Despite being constantly in the spotlight, some celebrities have mysteriously disappeared without a trace. Even in the age of social media and smartphones, a few famous faces have vanished, leaving their families wondering if it was voluntary or something more sinister. Here’s a list of celebrities who disappeared, with their whereabouts still unknown.
Harold Holt
Former Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt disappeared while swimming at Cheviot Beach near Portsea, Victoria, on December 17, 1967. Though most believe he drowned, conspiracy theories suggest he was taken by a Chinese submarine.
Connie Converse
Connie Converse, a 1950s singer-songwriter, struggled with exhaustion and depression later in life. Shortly after her 50th birthday in 1974, she sent letters to loved ones saying she wanted a fresh start, packed her belongings, and disappeared.
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radiofan15 via reddit
Jimmy Robinson
“Sweet Jimmy” Robinson, a boxer from Miami, Florida, was the fourth person to fight Muhammad Ali professionally. After a 1979 interview with *Sports Illustrated*, Robinson vanished, and no one has heard from him since.
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cable guy tv via youtube
Richey Edwards
Guitarist and songwriter Richey Edwards of the Welsh rock band Manic Street Preachers disappeared in February 1995 at age 27. Due to his struggles with substance abuse, many fans suspected he had taken his own life. In 2008, he was officially declared “presumed dead.”
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masao nakagami via wiki
Joe Pichler
Child actor Joe Pichler, known for his roles in two *Beethoven* movies, disappeared on January 5, 2006, at the age of 18. Police found a note in his car expressing his desire to be a “stronger brother,” but his whereabouts remain unknown.
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blashes07 via reddit
Bison Dele
Bison Dele, born Brian Carson Williams, was an NBA center who won a championship with the Chicago Bulls in 1997. In July 2002, Dele, his girlfriend, and their skipper vanished while sailing in Tahiti. Dele’s brother later became the prime suspect, accused of murdering them and disposing of their bodies at sea.
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MartianXAshATwelve via reddit
Theodosia Burr-Alston
Theodosia Burr-Alston, daughter of Aaron Burr, the third U.S. vice president, mysteriously disappeared at sea in December 1812. She boarded the ship *Patriot* on December 31, 1812, traveling from Georgetown, South Carolina, to New York. The ship, along with all its passengers and crew, vanished without a trace.
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Unidentified artist, possibly by John Vanderlyn (1776-1852) via wiki
Amelia Earhart
Legendary pilot Amelia Earhart set out to become the first woman to fly around the world in 1937. However, during the longest leg of her journey, she, her plane, and navigator Frederick Noonan disappeared. Despite extensive searches, they were declared lost at sea and were never found.
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Harris & Ewing via wiki
Thomas Hale Boggs, Sr.
Thomas Hale Boggs, Sr. was an American politician from New Orleans. While campaigning for Nick Begich in Alaska, he disappeared on October 16, 1972. Boggs, Begich, and two others boarded a small plane to fly from Anchorage to Juneau but never reached their destination.
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Leffler, Warren K. via wiki
Michael Rockefeller
Michael Rockefeller, the son of New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller, went missing in November 1961 at the age of 23. He was in New Guinea spending time with the native Asmat tribes when he disappeared. Speculation about his fate includes theories that he either assimilated into the local culture or was eaten by sharks.
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practer via wiki
Scott Smith
After a concert in Vancouver in November 2000, Loverboy bassist Scott Smith set sail for Mexico with his fiancée and a friend named Bill Ellis. During their journey, they encountered a storm, and while Ellis went below deck for supplies, Smith was swept overboard. Despite efforts to locate him, Smith’s body was never found.
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tonyiommi70 via reddit
Sean Flynn
Actor and photojournalist Sean Flynn, the son of Errol Flynn, disappeared in 1970 at the age of 28 while covering the Vietnam War in Ho Chi Minh City. A fellow reporter stated that Flynn received a tip about the nearby Viet Cong, and after walking to a checkpoint, he was never seen again.
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Star_Ship_55 via wiki
Forrest ‘DY’ Schab
Canadian rapper Forrest Schab, known as DY, went missing in August 2010 while filming a music video in Mexico. His family and team reported him missing three months later, and over a decade has passed without any leads in his case.
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iamdyofficialdy via x
Daniel Lind Lagerlöf
Director Daniel Lind Lagerlöf, known in Sweden for his work on *Wallander* and *Beck*, went missing in 2011 while scouting locations in Tjurpannan nature reserve. During a storm with strong winds and heavy rain, the crew became separated, and Lagerlöf never returned.
