following a long bout with emphysema. (June 30, 2001)
Hobbs, Elsbeary, singer; throat and lung cancer (May 31, 1996)
Bass singer with The Drifters
Under the Boardwalk, On Broadway, There Goes My BabyHolliday, Judy, 43, actress; throat cancer (June 7, 1965)
Born YesterdayHumphrey, Hubert, Vice-President under Johnson, 66, bladder cancer (1978)
Huntley, Chet, actor, news commentator; lung cancer (1974)
Huston, John, 81, director; emphysema/pneumonia (1987)
Howard, Mo, 77, actor; lung cancer
The “boss stooge” of The Three StoogesIves, Burl, 85, actor; oral cancer (April 14, 1995)
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof; The Big CountryJames, Dennis, 79; announcer, actor, game show host; lung cancer (June 5, 1997)
Voice of Old Gold Cigarettes when they danced died of lung cancer 30 years after quitting smoking. Had spurned lucrative tobacco contract after SG’s report.Jennings, Peter, 67, newscaster; lung cancer (August 7, 2005)
Anchorman, ABC’s World News TonightJones, Lindley Armstrong (“Spike”), 53; comedic composer/band leader; emphysema (May 1, 1965)
Smoked 5 packs a dayJones, Etta, 72; singer; lung cancer (Oct. 16, 2001)
Karloff, Boris, 81, actor; heart and lung disease (emphysema) (February 2, 1969)
Frankenstein; TargetsKaufman, Andy, 35, lung cancer (1984)(Kaufman only smoked in-character, but played for years in smoky clubs.)
Kieslowski, Krzystof, 54, film director; heart attack (March 13, 1996)
Blue, White, Red
Retired to a house in 1994: “There is a veranda and a chair. I’ll have lots of books, lots of cigarettes, lots of coffee. Don’t you sometimes dream of the same thing?”King Edward VII of England, 69, pneumonia; he suffered for years from a series of heart attacks, chronic bronchitis and emphysema. (May 6, 1910)
As the Prince of Wales he helped make smoking, and particularly cigar smoking, fashionable. He smoked twelve large cigars and twenty cigarettes a day. In 1876, he gave Benson & Hedges its first royal warrant. Edward VII became king on the death of Queen Victoria in 1901, at the age of 59. Legend has it that he said to his friends in Buckingham Palace upon his mother’s death: “Gentlemen, you may smoke.”King Edward VIII of England, 77, throat cancer. May 28, 1972
Later titled as: Duke of Windsor when he abdicated the throne to marry Mrs. Wallis Warfield Simpson.King George V of England, 70; he suffered from bronchitis and numerous lung problems; his death was thought to be from a viral respiratory infection. (January 20, 1936)
King George VI of England, 56; a lung cancer sufferer who had had part of his lung removed, he died of a massive heart attack. (February 6, 1952)
Father of Queen Elizabeth IIKeaton, Buster, 71, deadpan silent film actor; lung cancer (February 1, 1966)
The GeneralKendrick, Eddie, 52; singer; (1992)
The Temptations
Asked kids not to smoke.Knapp, Caroline, 42; writer; lung cancer(2002)
Drinking: A Love Story; Appetites
In “Drinking,” she attends a stop-smoking session, but decides alcohol is her real problem; is puzzled when her dying mother askes her to give up smoking.”Appetites” does not address smoking at all.Knotts, Don 81,actor; lung cancer (February 24, 2006)
“The Andy Griffith Show,” “Three’s Company,” “The Incredible Mr. Limpet” (1964), “The Ghost and Mr. Chicken” (1966)Kovacs, Ernie, 43; TV personality; skull fracture from an automobile accident caused while he was trying to light his trademark cigar (January 11, 1962)
L’Amour, Louis, 80, author; lung cancer. (June 10, 1988)
High Lonesome, Comstock Load, Hondo, SackettLandon, Michael, 54, actor, smoked 4 packs a day; cancer of the pancreas and liver (July 1, 1991)
Bonanza, Little House on the Prairie; I Was a Teenage Werewolf (1957)Lerner, Alan Jay, 67, playwright, lyricist; lung cancer. (June 14, 1986)
My Fair Lady, Brigadoon, An American In Paris, Gigi, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, CamelotLondon, Julie, 74, singer, actress; complications from stroke (October 18, 2000)
Cry Me a River (1956), Emergency (70s TV series), “The Marlboro Song” (early 60s)Marchand, Nancy, 71, actress; lung cancer (June 18, 2000)
The Sopranos, Lou GrantMaris, Roger, 51, baseball player; lung cancer [disputed; some say he died of lymphoma].
