The litany of film comics who met with tragic fates is endless, and one which continues to this day (reference the Saturday Night Live cast fatalities). Toronto-based comedymeister Chris Seguin came up with a list of early comedians who met tragic ends to which Brent Walker and your obedient servant have added a few additional names.

ROSCOE ARBUCKLE - Sex & murder scandal destroys career; comeback attempt in talkies curtailed with fatal heart attack on night of signing big feature contract.

CLYDE BRUCKMAN - Hard-drinking director favored by Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, Laurel & Hardy, W.C. Fields, Three Stooges and others finds that career is ruined when Lloyd sues him for misappropriating gags created for Movie Crazy. Borrows Keaton's gun and commits suicide in a phone booth.

CHARLEY CHASE - Drinks himself to death in 1940.

LIGE CONLEY - Being a good samaritan is fatal for Lige. He dies after being struck by a car while helping a stranded motorist change a tire.

KARL DANE - Thick accent destroys career in talkies; reduced to selling weenies outside MGM gates. Suicide.

BILLY DOOLEY - After a decade of career doldrums, Christie's "Goofy Gob" dies at 44 of a heart attack.

LLOYD HAMILTON - Drinks himself to death in 1935.

BILLY HAUBER - Ex-comedian turned stuntman. His career in that field seemed to be reaching new heights (pardon the pun) when he was killed in a plane crash. He was apparently doing stunts for a 1928 First National feature to be called THE AVIATOR, and the stunt pilot died along with him.

CURLY HOWARD - The zaniest of the Three Stooges suffers a career-ending stroke at age 35. Dies five years later.

BUSTER KEATON - A brilliant career destroyed by MGM, alcoholism, and talkies (in that order). Never out of work; lived long enough to benefit from a revival of his greatest films.

HARRY LANGDON - Takes control of own films, directs himself out of a career. Never out of work, but dies of cerebral hemorrage.

MAX LINDER - Gassed in World War 1; inconsolable depressive; kills young wife and self.

EDDIE LYONS - Lee Moran's old partner dies in 1926.

FRED MACE - Leaves Keystone for a doomed bid for independence; commits suicide at 39.

PAUL McCOULLOGH - Grabbed a razor while sitting in a barber's chair and slashed his throat.

MABEL NORMAND - Drugs and scandal lead to early death by tuberculosis.

The OUR GANG kids - Don't even get me started.

JAMES PARROT aka PAUL PARROT - Hopeless alcoholic and drug addict; commits suicide.

When BILLY QUIRK's career plummeted, so did Billy, jumping off a tall building in an unsuccessful suicide attempt.

BILLY RITCHIE - Dies from internal injuries due to ostrich attack sustained while making comedies for Henry Lehrman.

LYDA ROBERTI - Thelma Todd's replacement in the Hal Roach series suffers a fatal heart attack at 29.

LARRY SEMON - Worry over independent productions leads to creative repetetiveness, bankruptcy and complete nervous breakdown. Dead at 38 (or perhaps not, see Larry's page).

THELMA TODD - Asphyxiated in garage by carbon monoxide. Controversy still rages over whether it was an accident, suicide, or murder.

ROBERT WOOLSEY - RKO team of Wheeler & Woolsey comes to and end when Woolsey dies at age 49 of kidney failure.

MACK SENNETT SPECIALIST BRENT WALKER NOTES THAT SEVERAL KEYSTONE VETS MET WITH SAD ENDS:

SID SMITH: The Sennett & Cameo comedian died in true Roaring 20's fashion in 1928 from drinking some bad bootleg hootch at a beach party.

BILLY ARMSTRONG: The Chaplin-Essanay and Sennett comic died in 1924 at only 33 (not sure of the causes).

GORDON LEWIS: Diminutive Sennett second banana died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in 1933.

HUGH FAY: Keystone player and director of Snub Pollard IT'S A GIFT died in 1926 of a stomach ailment. Given rumors about his side-business on the Keystone lot, this may have been brought on by various bad habits.

THELMA HILL: The Sennett Pathe (and TWO TARS) charmer died after a three-month illness in 1938 (at only age 32).

HARRY McCOY: The longtime Sennett actor turned writer got a plum gig in the Walt Disney writing department in 1937--then promptly died months later (age 43).

FRITZ SCHADE: Was forced to retire from performing due to a leg injury which hastened his untimely death in 1926 (at 46).

BOBBY VERNON: Died in 1939 at only 42, ten years after retiring (or being retired) from on-screen comedy leads.

Unfortunately, in those pre-vaccine and penicillin days, there's a whole wing of people who died before their time from germs:

WAYLAND TRASK: The chubby Keystone-Sennett player was one of the unfortunate victims of the 1918 Spanish flu epidemic.

CECILE ARNOLD: The Keystone leading lady was cut down by the Hong Kong flu in 1931.

MARY THURMAN: Another Keystone leading lady (and frequent co-star with Trask) died of tropical fever in 1925.

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