20 Famous People Allegedly Killed By the Illuminati

20 Famous People Allegedly Killed By the Illuminati

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’ll be looking at the most prominent celebrity deaths that became the subject of conspiracy theories, particularly those linked to the infamous secret society, the Illuminati.

Prince

In April 2016, the music world was stunned when it was reported that the artist known as Prince had passed away. Although his death was officially ruled an accidental overdose, its suddenness fueled a wave of speculation as people searched for answers. One of those supposed answers involved a theory that Prince had been killed by the Illuminati for speaking out about chemtrails in a 2009 interview. For context, chemtrails refer to a conspiracy theory suggesting that the white vapor trails left by aircrafts in the sky, which consist mostly of water, are actually dangerous chemicals being sprayed with malicious intent. Some believe that by promoting this idea, Prince angered the Illuminati and ultimately paid the price with his life.

Grace Kelly

In just a few years, Grace Kelly ascended to Hollywood’s top tier, winning the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1955. The following year, at the height of her career, Kelly married Prince Rainier[a] III of Monaco and retired from acting to assume royal duties. This surprising decision led to theories that the marriage was arranged by the Illuminati for specific reasons. According to this theory, once Kelly had given birth to three children, her “purpose” was deemed complete. Hence, she was deliberately killed in a car accident in September 1982. In reality, however, Kelly suffered a stroke while driving, causing her to lose control of the car. After another stroke at the hospital, she was ultimately taken off life support.

Frank Zappa

Three years after he was diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer, legendary musician Frank Zappa passed away in December 1993. His death, however, sparked conspiracy theories. Known for his politically charged music that often criticized the “powers that be,” some believe that Zappa ultimately became a target. They point to an incident in December 1971 when Zappa was pushed off stage by a fan and suffered serious injuries, as the Illuminati’s first attempt on his life. When this failed, the secret society then supposedly injected Zappa with prostate cancer, which went undetected until 1990. While a ridiculous theory on its own, Zappa’s eclectic personality and sometimes unconventional ideas earned him just as many detractors as admirers.

Jim Morrison

There are many conspiracy theories surrounding the death of the Doors frontman Jim Morrison. After years dealing with substance use disorder, Morrison had moved to Paris with his girlfriend Pamela Courson in March 1971. Just four months later, he was found dead by Courson and his death was officially attributed to heart failure, though many suspect an accidental overdose. However, no autopsy was carried out on Morrison, which only fueled the conspiracy theories. Some believe that Morrison joined the Illuminati, faked his death with their help and assumed a new identity. To support this theory, there have been reported sightings of Morrison, including one in New York, where he supposedly lives as William Loyer[b]. This has been effectively dismissed by Morrison’s bandmates.

Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens & “The Big Bopper” J. P. Richardson

It is now referred to as “The Day the Music Died.” On February 3, 1959, rock and roll musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and “The Big Bopper” J. P. Richardson boarded a small plane in Clear Lake, Iowa, bound for Moorhead, Minnesota. Just minutes after takeoff, the plane crashed due to bad weather, killing everyone on board. But some conspiracy theorists claim there may have been darker forces at work. They suggest that the Illuminati orchestrated the deaths of all three artists as sacrificial acts, in a bid to curb their rising influence in the music industry. Nevertheless, the official investigations cite the poor weather conditions and lack of adequate pilot experience as the primary causes of the crash.

Abraham Lincoln

The assassination of Abraham Lincoln by John Wilkes Booth on April 14th 1865 significantly altered America’s political landscape. Booth shot Lincoln while he was watching a play at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., and he died the following day. While the official narrative attributes the assassination to Booth’s political motivations, conspiracy theories suggest a deeper plot involving the Illuminati. Apparently, Lincoln’s efforts to abolish slavery and unify the nation threatened their control over society. Hence, the assassination was ordered as part of a broader scheme to destabilize the U.S. and thwart Lincoln’s vision for the country. These theories are further fueled by Booth’s alleged membership in another secret society called the Knights of the Golden Circle.