The home-run record holder appeared in Camel ads in the 60sMartin, Dean, 78, singer; acute respiratory failure. (December 25, 1995)
Ocean’s ElevenMarvin, Lee, 67, actor; heart attack. (August 29, 1987)
Cat BallouMarx, Groucho, 86, actor/entertainer; lung cancer. (Aug. 19, 1977) (Disputed: cause of death may have been pneumonia. Groucho had been ailing since he had a heart attack and several strokes in 1971)
A Day at the Races; You Bet Your LifeMatthau, Walter, 79, actor; heart attack. (June 30, 2000)
The Fortune Cookie, The Odd Couple, Grumpy Old Men
While making “The Fortune Cookie” in 1966, he suffered a serious heart attack. His doctor attributed it to smoking three packs a day and constant worry about gambling and told him to give up both. Matthau stopped smoking. In 1976, he underwent heart bypass surgery.Maxwell, Marilyn, 49, actress/performer; “heart attack brought on by high blood pressure and a pulmonary ailment”–IMDB (March 20, 1972)
McLaren, Wayne, 51; model; lung cancer (Summer, 1992)
“Marlboro Cowboy”. At a Philip Morris shareholders meeting, he asked the company to limit their advertising.McLean, David, 73; Former TV “Marlboro Man,” actor/model; lung cancer (Oct. 12, 1995)
McLure, Doug, 56; TV actor; lung cancer (February 5, 1995)
The VirginianMcQueen, Steve, actor; lung cancer McQueen Viceroy commercial
Meadows, Audrey, 71, actress; lung cancer (Feb. 3, 1996)
The HoneymoonersMercouri, Melina, 68, actress; lung cancer (March 6, 1994)
Never on SundayMerrill, Gary, 74, actor; lung cancer (March 5, 1990)
All About Eve, Dr. Gillespie on Young Dr. Kildaire Husband of Bette DavisMillar, David, model; complications from emphysema.
According to his sister, Millar was the first Marlboro Man.Mitchum, Robert, 79, actor; emphysema, lung cancer (July 1, 1997)
The Night of the Hunter, Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison, Cape Fear, The Big Sleep, That Championship SeasonMoore, Gary, 78, game show host; emphsema, November 28, 1993
I’ve Got a Secret, To Tell the TruthMoorehead, Agnes, 73, actress; lung cancer (April 30, 1974)
TV: Bewitched Movies: Citizen Kane, The Magnificent Ambersons, Show Boat (1955)Morton, Gary, 74, actor, stand-up comic, producer; lung cancer (March 30, 1999)
“The Lucy Show” (1962-8); “Here’s Lucy” (1968-74); “Life with Lucy” (1986)Muller, Heiner, 66, playwright; throat cancer (Dec. 30, 1995)
Revered German playwright, poet, director, translatorMurrow, Edward R., 57, newscaster; lung cancer. ( April 27, 1965)
Host of The Camel News CaravanNixon, Pat, 81, First Lady of the US, 1969-74; multiple conditions. ( June 22, 1993)
The wife of Richard M. Nixon suffered strokes in 1976 and 1982. Had mouth cancer, emphysema and lung cancer.Nye, Carrie, 69, stage actress; lung cancer (July 14, 2006)
