8 Famous People Allegedly Killed By The FBI

8 Famous People Allegedly Killed By the FBI

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at celebrities whose tragic deaths have been attributed by some to none other than the Federal Bureau of Investigations.

Marilyn Monroe

Possibly the most iconic actress who ever lived, the woman born Norma Jeane Mortenson helped to revolutionize the silver screen for a new generation of film fans. However, despite her beloved status, Monroe’s personal life was anything but glitz and glam. Her love affair with Arthur Miller put her directly in the FBI’s crosshairs, and led to them opening a file on her. The legendary playwright had been under investigation by the House Un-American Activities Committee for his suspected communist affiliations. Although Miller and Monroe had already separated by the time of Marilyn’s 1962 death, that didn’t stop author Norman Mailer from accusing the FBI of orchestrating her death as retaliation for her supposed affair with John F. Kennedy — an accusation Mailer later retracted.

Jean Seberg

Revered for her globe-spanning career in film, Seberg’s most famous role was as one of the leads of the French New Wave crime drama “Breathless”. Offscreen, though, Seberg was perhaps best-known for her social activism in the fight for civil rights in America. A frequent donor to the Black Panther Party, the FBI targeted Seberg as part of their widely condemned COINTELPRO program, which cracked down on individuals and organizations the bureau deemed as “subversive”. Seberg was subsequently harassed and defamed by the FBI, and the 1979 discovery of her body in the backseat of her Renault has variously been attributed to the bureau directly, or to her own hand as a result of the mental distress she had been put under.

Jimi Hendrix

The guitarist’s untimely 1970 death raises questions even to the present day. Hendrix, a hugely important musician whose influence on rock can’t be understated, was found dead on September 18th, ostensibly due to asphyxia caused by a barbiturate overdose. He had also struggled with substance use disorder, as well as fatigue caused by his rigorous touring schedule. While it seems as though Hendrix’s death was simply a tragic accident, naysayers point to Hendrix’s 1969 arrest on possession charges in Toronto, after which the FBI compiled a file on him. Conspiracy theorists have accused Hendrix’s manager, Michael Jeffery, of colluding with the FBI and CIA to cut his life short, in connection with his alleged ties to the black power movement.

Tupac Shakur

Widely considered as one of the greatest rappers of all time, Shakur’s lyrics thoughtfully reflected the historical and contemporary struggles of Black Americans. It didn’t hurt that his mother, Afeni Shakur, was a well-known member of the Black Panther Party herself, although her active association with the party ended after her acquittal on several counts of conspiracy. The outspoken lyricist was murdered on September 7, 1996, and questions as to the identity and motive of the shooter persist. However, among other conspiracy theories surrounding ‘Pac’s death, one posits that the FBI had him killed for his anti-authority attitude, as well as his involvement with a 1993 Atlanta shooting of two off-duty police officers.

John F. Kennedy

We likely don’t have to tell you about the proliferation of conspiracy theories surrounding the killing of 35th U.S. president John F. Kennedy. Kennedy was shot during a November 1963 motorcade in Dallas, Texas, and Lee Harvey Oswald was almost immediately charged with his death — before being shot himself by Jack Ruby just days later. Investigations into President Kennedy’s murder yielded countless more questions than answers, and have led some to conclude that an FBI or CIA cover-up took place. Critics point to the organizations being allowed to investigate themselves, rather than the independent Warren Commission. Journalist Jim Marrs’ book “Crossfire” also alleges that the FBI intimidated witnesses to the assassination into silence.

John Lennon

As the official story goes, the former Beatle and lifelong advocate for world peace was murdered in December 1980 by 25-year-old Mark David Chapman, who held a personal vendetta against Lennon. However, some have argued that Lennon’s history of left-wing activism made him a target of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Declassified documents released by the CIA in the 1980s revealed that, according to historian Jon Wiener, “[they] asked the FBI for information about Lennon's ties to a group planning demonstrations at the GOP convention” in 1972. As such, conspiracy theorists allege that the two organizations cooperated to have Lennon killed so as to discourage high-profile individuals from speaking out.

Malcolm X

The revolutionary and human rights activist born Malcolm Little remains the subject of heavy controversy, 60 years after his death in February 1965. As part of the FBI’s aforementioned COINTELPRO program, Malcolm X was surveilled until the end of his life, accused by the bureau of subversive, anti-American activities. His departure from the Nation of Islam in 1964 led to an escalating feud between him and the organization, exacerbated by the FBI’s efforts. Malcolm’s assassination, while mostly attributed to the Nation of Islam, has also drawn accusations of misconduct on the bureau’s part. The enduring main theory is not that the FBI didn’t have the leader killed directly, but instead engineered the circumstances for it to happen.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Speaking of COINTELPRO and the fight for civil rights, the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. was perhaps the FBI’s most despised enemy. The Baptist minister and pioneer of nonviolent protest had his phone lines tapped by the FBI under the direct orders of Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy in 1963, and used every weapon at their disposal to discredit King and his involvement in the civil rights movement. In fact, King was even the recipient of a letter sent by the FBI that intended to intimidate him into taking his own life. While King persevered, it’s perhaps not shocking to learn that his 1968 assassination has been theorized as being the work of the bureau, owing to insufficient police presence and failure to issue an all points bulletin in the wake of his killing.


Which celebrity death shocked you the most? Be sure to let us know in the comments below!