8. River Phoenix
Here's one that just came bang right out of nowhere; River Phoenix's narcotic use wasn't in any way public knowledge, but it all came to a head on Halloween of 1993, when Phoenix ended up overdosing on the sidewalk outside of Johnny Depp's club The Viper Room, from a combination of cocaine and heroin. Phoenix died at the age of 23, having already amassed plenty of esteem in Hollywood as the next big thing thanks to his acclaimed work on Stand By Me, Running On Empty and My Own Private Idaho, yet seemingly out of nowhere, he self-destructed and the world was deprived of a sublime acting talent. It's suggested by some that Phoenix's unhappy childhood, as a result of a combination of being raised in a cult and having an unstable family life, may have contributed to his diving into drug use.