Wife of Dick Cavett, who said, “she tried to quit a couple of times [but smoking] became part of her early persona; perhaps based on Tallulah Bankhead or Marlene Dietrich.”Oliver, Susan, 53, actress, author; lung cancer (May 10, 1990)
Vina the slave girl in the first episode of Star TrekOrbison, Roy, 52, singer, heart attack (December 6, 1988)
Crying, Only the Lonely, Pretty WomanOnassis, Jacquie, 64, First Lady 1961-63; non-hodgkins lymphoma (May 19, 1994)
Reputedly a 3-pack-a-day chain-smoker (variously reported as Salem, Newport, L&M, Pall Mall, Marlboro and Merit), who concealed the habit from the public, and quit when she received the cancer diagnosis. http://smokingsides.com/asfs/K/Kennedy.htmlO’Neal, Patrick, 66, actor; lung cancer (August, 1994)
The Kremlin LetterOwens, Jesse, 66, track star; lung cancer
1936 Gold Medal winner at the Berlin Olympics; first cigarette pitchman to target blacks (Lucky Strike)Palladin, Jean-Louis, 555, chef; lung cancer (November 25, 2001)
Palmer, Robert, 54, British rock star; heart attack (September 26, 2003)
Addicted to Love (1986)Parks, Bert, 77, actor/singer; lung cancer (February 2, 1992)
Patchett, Jean, 75, fashion model; emphysema (January 22, 2002)
Patterson, Jennifer, 71, TV cook; lung cancer (August 10, 1999)
Two Fat Ladies (UK)Peppard, George, actor; “complications arising from the treatment of cancer”; Peppard had smoked 2 packs a day until 1993, when he had a cancerous tumor removed from his lung (May 8, 1995)
Breakfast at Tiffany’s, A-TeamPowell, Dick, 59, actor; lung cancer (1963)
Price, Vincent, 82, actor; lung cancer (October 26, 1993)
The Tingler, The Fall of the House of UsherPuccini, Giacomo, 65, opera composer; throat cancer (1924)
La Boheme, Tosca, Madame ButterflyPrincess Margaret, Countess of Snowden, 71, UK Royal Family; stroke/heart attack (February 9, 2002)
During her life, she suffered migraines, laryngitis, bronchitis, hepatitis and pneumonia. In 1985, tissue taken from her left lung proved to be benign. This did not stop her smoking; nor did the fact that four monarchs – Edward VII, George V, Edward VIII and the Princess’s own father, George VI – died of smoking-related illnesses. Within months of the biopsy operation she was smoking 30 cigarettes a day. She had apparently given up smoking when she suffered her first, mild stroke in 1998.Ramsey, Anne, 59, actress; throat cancer (August 11, 1988)
Throw Mama from the TrainRand, Ayn, 78, author/philosopher; heart failure/lung cancer (March 6, 1982)
The Fountainhead, Atlas ShruggedRawls, Lou, 72, singer; lung cancer (January 6, 2006)
Ray, Aldo, 64, actor; complications from throat cancer, pneumonia (March 27, 1991)
Reasoner, Harry, newscaster; lung cancer, pneumonia (August 6, 1991)
60 MinutesReese, Pee-Wee, 81, baseball player; lung cancer (August 14, 1999).
Brooklyn Dodgers shortstopReeve, Dana, 44, actress, singer, author, motivational speaker, advocate; lung cancer (March 6, 2006).
