Morbid Curiosity : The Disturbing Demises of the Famous and Infamous

"It's shocking and sinful, and I couldn't put it down!"--Joan Rivers The strange, startling, and utterly fascinating stories behind the world's most notorious celebrity deaths. Was Jayne Mansfield really decapitated' Which manly appendage of Napoleon's was cut off during his autopsy' (And where did it go') What went to the grave (literally) with River Phoenix, Frank Sinatra, and Princess Diana' Death is fascinating. Just think about the last time you slowed down as you passed the scene of a car accident. When a public figure bites the dust, the curiosity only increases. From Attila the Hun to Marie Antoinette, from Heath Ledger to Anna Nicole Smith, the deaths of the rich and famous spark endless speculation and tabloid fodder. Their lives-and deaths-are grave matters. The strange, startling, disturbing, and utterly fascinating stories behind the world's most notorious celebrity deaths.Death sells. Just about everyone slows down upon passing the scene of a car accident, wanting to look but ashamed of their grim fascination with another's unfortunate end. And when a public figure bites the dust, the fascination increases tenfold. From historical figures like Attila the Hun and Sir Walter Raleigh to contemporary names like River Phoenix and Anna Nicole Smith, the deaths of the rich and famous provoke endless speculation and tabloid fodder. Anyone can recall where they were when Princess Diana died, even if they are unable to remember who was president at the time.Noted celebrity journalist Alan W. Petrucelli has covered some of the world's most famous people— some right until their deaths. In Morbid Curiosity, he presents the most disturbing, unexpected, occasionally humorous, and often outright appalling details of the final exits of the rich and powerful. "It's shocking and sinful, and I couldn't put it down!" -Joan Rivers The strange, startling, and utterly fascinating stories behind the world's most notorious celebrity deaths. Was Jayne Mansfield really decapitated? Which manly appendage of Napoleon's was cut off during his autopsy? (And where did it go?) What went to the grave (literally) with River Phoenix, Frank Sinatra, and Princess Diana? Death is fascinating. Just think about the last time you slowed down as you passed the scene of a car accident. When a public figure bites the dust, the curiosity only increases. From Attila the Hun to Marie Antoinette, from Heath Ledger to Anna Nicole Smith, the deaths of the rich and famous spark endless speculation and tabloid fodder. Their lives-and deaths-are grave matters.