Top 10 Most Famous Deaths Caused by Animals

While extremely rare, there have been numerous well-known individuals in history who tragically passed away due to animals. Whether from an attack, an unforeseen incident, or even an allergic reaction, these cases do happen. Here are ten of the most notable instances of death caused by animals.

10. Alexander I of Greece (1893-1920) – Monkey

While history often paints King Alexander as a negligent pet owner who succumbed to a bite from his pet monkey, the true story reveals he died after intervening to protect his dog during a walk in the Royal Gardens. On October 2, 1920, the monarch was attacked by two monkeys while defending his pet. Although the King fought off the animals with a stick, one of the monkeys managed to bite his hand. He tragically passed away a few days later from sepsis.

José Gómez Ortega, better known as Joselito or Joselito el Gallo, was a renowned Spanish matador in the early 20th century. He was born in Seville, in the historic La Macarena district. His father, Fernando Gómez García, was a famous matador known as 'El Gallo,' and his older brother Rafael Gómez Ortega, also a matador, bore the same moniker. At just 17, Joselito became the youngest bullfighter to earn the title of matador. Tragically, at the age of 25, he was fatally gored during a bullfight with his brother-in-law. The day of his death remains significant, as it is the only occasion when the Virgin Macarena was draped in black attire. Joselito and Belmonte are regarded as the greatest bullfighters in history.

Kenneth Pinyan, a resident of Gig Harbor, Washington, located near Seattle-Tacoma, was a prominent Boeing employee who engaged in sexual acts with full-sized horses at a farm near Enumclaw. He filmed these acts and distributed the footage informally under the alias Mr. Hands. In July 2005, while recording one of these encounters with a friend, Pinyan suffered a perforated colon and later passed away from his injuries. This incident was widely covered by The Seattle Times, becoming one of the most-read stories of 2005.

Following Pinyan’s tragic death, Washington State passed legislation that banned both sexual acts with animals and the recording of such acts. The viral video, however, circulated before the law was enacted. The documentary above, which was released recently, covers his life and won several awards at The Sundance Film Festival.

Ancient accounts, especially Roman ones, generally agree that Cleopatra ended her life by using an asp to deliver a fatal bite. The earliest account comes from Strabo, who was a contemporary of the event and may have even been in Alexandria. He presents two versions: one in which she applies a poisonous ointment, and another in which an asp bites her. Several Roman poets, writing within a decade of the event, refer to two asps biting her, as does historian Florus some 150 years later. Velleius, writing 60 years after, also mentions an asp. The most detailed account comes from Plutarch, writing about 130 years later, who describes the scene of Cleopatra's death, with her handmaiden Iras dying at her feet and another handmaiden, Charmion, adjusting Cleopatra's crown before she herself succumbs. He also recounts various theories about how the asp was introduced to her: some say it was hidden in a basket of figs, and after eating a few, Cleopatra allowed the snake to bite her; others claim it was concealed in a vase, and she provoked it with a spindle until it attacked her arm.

Often referred to as the father or the founder of Greek tragedy, Aeschylus is the earliest of the three great Greek tragedians whose works have survived, alongside Sophocles and Euripides. He introduced the concept of adding a second character to the stage, allowing for conflict between characters, whereas earlier, plays only featured interactions between characters and the chorus. While Aeschylus is believed to have written around seventy plays, only a handful have survived to the present day. According to legend, an eagle, mistaking his bald head for a rock, dropped a tortoise on him. However, some versions of the story suggest that it was a stone, not a tortoise, and that the eagle or vulture had mistaken his bald head for the egg of a flightless bird.

Timothy Treadwell, originally named Timothy Dexter, was an American bear enthusiast, environmentalist, and amateur naturalist who spent about 13 years living in Katmai National Park, Alaska, surrounded by coastal grizzly bears. In 2003, at the end of his thirteenth season, he and his girlfriend Amie Huguenard tragically lost their lives when they were attacked and consumed by one or possibly two grizzly bears. A recording of the fatal attack survived. Treadwell's life, his work with the bears, and his tragic death were documented in the 2005 film *Grizzly Man*, directed by Werner Herzog.

Martin Alan 'Marty' Feldman was an English writer, comedian, and BAFTA-winning actor, famous for his bulging eyes caused by Graves' disease, a thyroid condition. Feldman tragically passed away from a heart attack induced by shellfish poisoning while filming *Yellowbeard* in Mexico City. That evening, he had met the renowned cartoonist Sergio Aragones, and when Aragones introduced himself, the encounter startled Feldman, possibly triggering the heart attack. Aragones humorously recounted the event with the line, 'I killed Marty Feldman.' This story was later turned into a comic tale in Aragones' issue of *Solo* for DC Comics.

Tom and Eileen Lonergan, a married couple from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, had recently completed a three-year stint with the Peace Corps. On January 25, 1998, while SCUBA diving off Australia's Great Barrier Reef, they were tragically abandoned by their diving group. The dive boat, operated by the Outer Edge Dive Company, made an error during the head count and left the couple behind. As the boat departed, the crew and the other 24 divers failed to notice that Tom and Eileen were missing. Stranded in the open ocean, in waters known to be inhabited by sharks, the couple had to survive on their own. Though their bodies were never found, it is believed they died from a combination of dehydration, drowning, or possibly a shark attack.

Although Christopher Reeve's life ultimately ended due to an allergic reaction, much of his health challenges stemmed from a traumatic fall from a horse. Since childhood, Reeve had struggled with asthma and allergies, as well as several illnesses such as Infectious Mononucleosis and malaria. Additionally, he was affected by mastocytosis, a disorder involving the blood cells. On multiple occasions, Reeve suffered severe reactions to certain medications. During his time at the Kessler Institute, he tried a drug called Sygen, which was believed to reduce spinal cord damage. Unfortunately, this drug triggered an anaphylactic shock that caused his lungs to shut down. Reeve recalled a near-death experience, remembering saying, “I’m sorry, but I have to go now,” before the incident. He later described the moment in his autobiography: “And then I left my body. I was up on the ceiling…I looked down and saw my body stretched out on the bed, not moving, while everybody—there were fifteen or twenty people, the doctors, the EMTs, the nurses—was working on me. The noise and commotion grew quieter as though someone were gradually turning down the volume.” After receiving a large dose of epinephrine, Reeve regained consciousness and stabilized later that night. In 2003 and 2004, he fought off several life-threatening infections, likely originating from his bone marrow. He survived three infections that could have been fatal. In early October 2004, he was being treated for a pressure wound that led to a systemic infection called sepsis, a complication he had faced multiple times. On October 9th, feeling well, he attended his son Will's hockey game. That evening, after receiving an antibiotic for the infection, Reeve suffered cardiac arrest and passed away from heart failure at the age of 52.

Stephen Robert Irwin, better known as Steve Irwin or 'The Crocodile Hunter', was an Australian wildlife expert and beloved television personality. His fame skyrocketed with the globally acclaimed wildlife documentary series *The Crocodile Hunter*, which he co-hosted with his wife, Terri Irwin. Along with his wife, Steve also co-managed and owned Australia Zoo, a family legacy established by his parents in Beerwah, Queensland. Tragically, Irwin passed away in 2006 after a stingray barb struck his chest, causing a fatal injury.

Contributor: StewWriter