Famous People Whose Lives Were Consumed by Alcohol

Alcoholic beverages have been consumed for a variety of reasons throughout history and are deeply ingrained in celebrations and events. It has also been around for quite some time. According to the Penn Museum, the earliest alcoholic beverage in the world was a mixed fermented drink of rice, honey, and hawthorn fruit and/or grape that was present in 7000–6600 BCE. can make good times better and help endure bad times. But regular excessive drinking takes a serious toll, as evidenced by the thousands of alcohol-related deaths annually.

Unlike illicit drugs, alcohol has historically been viewed as a harmless beverage. According to many reports, it may be more harmful. In 2022 alone there were 172.7 million adults ages 18 and older that consumed alcoholic drinks, per the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, and years of heavy drinking can take its toll on anyone. Numerous celebrities' lives were consumed by heavy alcohol use, from jazz legend Bix Beiderbecke to "Great Gatsby" author F. Scott Fitzgerald.

24/7 Tempo consulted numerous lists published by addiction- or alcoholism-related sites, then verified death dates and diagnoses from obituaries appearing in the New York Times and elsewhere to compile a list of famous people whose lives were consumed by alcohol. Only figures whose deaths are considered to have been directly caused by, or due to conditions severely exacerbated by excessive alcohol use were included.

We did not include heavy drinkers or alcoholics for whom alcohol was only one of several contributing factors, nor the many noted personalities, especially (though not exclusively) in the music industry, who died from combinations of alcohol with other drugs, whether recreational or prescribed. Nearly all met their demise from long-term alcohol damage.

While alcohol can also lead to poor decision-making and lack of motor coordination, only one person on this list died from an alcohol-related accident – 1950s screen idol William Holden was killed while intoxicated when he slipped and smashed his head into the sharp edge of a bedside table, dying from blood loss caused by the wound. (Read about these 37 violent celebrity deaths.)

Daniel Webster

Known as: Famed 19th-century lawyer, Congressman, and Secretary of State
Died on: Oct. 24, 1852
Age at death: 70
Cause of death: Alcohol-induced cirrhosis and subdural hematoma

Franklin Pierce

Known as: 14th President of the United States
Died on: Oct. 8, 1869
Age at death: 64
Cause of death: Alcohol-induced cirrhosis

Modest Mussorgsky

Known as: Esteemed Russian romantic-era composer ("Night on Bald Mountain")
Died on: March 28, 1881
Age at death: 42
Cause of death: Delirium tremens caused by alcohol withdrawal

O. Henry (William Sydney Porter)

Known as: Famed short story writer ("The Gift of the Magi")
Died on: June 5, 1910
Age at death: 47
Cause of death: Alcohol-induced cirrhosis

Bix Beiderbecke

Known as: Influential 1920s jazz cornetist and composer
Died on: Aug. 6, 1931
Age at death: 28
Cause of death: Lobar pneumonia exacerbated by longtime alcoholism

F. Scott Fitzgerald

Known as: One of the greatest novelists of the 20th century ("The Great Gatsby," etc.)
Died on: Dec. 21, 1940
Age at death: 44
Cause of death: Alcohol-induced coronary arteriosclerosis

W.C. Fields

Known as: Legendary '30s and '40s actor and comedian
Died on: Dec. 25, 1946
Age at death: 66
Cause of death: Alcohol-induced gastric hemorrhage

Sinclair Lewis

Known as: Nobel Prize-winning author and playwright ("Babbitt")
Died on: Jan. 10, 1951
Age at death: 65
Cause of death: Alcohol-induced heart attack

Dylan Thomas

Known as: Acclaimed Welsh poet and writer ("Under Milk Wood")
Died on: Nov. 9, 1953
Age at death: 39
Cause of death: Severe lung infection and bronchopneumonia exacerbated by alcohol abuse

Joseph McCarthy

Known as: U.S. Senator from Wisconsin; an anti-communist demagogue
Died on: May 2, 1957
Age at death: 48
Cause of death: Alcohol-induced hepatitis

Lester Young

Known as: Highly regarded and influential jazz tenor saxophonist
Died on: March 15, 1959
Age at death: 49
Cause of death: Alcohol-induced internal bleeding

Billie Holiday

Known as: The greatest, most influential jazz singer of the 20th century
Died on: July 17, 1959
Age at death: 44
Cause of death: Pulmonary edema and heart failure, exacerbated by alcohol-induced cirrhosis of the liver

Brendan Behan

Known as: Author, poet, playwright, and political activist; considered one of the great Irish writers of all time
Died on: March 20, 1964
Age at death: 41
Cause of death: Alcohol-induced complications of diabetes

Jack Kerouac

Known as: Quintessential Beat Generation novelist and poet ("On the Road")
Died on: Oct. 21, 1969
Age at death: 47
Cause of death: Cirrhosis-induced esophageal hemorrhage linked to lifelong alcohol abuse

Clyde McPhatter

Known as: Influential R&B and rock'n'roll singer; founder of The Drifters
Died on: June 13, 1972
Age at death: 39
Cause of death: Liver, heart, and kidney disease linked to alcohol abuse

Veronica Lake

Known as: Glamorous actress in 1940s comedies and film noirs
Died on: July 7, 1973
Age at death: 50
Cause of death: Alcohol-induced cirrhosis and hepatitis

John Bonham

Known as: Influential Led Zeppelin co-founder and drummer
Died on: Sept. 25, 1980
Age at death: 32
Cause of death: Alcohol-induced pulmonary aspiration

William Holden

Known as: Academy Award-winning Hollywood leading man; named one of classical Hollywood's 25 greatest male stars
Died on: Nov. 12, 1981
Age at death: 63
Cause of death: Blood loss from laceration suffered from a fall while inebriated

Richard Burton

Known as: Famed Shakespearean actor turned box-office star; two-time husband to Elizabeth Taylor
Died on: Aug. 5, 1984
Age at death: 58
Cause of death: Alcohol-induced intracerebral hemorrhage

Alexander Godunov

Known as: Russian ballet star and actor
Died on: May 18, 1995
Age at death: 45
Cause of death: Alcohol-induced hepatitis

Townes Van Zandt

Known as: Influential Texas singer-songwriter
Died on: Jan. 1, 1997
Age at death: 52
Cause of death: Alcohol-induced cardiac arrhythmia

George Best

Known as: British soccer star; considered one of the best players of all time
Died on: Nov. 25, 2005
Age at death: 59
Cause of death: Alcohol-induced lung infection and multiple organ failure