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stephanie p via youtube
Jim Sullivan
Jim Sullivan was a folk singer active in the Hollywood scene during the 1960s and 1970s. In 1975, while traveling from Los Angeles to Nashville, he mysteriously vanished. Before disappearing, he called his wife to say he was “all right,” leading her to believe he may have been abducted by aliens.
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slydogmania via wiki
Jimmy Hoffa
Union leader and Mafia associate Jimmy Hoffa’s disappearance in 1975 was not entirely unexpected, given his connections. He vanished from a parking lot in Detroit on the same day he was supposed to meet with Mafia bosses, and it is widely believed that he was murdered. His fate remains a mystery to this day.
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New York World-Telegram and the Sun staff photographer: Bottega, John, photographer. via wiki
Virginia Dare
Virginia Dare, the first child born to English parents in the New World, became a symbol of American colonialism. When she was just a toddler, her grandfather left to secure more funding for their settlement. Upon his return, he found that Virginia and the other 120 settlers had mysteriously vanished.
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drstew82 via wiki
Ambrose Bierce
Ambrose Bierce, known for his short story “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,” gained recognition for his sharp wit. In 1913, he relocated to Mexico just before the revolution, and he was never seen again. It is believed he may have died during the 1914 siege of Ojinaga.
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John Herbert Evelyn Partington via wiki
Anastasia Romanov
Anastasia is thought to have disappeared at the hands of the Bolsheviks during the October Revolution in 1917. Following her disappearance, numerous imposters claimed to be the grand duchess, hoping to access the family’s fortune stored in Swiss banks.
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Boissonnas et Eggler, St. Petersburg, Nevsky 24. – Bain News Service, publisher. via wiki
Oscar Zeta Acosta
Oscar Zeta Acosta, known as “Dr. Gonzo,” was Hunter S. Thompson’s Mexican-American lawyer and a key figure in *Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas*. He believed he would die at 33 but lived six more years before mysteriously disappearing in Mexico in 1974.
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Photograph credited to Cashman Photo Enterprises, Inc. Published by Random House. via wiki
Rico Harris
Rico Harris, a former college basketball star who signed with the Harlem Globetrotters, retired at 24 due to a head injury and later faced substance abuse issues. In October 2014, while traveling from California to Washington, he called his girlfriend to say he would stop for some sleep, but he was never seen again.
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lexicallegend via wiki
Barbara Newhall Follett
Barbara Newhall Follett, recognized as a child prodigy for publishing her first novel at just 12, struggled to maintain her early success. After a failed marriage, she ran away from home on December 7, 1939, and her whereabouts remain unknown.
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techiebabe via wiki
Glenn Miller
Glenn Miller, a leading musician of the 1930s known for his swing band, served in the Air Forces during World War II. He went missing in action while flying over the English Channel on December 15, 1944.
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Unknown author via wiki
Al-Hakim
While it stretches the definition of “celebrity,” al-Hakim was a significant figure in his era. As a ruler of the Fatimid dynasty from the 10th to 11th century, he governed for 25 years. In February 1021, he rode out of Cairo one night and vanished without a trace.
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loaka1 via wiki
Edward V
Edward V faced a troubling situation after the death of his father, King Edward IV. His parents’ marriage to Elizabeth Woodville was questioned, leading to Edward V and his brother, Richard, Duke of York, being imprisoned in the Tower of London. They never emerged, and while it’s widely believed they died there, this remains unproven.
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Unknown author via wiki
Solomon Northup
Born a free man in New York in 1808, Solomon Northup was kidnapped and sold into slavery in 1841. He documented his harrowing experiences in the book *Twelve Years a Slave*. After his release and the book’s publication in 1853, Northup gained national recognition. However, he soon disappeared from the public eye, leading to speculation that he joined the Underground Railroad.
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Frederick M. Coffin (engraved by Nathaniel Orr) via wiki
George Mallory
English schoolmaster George Mallory made three attempts to climb Mount Everest, with his final ascent occurring on June 8, 1924, alongside fellow climber Andrew Irvine. They disappeared during this attempt and were never seen again. In 1999, an expedition discovered Mallory’s body at an altitude of 26,760 feet.