Bruce Lee

Ever since his untimely death in July 1973, Bruce Lee’s influence on global culture has only grown, as have the conspiracy theories surrounding his passing. While alive, the martial artist and actor was reportedly paranoid about a demon watching him, a theme echoed in some of his films. Some theorists believe this demon took the form of the Illuminati, which eventually caught up to him and used him as a sacrifice. It certainly didn’t help that Lee didn’t have any illness beforehand and died suddenly due to an allergic reaction to prescription pills. These same theories extend to his son, Brandon Lee, who also died prematurely in a tragic prop gun accident, as some believe he, too, was targeted by the Illuminati.

Tupac Shakur

The death of Tupac Shakur in September 1996 remains one of hip-hop’s greatest mysteries. Following a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas, Shakur, who was known for his outspoken lyrics, died six days later. Although police attributed the murder to gang violence, conspiracy theories quickly surfaced, some suggesting a link to the Illuminati. Allegedly, Shakur “sold his soul” to the secret organization, and when he began criticizing powerful elites, they orchestrated his death to silence him. The son of Suge Knight, who was driving the car on the night of Shakur’s murder, also claimed that the Illuminati staged the rapper’s death and relocated him to Malaysia. Even after a man was arrested for the shooting in 2023, these theories still endure.

Bob Marley

Through his music, Bob Marley promoted love and unity throughout the world. There are some who believe that these themes, which are seemingly antithetical to the Illuminati’s agenda, resulted in Marley’s untimely death. Officially, the reggae icon died in May 1981, four years after he was diagnosed with a type of malignant melanoma, under the nail of his right big toe. Conspiracy theorists suggest that this cancer didn’t just develop normally. Instead, they allege that it had been induced deliberately by injecting Marley with a chemical substance through a shoe. This cancer then spread throughout his body and ultimately killed him. These theories have since been debunked, but that hasn’t stopped them from circulating widely.

Elvis Presley

The King of Rock and Roll died on August 16th 1977, leaving behind millions of devastated fans and a long-lasting legacy. Elvis Presley’s death was sudden, which led many to speculate there was foul play involved. In his final years, Presley’s health had declined significantly, making him a shadow of his once vibrant self. Some conspiracy theorists believe this was deliberate, as the Illuminati had drugged him to keep him out of touch and cause weight gain. Others allege that Presley had been an FBI informant and, following the death of FBI director J. Edgar Hoover, he was silenced to protect sensitive information. In reality though, Presley died due to cardiac arrest, likely brought on by his long-term drug use.

Kurt Cobain

The death of Nirvana’s frontman is mired in conspiracy theories. Kurt Cobain took his own life when he was 27 years old. However, many have been accused of killing the historic artist and framing his death as an act of self-harm. In fact, journalists Ian Halperin and Max Wallace wrote a bestselling book called “Who Killed Kurt Cobain?,” in which they posit that Cobain’s wife, Courtney Love, was involved. But the theories go even deeper and some of the most outrageous mention the Illuminati. According to these, Cobain was assassinated by the secret society, as he had supposedly exposed their machinations on the Nirvana album “In Utero.”

XXXTentacion

Billie Eilish and XXXTentacion had a lot in common. They both emerged as artists in the 2010s, they both enjoyed popularity with Gen Z listeners, they both sang about difficult themes related to depression and anxiety. And, according to one ridiculous theory, Eilish was responsible for XXXTentacion’s passing. The theory posits that she wanted into the Illuminati, and was ordered to take him out as an act of recruitment. This in turn would have supposedly informed the lyrics in Eilish’s “Bury a Friend.” The singer, for her part, has seemingly laughed off conspiracies linking her to the supposed secret society.

Jimi Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix died of asphyxiation from vomiting while under the influence of substances on September 18, 1970. German figure skater Monika Dannemann spent time with Hendrix during his final day, and she revealed that he had taken multiple prescription sleeping pills. Of course, conspiracy theorists came up with other ideas, claiming that Hendrix was killed by the American government, who are supposedly in cahoots with the Illuminati. Hendrix’s brother Leon reportedly mentioned him being under surveillance, likely due to his association with Black power organizations, which some believe lends plausibility to this theory. It’s discussed in the book “Wild Thing: The Short, Spellbinding Life of Jimi Hendrix,” written by biographer Philip Norman, but - of course - has not been proven.

