Most actors are fortunate enough to have long-lasting careers that will include countless memorable moments.  Unfortunately, many actors have not been so lucky, and their careers have been cut short by untimely death.  Many of these celebrities, who were taken before their time, were never able to reach the peaks that many predicted for them.  As a result, the public has been left to wonder what could have happened if these people had lived.  Although no one can say for certain, many feel like some celebrity deaths have left a lasting impact on an industry that is constantly changing.  Here are 10 actors who died before they even got started.

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Ashleigh Aston Moore

Ashleigh Aston Moore is best-known for her role in the popular coming of age film, Now and Then.  After appearing in the film, many believed that Moore had a promising career in the acting industry.  Unfortunately, Moore passed away in 2007, at just 26 years-old, leaving many to wonder what she could have accomplished had she lived longer.

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River Phoenix

Throughout the 80s and early 90s, young River Phoenix had a successful film career.  He appeared in several popular 80s films including the coming of age classic, Stand by Me.  Throughout his early career, Phoenix earned praise from critics and fans alike, and many were shocked at his ability to take on such demanding roles at a young age.  Although the possibilities were endless, Phoenix did not live to see them.  In 1993, while standing outside of a club in West Hollywood, Phoenix collapsed and died of heart failure which was brought on by his drug use.

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Tara Correa-McMullen

Tara Correa-McMullen is not a household name, but she could have been had she lived to see adulthood.  In 2005, Correa-McMullen made her first and final film appearance in the film Rebound.  Correa-McMullen also had two small TV roles, a recurring role in the popular drama series, Judging Amy, and a small appearance in the Nickelodeon series, Zoey 101. Sadly, Correa-McMullen was shot and killed in October 2005 by a gang member in Inglewood, California.

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Corey Monteith

Corey Monteith won the hearts of millions with his role on the popular Fox series, Glee.  The 31-year-old Canada native had become an overnight success while portraying high school hot-shot, Finn Hudson.  Although Monteith had been working in the industry long before Glee, his career was just starting to reach new heights when he passed away unexpectedly in 2013. The whole world seemed to be shocked by his sudden death, especially his girlfriend and Glee co-star, Lea Michele, who eventually wrote and recorded a song for Monteith titled, “Louder.”

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Aaliyah

Aaliyah is best-known for her career as a singer.  However, before her death, she was slowly getting her feet wet in Hollywood.  In 2000, Aaliyah had a starring role in the romantic action film, Romeo Must Die  where she played the love interest of Jet Li’s character.  In 2002, Aaliyah appeared in another starring role in the film, Queen of the Dammed. Unfortunately, by the time the film was released in February, Aaliyah had already died in a tragic plan crash.

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James Dean

James Dean will probably go down in history as one of the coolest stars in Hollywood history.  Throughout the 50s, Dean appeared in many film and TV productions in which he helped to create and popularize the image of the American teenager during the 50s.   Sadly, Dean’s career and life were cut short when he was killed in a car accident while racing in 1955.

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Lee Thompson Young

Lee Thompson Young is probably best-known for his role in the Disney Channel series, The Famous Jett Jackson.  Although the show ended in 2001, Young continued to find roles in both TV and film.  In 2010, Thompson landed a starring role on the TNT series, Rizolli & Isles, and his career seemed to be making a great comeback.  In 2013, when Young failed to show up for filming,  people on set became worried and sent local authorities to his residence. When police arrived, they found Young dead of an apparent suicide.

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Chris Farley

Chris Farley was certainly on his way to becoming one of the funniest men in Hollywood when he passed away of a drug overdose at the age of 33.  Before his death, Farley had been a cast member of the popular sketch comedy show, Saturday Night Live, and appeared in several films, including Black Sheep.

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Brandon Lee

Brandon Lee was on the brink of a successful career when he was tragically shot and killed while filming the 1994 film, The Crow.  However, when the film was released, Lee’s performance in the film earned praise from critics, and he even earned a posthumous MTV Award for Best Male Performance.  In an interview shortly before his death, Lee recited a quote from Paul Bowles’ book, The Sheltering Sky, which stated: “Because we don’t know when we will die, we get to think of life as an inexhaustible well. And yet everything happens only a certain number of times, and a very small number really…”

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Heather O’Rourke

Heather O’Rourke gained mainstream fame with her role in the 1982 horror film, Poltergeist.  Since it’s release, the film has become a classic. Poltergiest has also been considered one of the scariest horror movies of all time, largely thanks to a scene in which O’Rourke’s character’s head does a full 360 spin on her neck. Although O’Rourke was just six years-old when the film was released, she would not live to see the release of the sequel.  In 1988, at just 12 years-old, O’Rourke died of cardiac arrest due to complications stemming from a misdiagnosis.