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zp via wiki
Wallace D. Fard
Wallace D. Fard founded the Nation of Islam and became known as a preacher and savior of the African American community. He disappeared in 1934 and is believed by his followers to be the incarnation of Allah. His legacy is celebrated annually on February 26, known as Saviors’ Day.
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hamletx95 via reddit
Raoul Wallenberg
Raoul Wallenberg, a Swedish diplomat, played a critical role in saving around 15,000 Hungarian Jews from Nazi death camps during World War II. In January 1945, Soviet troops arrested him under mysterious circumstances, and though the Soviets later claimed he died of a heart attack, his fate remains a subject of speculation and mystery.
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Hagstromer & Qviberg Fondkommission AB via wiki
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
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unknown author via wiki
Jim Thompson
Jim Thompson, a former WWII intelligence officer who later became a successful figure in the Thai silk industry, mysteriously disappeared on March 26, 1967, while visiting Malaysia’s Cameron Highlands. Despite an extensive search lasting eleven days, no trace of Thompson was ever found, leaving his fate an enduring mystery.
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loriette via wiki
Lord Lucan
John Bingham, 7th Earl of Lucan, known as Lord Lucan, became infamous due to his involvement in a bitter custody battle. In 1974, the family’s nanny, Sandra Rivett, was murdered in the Lucan household, and Lord Lucan was widely suspected of the crime. Shortly after the incident, he disappeared and was never found. In 1999, he was officially declared legally dead.
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gumball-2002 via reddit
Ylenia Maria Sole Carrisi
Ylenia Maria Sole Carrisi, daughter of Italian entertainers Albano Carrisi and Romina Power, went missing in New Orleans in January 2004. A security guard reported seeing a woman matching her description jump into the Mississippi River, exclaiming, “I belong in the water.” Despite extensive searches, no body was ever found, and her disappearance remains unresolved.
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Ylenia Maria Sole Carrisi Power via facebook
Dorothy Arnold
Dorothy Arnold, a prominent New York socialite in the early 1900s, faced ridicule over her unsuccessful attempts at literary writing. On December 12, 1910, she left home to go shopping but never returned. Friends who saw her that day noted nothing out of the ordinary. Despite widespread searches and investigations, her disappearance remains a mystery.
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unknown author via wiki
Weldon Kees
Weldon Kees, a poet and writer struggling to gain recognition, disappeared in 1955. Battling depression and financial hardship, he confided in a friend, Janet Richards, saying, “Things are pretty bad.” He then made a final phone call to film critic Pauline Kael. After that, Kees was never seen or heard from again, leaving his fate an unsolved mystery.
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unknown via wiki
Zahir Raihan
Zahir Raihan, a celebrated Bangladeshi filmmaker, gained international recognition in 1971 with *Stop Genocide*, a powerful documentary about refugees fleeing the Bangladesh-Pakistan war. Just a month after the war ended and Bangladesh declared independence, Raihan disappeared in January 1972. It is widely believed that he was abducted by Pakistani security forces, and his whereabouts remain unknown.
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unknown author via wiki
Art Scholl
Art Scholl, a skilled stunt pilot and aeronautics instructor, was hired to capture aerial footage for the movie *Top Gun*. On September 16, 1985, while filming, Scholl reported, “I’ve got a problem here,” before his plane tragically crashed into the Pacific Ocean. Despite extensive searches, neither his plane nor body were ever recovered, and he was presumed dead.
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wca42 via wiki
Christina “Licorice” McKechnie
After touring with the Incredible String Band, musician Licorice McKechnie visited Edinburgh in 1986 to see family. Shortly afterward, she disappeared. The last confirmed sighting of McKechnie was in 1987, when she was reportedly seen hitchhiking in the Arizona desert. Her sister later claimed that McKechnie had undergone surgery in 1990, but no further details about her whereabouts have emerged.
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Bert Verhoeff / Anefo via wiki
Hart Crane
Hart Crane, a renowned early 20th-century poet famous for his epic poem *The Bridge*, gained significant recognition for his work. In 1932, after winning a Guggenheim fellowship, he boarded an ocean liner to return to New York from Mexico. During the journey, Crane jumped into the Atlantic Ocean and was never seen again.
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ancienthistory via reddit
Pierre Bianconi
Soccer player Pierre Bianconi displayed significant talent in the French leagues during the 1980s and early 1990s. In December 1993, he was reportedly seen in the port city of Bastia, but after that, he vanished. His car was later discovered, but Bianconi never resurfaced.
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the beginner via x
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