Many news reports noted that the nonsmoking widow and caregiver of actor Christopher Reeve had spent a lot of time performing in smoky nightclubs.Remick, Lee, 55, actress; lung and liver cancer (July 2, 1991)
A Face in the Crowd, The Long Hot Summer, Anatomy of a MurderReinach, Jacquelyn, 70, writer; lung cancer (September 30, 2000)
Sweet Pickles (Children’s book classic); Know the Facts: Keep Your Power A young person’s anti-smoking program which won an Emmy in 1993Reynolds, R.J. Sr., 67, founder of RJ Reynolds Tobacco Co., pancreatic cancer (1916)
Reynolds, R.J. Jr., 58, emphysema
Reynolds, R.J. III, 60, emphysema, (1994)
Richards, Ann, 73, Texas Governor, esophageal cancer (September 14, 2006)
Ripken, Cal Sr., 83, baseball coach, lung cancer(1994)
Rogers, Stan, 33, Canadian folksinger, airliner fire caused by smoking(1983)
“Northwest Passage,” “The Mary Ellen Carter.” This incident was instrumental in the later ban on airplane smoking. See http://www.rambles.net/one_warm89.htmlRuff, Patsy, 56, one of the world’s first successful double-lung transplants, kidney failure (October 21, 2000)
After her 1987 transplant, Ruff worked for the American Lung Association, warning about smoking. . . the anti-rejection drugs Ruff took led eventually to kidney failure.Rugova, Ibrahim, 61, writer, first President of Kosovo (2002-2006); lung cancer (January 21, 2006)
Chain-smoking fighter for ethnic Albanians, and equal rights for Kosovo province with Serbia; opposed Yugoslavian President Miloscevic.Ruth, Babe, 53, baseball player. Naso-pharyngeal cancer. (August 16, 1948)
Sartre, Jean-Paul, 74, philosopher (existentialism), author; After 2 heart attacks (1971, 1973), his health was never the same; his sight failed almost totally and his production diminished; In March of 1980, he was hospitalized for edema of the lungs, and died a few weeks later. (April 13, 1980)
1964 Nobel Prize in Literature No Exit, Nauseau, St. GenetSayre, Nora, 68, author; emphysema (August 8, 2001)
“Sixties Going on Seventies” (1973), “Running Time: Films of the Cold War” (1982), “Previous Convictions: A Journey Through the 1950s” (1995), and “On the Wing: A Young American Abroad” (2001) “Known for her chain-smoking and irascible personality”Schiavelli, Vincent, 57, actor (December 26, 2005)
Popular droopy-eyed character actor. “One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” “Ghost”Schippers, Thomas, 47, conductor, musical director; lung cancer (December 16, 1977)
Co-founderof the Spoleto arts FestivalScott, George C., 71, actor; ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (September 22, 1999)
Scott suffered several heart attacks over the years. He claimed he got his gravelly voice from “smoking too many cigarettes.”
Patton, Dr. Strangelove, The Hustler, Anatomy of a Murder, The HospitalScotti, Vito, 78, actor; lung cancer (June 5, 1996)
The Aristocats, The Godfather, Get ShortySerling, Rod, 51, writer/director; smoked 4 packs a day; heart disease. (June 28, 1975)
The Twilight Zone (1959-64)Seyrig, Delphine, 58, actress; lung disease (October 15, 1990)
Shaw, Robert, 51, actor; heart attack (August 28, 1978)
Jaws, From Russia With Love, The StingShirley, Anne, 75, actress; lung cancer (July 4, 1993)
Anne of the Green Gables, Stella DallasSinatra, Frank, 82, singer, heart attack (May 14, 1998)
Sinatra was also suffering from bladder cancer, early Alzheimer’s and the effects of a stroke.Shamseddine, Ayatollah Mohammed Mehdi, 64, spiritual leader of Lebanon’s Shiite Muslims and a staunch advocate of Christian-Muslim coexistence; lung cancer (January 10, 2001)
Shostakovich, Dmitri, 69, composer; lung cancer (August 9, 1975)
Smith, “Sonic” Fred, 45, rock musician; heart failure (November 4, 1994)
Guitarist with MC5Soo, Jack, 63, actor; cancer of the esophagus (January 11, 1979)
Barney MillerStander, Lionel, 86, actor; lung cancer (November 30, 1994)
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, Max in Hart to HartStanwyck, Barbara, 82, actress; congestive heart failure (January 20, 1990)
Stella Dallas, Double IndemnityStevens, Woody, 84, horse trainer (August 22, 1998)
Trained winners in all three Triple Crown races, including five straight Belmont winners during the 1980s.Sullivan, Ed, 72, entertainer; lung cancer (1974)
Taglioni, Fabio, 80, Ducati motorcycle engineer and designer; throat cancer (July 18, 2001)
Talman, William, actor; lung cancer (August 30, 1968)
D.A. Hamilton Burger, Perry Mason TV Series
When He came down with lung cancer, He was the first actor to do a TV commercial on the danger of smoking. (Internet Movie Database) He died before the commercial aired.Tarbox, Barb, 42; former Canadian model became a tobacco control activist, lung cancer (May 18, 2003968)
- You are all so much above this. You’re intelligent. You’re energetic. You have the world before you in the palms of your hands. Any dream you have is possible. But if you walk the path I walked, this is the path you will walk. And I don’t want any of you ever to walk this walk.