Princess Diana

The violent passing of Princess Diana shocked the world, and roughly two and a half billion people watched her funeral. So much public interest was bound to result in a conspiracy theory or two. Many have been blamed for Princess Diana’s death, from MI6 to the Illuminati. Those who subscribe to the Illuminati conspiracy theory believe the organization somehow has ties to all major world leaders and prominent public figures, and that includes the Royal family. Believers think Diana was assassinated by them due to her public divorce from then-Prince Charles. Police investigated many conspiracy theories, but found them to be baseless. Most of the blame now lies on the paparazzi and the car’s driver.

Marilyn Monroe

The epitome of the “blonde bombshell,” Marilyn Monroe saw extraordinary success throughout the ‘40s and ‘50s. However, she faced intense personal problems and passed away at 36 under somewhat unknown circumstances. Monroe was found deceased on the morning of August 5, 1962. The deputy coroner ruled that her passing was from having taken too many substances, likely intentionally. But some people aren’t convinced. Norman Mailer famously believed that the American government was responsible, as he expressed in his controversial book “Marilyn: A Biography.” Wild theories of this nature have only proliferated throughout the years and have come to include the mafia and, of course, the Illuminati.

Whitney Houston

One of the most legendary singers in history, Whitney Houston died at the age of 48 on February 11, 2012. Houston was found at The Beverly Hilton that afternoon, and her passing was later ruled an accident. She was suffering from heart disease at the time and drowned while under the effects of illicit substances. One crazy conspiracy claims that the Illuminati was responsible for these substances being in her system in the first place. Proponents of the theory allege that this was a way to ensure the survival of Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s daughter Blue Ivy Carter. Honestly, this one’s so out-there, we can’t even make sense of it.

John Lennon

The first Beatle to die, John Lennon was killed on December 8, 1980. The perpetrator was a man named Mark David Chapman. Chapman’s motives were reportedly many, as he had long resented Lennon for his personality, way of living, and controversial statements. He wasn’t the only person that Lennon had irritated, with the singer being targeted by the Immigration and Naturalization Service and the FBI a few years prior. According to the conspiracy theorists, these powers were tied to the Illuminati, who allegedly manipulated or controlled Chapman into doing their bidding. Chapman entered a guilty plea and, as of 2024, is still in prison.

Martin Luther King Jr.

The world came to a standstill on April 4, 1968 when Martin Luther King Jr. was killed in Memphis, Tennessee. Perhaps the most famous civil rights activist of the 20th century, King Jr. was a major public figure and a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. His actions and influence made him a target of racists and the FBI, and the organization spied on the civil rights leader for years. Given all this, his assassination has become the subject of numerous conspiracies, with even more insane theories involving the Illuminati. These stipulate that the society had him killed due to his condemnation of the Vietnam War, as many powerful people had financial ties to the conflict.

John F. Kennedy

Speaking of assassinations, perhaps none is as notable as John F. Kennedy’s. President Kennedy was murdered by a former Marine named Lee Harvey Oswald, who was acting on his own volition. However, Oswald insisted that he was a scapegoat before later being charged with Kennedy’s death. But he was killed just two days after his arrest. To this day, a large portion of Americans believe that there is more to the story and that a cover-up or conspiracy of some sort is at play. And yes, for some that conspiracy includes the Illuminati. These theorists say that Kennedy was planning on exposing the Illuminati and their schemes, so he had to go.

Michael Jackson

The world lost Jackson on June 25, 2009. He had too much of a powerful anesthetic and other substances in his system, and suffered a cardiac arrest. Blame was placed on his personal physician, Conrad Murray, who administered the medications to assist Jackson in combating his insomnia. Murray was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and received a four year prison sentence. But Jackson was paranoid in the period leading up to his death. He allegedly wrote in his diary that “the system” wanted to “kill [him] for [his] [music] ­catalogue.” Therefore, some fans and conspiracy theorists took that to mean that he was taken out by the Illuminati for business reasons.

Do you believe any of these conspiracy theories? Share your rationale in the comments below.

[a]rain-YAY

[b]lawyer?