Dead Famous: When Our Death Is Our Greatest Claim to Fame

by Larry Buttrose

You don’t have to be famous to have a famous death. Dead Famous is a fascinating examination of some of the most famous deaths in history, exploring why and how they were so. It includes such names as Lord Byron, Kurt Cobain, Princess Di as well as many who were famous only for the way they died. Dead Famous is packed full of bizarre and intriguing information, all arranged in chronological order by century and includes pic section.

Genres: Nonfiction

304 pages, Paperback

First published October 30, 2007

Reviews

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since my Dad knows that I'm a little bit morbid, he passed on his own copy of this book to me. I'm not always a successful non-fiction reader, but I was fascinated with these brief synopses of some of the most impacting lives and deaths in history. Though I think the cover is a bit misleading (some of the pictures of those highlighted I believe were included for mere shock value), the book itself was an easy, interesting read.

[Phil Clymer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Moderate on the morbid scale perhaps, but it is balanced by the use of short biographies. Events surrounding the deaths are explained. In some cases the author dispels urban legends, such as the death of Mama Cass was not from choking on a ham sandwich but from heart attack. Dead Famous is well written and entertaining.