Taylor, Robert, 57, actor; lung cancer (June 8, 1969)
Quo Vadis, Magnificent Obsession, Broadway Melody of 1938, Saddle the WindThaw, John, 60, actor; throat cancer (February 21 2002)
The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner, The Sweeney, Inspector MorseThomas, Ross, 69, author; lung cancer (December 19, 1995)
Espionage author; wrote the screenplay for Bad Lieutenant, his Briarpatch won the Edgar Award for Best Mystery Novel (1985)Thornbury, Will, 57, model; Lung Cancer (1992)
Modeled for Camel TV adsTierney, Gene, 70, actress; emphysema (November 6, 1991)
Laura, Leave Her to Heaven
The squeakiness of her voice in her first film, “The Return of Frank James,” impelled her to take up smoking cigarettes.Tone, Franchot, 63, actor; lung cancer (September 18, 1968)
Mutiny on the Bounty, Lives of a Bengal LancerTracy, Spencer, 66, actor; lung congestion; heart attack (June 10, 1967)
Captains Courageous (1937), Boys’ Town (1938), San Francisco (1936), Father of the Bride (1950), Bad Day at Black Rock (1955), Old Man and the Sea (1958), Inherit the Wind (1960), Judgment at Nuremberg (1961), Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967)Tubb, Ernest, 70, singer; emphysema (September 6,1984)
“The Texas Troubador”– Waltz Across Texas, I’m Walking the Floor over YouTucker, Forrest, 67, actor; lung cancer and emphysema (October 25, 1986)
Sands of Iwo Jima, The Yearling, GunsmokeTucker, Sophie, 78, entertainer; lung cancer (February 9, 1966)
Turner, Lana, actress; throat cancer (June, 1995) TV: Falcon Crest. Movies: Imitation of Life (1959), Madame X (1966), Peyton Place (1957), The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)
Vander Pyl, Jean, actor; lung cancer (April 13, 1999)
Voice of Wilma Flintstone, The Flintstones http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_O5pA1k0JBI Video of Fred & Wilma’s Winston ad“Everybody on the Flintstones smoked and all of them ended up dying of smoking-related diseases. . . That little cute laugh that Betty and Wilma did with their mouths closed? They came up with that because when they normally laughed, because they were smokers, they coughed.”— Michael O’Meara, son of Jean Vander Pyl. See Benaderet, BeaVaughan, Sarah, singer; lung cancer (1990)
Broken-hearted MelodyVarney, Jim, 50, actor; lung cancer (February 10, 2000)
“Ernest P. Worrell”
Though hopelessly hooked on cigarettes, he wouldn’t allow himself to be photographed smoking, for the sake of all the kids who loved Ernest. And, though he entertained them by clowning, sprawling, grinning and cutting up, the talented Mr. Varney had one last message for those kids: Don’t smoke. –Lexington Herald-Leader 2/11/00Walker, Nancy, 69, actress; lung cancer (March 25, 1992)
Wayne, John, 72, actor; After exposure to nuclear radiation, cancer took a lung in 1963; had many battles with heart disease and other cancers. (June 11, 1979)
Stagecoach; Red River; Fort Apache; Rio Grande; She Wore a Yellow Ribbon; The Searchers and this Camel commercial: http://www.tvparty.com/g2c/waynecamel.ramWells, Mary, 49, singer; larynx cancer (1992)
My GuyWheeler, Bert, 72, comedian; emphysema (January 18, 1968)
Wilcoxon, Henry, 79, actor; cancer and COPD (March, 1984)
Cleopatra (1934), Crusades, Greatest Show on Earth, The Ten Commandments, That Hamilton Woman, Mrs. Miniver, Man in the Wilderness, Last of the Mohicans (1935), Unconquered, Caddy ShackWild, Jack, 53, actor; oral cancer (March 1, 2006)
The Artful Dodger in Oliver! (1968); HR Pufnstuf.(TV)Wilson, Bill, 76, founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, emphysema (1971)
Wilson, Carl, 51, musician (Beach Boys); complications from lung cancer (February 6, 1998)
Williams, Tex, country-western singer; lung cancer (October 13, 1985)
Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette) (1947)Wolfman Jack, 57, radio personality, actor; heart attack (July 1, 1995)
American GraffittiWoodbury, Joan, 74, actress; COPD, lung cancer (February, 1989)
Anthony Adverse, Algiers, Hit the Deck, Latins From Manhattan, The Ten Commandments, Bride of Frankenstein. Other westerns with William Boyd (Hoppalong Cassidy), Tex Ritter, Roy Rogers, Gene Autry. Made over 70 “B” films: Boston Blackie, Charlie Chan, etc. She was the original Brenda Starr.Yennimatas, George, Greek National Economy Minister, 55; complications from lung cancer (April 25, 1994)
Yennimatas was one of Greece’s most beloved politicians. When he presented the 1994 budget to reporters in November, he announced a new tax on tobacco, saying the revenues would be earmarked for an anti-smoking campaign.York, Dick, 63, actor; emphysema (1992)
Young, Faron, 64, country-western singer; self-inflicted gunshot wound. (Dec. 10, 1996). Young “had been depressed recently about emphysema and other health problems”–NY Times, 12/11/96.
Goin’ Steady; Sweet Dreams; Live Fast, Love Hard, Die YoungYoung, Coleman A., 79, Detroit, Michigan’s longest-serving mayor. Emphysema. (November 29, 1997)
Zevon, Warren., 56, singer/songwriter. Mesothelioma (an asbestos-related lung cancer; smoking greatly increases the risk) (September 7, 2003)
Werewolves of London.
By the looks of this list it would appear that smoking cigarettes is not as cool as you thought is it? As we had into the new year, maybe this might be a time to think about stopping smoking?
29 comments
Comments feed for this article
March 26, 2008 at 6:47 pm
10 Unusual Ways To Quit Smoking And Not To Start Again | Healthy Health List (heheli.com)
[…] smoke and ask/learn why they don’t smoke? Put them as examples. Or make inversely find out 227 famous people who died because they smoked. Also did you know about Anti Smoking Campaign by American Top Models? – they point to smoking side […]
October 10, 2008 at 2:07 pm
Cigarrete Smoking Is Addicting | Splendid Nurse -- I Blog 'Cause I Care
[…] found a list of 277 famous people who died because they smoked. This is to prove that even wealthy people can die because of smoking. Even they have money for […]
November 13, 2008 at 8:03 pm
Allen
The election results got me so stressed out, I almost starting smoking again. Read this list and decided against it. Smokers are forever trying to rationalize their habit. If this list had a few more people that made it to their 70’s and 80’s I probably would’ve gone for it.
April 22, 2009 at 4:15 am
Jole
All but a few these famous people live to be 65-80 years old…is not 71 the national average for death in the United States? I’ll be the devil but I think thier is no relation between these people’s death and thier smoking habit. If there was a list of famous people who simply died of a heart deisiese, heart attack or cancer who didn’t smoke it would be thousands of names long and 85% of them would of been between the age of 65 and 85 years old. Conclusion: The data is being presented in a facist manner. With that said I do not beleive smoking is a good habit. I see it as gross and unattractive. What do you all think?
May 28, 2009 at 2:25 am
FrazierHughes.com
Don’t smoke. It kills the body.
FrazierHughes.com TV & Radio
Hughes News on Youtube
August 22, 2009 at 10:05 pm
Michael
Sure, smoking is detrimental to health. It’s a fact. HOWEVER, not everyone on this list died BECAUSE they smoked. Namely John Candy, who was obese, Frank Sinatra, who had several health problems, as well as others. I’m not saying smoking didn’t contribute to their health declines, I’m saying smoking did not kill them, and there is no evidence to say that the cigarette was the deadly weapon.
October 8, 2009 at 11:58 pm
Melinda
Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis did not die because she smoked. She died from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, which is NOT caused by smoking. Study after study has revealed that neither genetics nor smoking seem to contribute to NHL
Reports are that she quit smoking when she was diagnosed. So did my 19-year-old daughter. Most freshly-diagnosed cancer patients do. But please… if you’re trying to get a truth message across to people, then actually tell the truth. Smoking cigarettes did NOT cause Jackie O to contract non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and consequently die.
November 19, 2009 at 6:46 am
Angie
That’s a really long list. ;P
November 25, 2009 at 5:02 am
Virtusmoke
Awesome post! This is really true! This should have warned those who keeps on smoking regular cigarettes. Good thing I have VirtuSmoke to start my step in quitting smoking. I’m bless.
December 12, 2009 at 12:32 am
Jonathan Hernandez
thanks for being such a valuable resource
January 7, 2010 at 7:34 pm
Famous People Who Died Early From Lung Cancer & Smoking-Related Illness | Green Smoke Electric Cigarette Blog
[…] 227 famous people who died because they smoked… […]
January 13, 2010 at 5:47 pm
LungBlog : A Breath Away From The Cure » Blog Archive » 227 famous people who died because they smoked…
[…] this well help drive the point home!. Look at this list of people who died from smoking related illnesses, Look how old they all were as […]
January 24, 2010 at 8:45 am
Famous People Who Died Early From Lung Cancer & Smoking-Related Illness | Tips On Quitting Smoking
[…] 227 famous people who died because they smoked… […]
February 24, 2010 at 3:52 pm
AKio
why did you do that
March 7, 2010 at 10:57 am
miss ann
This list is bogus propaganda. 90% of the people listed here died in old age. What, are you saying if they did not smoke instead of dying at 75 they would have made it to 100? Give me a break. People that never smoke and exercise daily are lucky to make it past 60 without getting some disease or dying of a heart condition. The list would have more merit if these people died in their prime. You don’t die at 80 because you smoked cigarettes; You die at 80 because your old.So what if they had lung cancer or a heart attackr-they were going to die anyway.
March 30, 2011 at 2:24 pm
Larry
agreeed
most of the causes arent directly related to smoking
March 15, 2010 at 7:30 am
Abhijit
Cigrate spoils our society.It pollute our circumtances. It sucks our blood, heart, and soul. Millions of persons suffering from lung cancer, asthama, bronchoitis due to smoking. Lakhs of people die to smoking. So we must uproot this evil from this global village.
Thanks
Abhijit
April 20, 2010 at 5:51 pm
Elizabeth
I’m 14 and almost all my friends smoke =( Smoking is so gross!!
August 1, 2010 at 1:38 am
John
That sure is a lot of people dead because of smokes. That is why I took up e-cigs smoke free !
September 9, 2010 at 8:05 am
Wes
Know that if you smoke, you don’t choose to smoke. The addiction chooses for you. You’re not in control of where you go and who you spend your time with. The cigarettes are in control of your thoughts, feelings, and actions. You wrap your life around when and where you can smoke.
Wherever you are, whether it’s at school, at work, at a movie theater or restaurant, you’ll go outside so you can smoke. You’ll put up with great discomfort so you can smoke. You’ll go smoke in the rain, in the freezing cold, in the middle of the night – instead of staying inside where it’s warm, dry, and safe.
You know smoking is bad for you, but instead of dealing with it, you will make excuses and rationalize it. You will tell people that you don’t want to smoke, you have to. Or you’ll say the opposite, that you don’t need to smoke, you just want to. That it’s only for a little while. That you’ll try to quit soon. That it doesn’t really bother you.
They are nothing but lies. And you know it. But you’ll say them anyway, you will intentionally lie – to friends, to family, to yourself. Because your only other option is to quit smoking. There’s no middle ground.
But think about it. If smoking was actually good for you, doctors would tell you to improve your health by smoking. Senior Citizens would smoke all the time. And all those years of smoking would improve their health. But you rarely see a Senior smoking. You’re more likely to see Seniors hooked up to oxygen bottles because they smoked.
If you want a chronic nagging cough and extra colds with more severe symptoms that take longer to go away; if you want to face the possibility of having your voice box removed; if you want to be hooked up to an oxygen bottle that you must take with you everywhere you go; if you want to be diagnosed with cancer, knowing that it could have been prevented if only you hadn’t smoked or had quit smoking; and then finally die an early and painful death, go ahead and smoke.
But know that smoking is one of the STUPIDEST things you can do!
October 5, 2010 at 12:20 am
jalonie
why people smoke
October 21, 2010 at 7:16 pm
Jack Thatcher
My dad a heavy smoker died from lung cancer which had spread to his brain he was 57. My brother died from lung cancer he was a heavy smoker 60 years old. My wife a 2 pack a day Marlboro smoker just died from lung cancer which spread to her brain she was 58 and otherwise in perfect health every member of her family lived to be over 90 before they passed away non of them were smokers. A fact 440,000 people died from cancer and other nicotine related diseases caused from smoking in US last year 5.5million worldwide Millions of these people were under 55. A coincidence you say ?
October 21, 2010 at 7:19 pm
Jack Thatcher
My dad a heavy smoker died from lung cancer which had spread to his brain he was 57. My brother died from lung cancer he was a heavy smoker 60 years old. My wife a 2 pack a day Marlboro smoker just died from lung cancer which spread to her brain she was 58 and otherwise in perfect health every member of her family lived to be over 90 before they passed away non of them were smokers. A fact 440,000 people died from cancer and other nicotine related diseases caused from smoking in US last year 5.5million worldwide Millions of these people were under 55 hardly old age.
October 21, 2010 at 7:28 pm
jack Thatcher`
My dad a heavy smoker died from lung cancer which had spread to his brain he was 57. My brother died from lung cancer he was a heavy smoker 60 years old. My wife a 2 pack a day Marlboro smoker just died from lung cancer which spread to her brain she was 58 and otherwise in perfect health every member of her family lived to be over 90 before they passed away non of them were smokers. A fact 440,000 people died from smoking related diseases US last year 5.5million worldwide Millions of these people were under 55 hardly old age.
October 30, 2010 at 8:09 am
bsmith
I’m going to tell you something; I agree not everyone on the list died from smoking. I will also say that here in America we should always have the right to choose what we want to do with or to our bodies. That being said, my mother just passed away from lung cancer. Yes, she was 80yrs. old and many of you younger people may see that as no big deal. However, we all definitely believe that had she not smoked, she would or possibly could have lived another 10 yrs. She was sharp as a whip, had alot to live for in terms of family and interests and the love of friends. She was perfectly fine healthwise until diagnosed a year and a half before her passing. My point is when you get to be 80, if you are lucky enough, most would love to have those extra 10 years. The smoking and lung cancer could have been prevented. Education is paramount in persuading people to quit. And by the way, when she got her diagnosis she quit cold turkey and said she didn’t have any withdrawal whatsoever. After 60+ yrs. of smoking 2 packs a day. Go Figure.
January 12, 2011 at 11:32 am
Mike
Have you guys/gals ever heard of the scientific method? I know education is on the decline in the States, but really now. There is not a single person on your “list” who’s death has 100% been proven to have been caused by smoking. Science has not yet proven one single case of cancer CAUSED by smoking whether first or second hand. John Candy did mountains of Cocaine through out his career. Did that not have an effect? You also list Sartre’s vision problems, claiming “his sight failed almost totally” even though his visual problems were caused by the disease Strabismus, which he was diagnosed with at a young age.
January 30, 2011 at 2:05 am
dont smoke
dude smoking is bad so dont do it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
February 8, 2011 at 4:08 pm
Adrian
Omg I love jonh wayne his my man i didnt know he died of lung cancer and heart diese thats so sad i love his movie and his acting if i was older or he was younger i would so toldly try to date him john wayen for ever i dont smoke and i dont ever want to my family smoke and i get alot of 2nd hand smoke i dont want to i dont know what to do 3 people smoke in my house and around me and thats not even my friends i get so much 2nd hand smoke that some times i coufe up a little blood i dont know if thats the reason why but im going to find out.
February 13, 2011 at 9:18 pm
Lacey Powers
Herb Caen did NOT smoke!!! He made quite a point of that when he wrote the column telling people he had lung cancer.