History Main / PosthumousPopularityPotential

* Kobe Bryant was one of the most popular [[UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation NBA]] players of all time thanks to his success on the Los Angeles Lakers, but even then, he was not ''quite'' the icon that, say, UsefulNotes/MichaelJordan was. That all changed following his sudden death in a helicopter crash in January 2020, along with his beloved teenage daughter and seven others. Within hours of his passing, people were calling for the NBA silhouette to be changed to one of Bryant, and for his numbers #8 and #24 to be retired league-wide like the MLB did for Jackie Robinson and the NHL for Wayne Gretzky. Mark Cuban quickly announced that the Dallas Mavericks would retire #24 despite the fact Bryant never once played for them (or any other team); the Grammy Awards, which were held at the Lakers? home Staples Center that night, quickly became a tribute to him; and guess what the NBA All-Star Game trophy was renamed to?

* Creator/SatoruIwata, former president of Creator/{{Nintendo}}, was a rather polarizing figure for his strategy of attracting new, "casual" gamers with the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS, and UsefulNotes/{{Wii}}, as opposed to appealing to established players. Many called for him to resign after the UsefulNotes/WiiU failed to match sales with its UsefulNotes/XboxOne and UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 rivals. After he passed away in 2015, he was known as a fellow gamer who cared for Nintendo's audience, and more of his SugarWiki/GeniusProgramming feats were known -- almost universally turning his portrayal amongst gamers into a positive one. It also helps that his SwanSong project, the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, launched nearly 2 years after his death to acclaim from casual and hardcore gamers alike, unifying the two markets in a way that the Wii failed to do.

Some works [[VindicatedByHistory get recognized long after they are released]]. Some shows [[VindicatedByReruns become more popular after they are cancelled]]. But this is when a creator receives a boost in recognition when they have stopped creating... [[AuthorExistenceFailure for good]].

* Creator/VincentVanGogh managed to sell just one painting during his lifetime, but became much sought after soon after his suicide.

* Roberto Clemente was one of the great Major League Baseball players of the 1960s (15-time All-Star, MVP in 1966). After his death in 1972[[note]]He died in a plane crash off the coast of his native Puerto Rico, delivering humanitarian aid to survivors of an earthquake in Nicaragua[[/note]], a special Hall of Fame election was held four months later to waive the five-year waiting period (he was elected with a 92.7% percentage of the vote).[[note]]The Hall of Fame has since written a similar exception into its rules for induction. Any player otherwise eligible for induction who dies while active, or within the normal 5-year waiting period, becomes eligible for induction 6 months after his death.[[/note]] His career total of 3,000 hits is now considered the standard for a Hall of Fame-level player.

* Creator/SatoruIwata, former president of Creator/{{Nintendo}}, was a rather polarising figure for his strategy of attracting new, "casual" gamers with the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS, and UsefulNotes/{{Wii}}, as opposed to appealing to established players. Many called for him to resign after the UsefulNotes/WiiU failed to match sales with its UsefulNotes/XboxOne and UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 rivals. After he passed away in 2015, he was known as a fellow gamer who cared for Nintendo's audience, and more of his SugarWiki/GeniusProgramming feats were known -- almost universally turning his portrayal amongst gamers into a positive one. It also helps that his SwanSong project, the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, launched nearly 2 years after his death to acclaim from casual and hardcore gamers alike, unifying the two markets in a way that the Wii failed to do.

* Creator/ElizabethHartman had been retired from acting for a few years before her tragic suicide in 1987, and had fallen into obscurity thanks to a lifelong struggle with mental health. These days however, she's recognised for being the youngest actress at the time to win Best Actress for ''Film/APatchOfBlue'' (she was 22), getting to star in several classic films of the time, and her iconic performance as Mrs Brisby in ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretOfNIMH'' (her final role, and considered one of her best). In fact, Mrs Brisby's first name isn't revealed in the film, but this trope has led to fans naming her Elizabeth after the actress.

* Creator/JackKirby, though the main workhorse of Creator/MarvelComics throughout the 1960s, was never quite as well-recognized as Creator/StanLee, and many of his projects from the 70s onward were not particularly successful--the most notable being ''ComicBook/NewGods'', which, despite a decent amount of promotion, was cancelled before it even came close to the conclusion of its grand MythArc. Most of his business in the 80s and 90s was dedicated to small creator-owned projects or his legal battles with Marvel. While he still carried a lot of weight among fellow creators, he was widely viewed by fans as a dinosaur past his prime--when he illustrated a number of characters for DC's ''Who's Who'', DC apparently got mail claiming they should use less of his art. But when he passed away in 1994, he became properly recognized as one of the great architects of comics, and his star has only risen since then--his DC creations have become a core part of its universe, his lesser-known projects have come under increasingly greater acclaim, and it's not uncommon to hear people naming him the true creator of Silver Age Marvel, after learning how much creative control he really had on most of those books. Even as a person, he's something of a SacredCow, due to both his insane work ethic (he was writing, drawing, and inking at least fifteen pages ''per week'' in his DC days) and his incredibly forthright and moral personality, with his strident antifascism being a major theme of his stories.

* Creator/JackKirby, though the main workhorse of Creator/MarvelComics throughout the 1960s, was never quite as well-recognized as Creator/StanLee, and many of his projects from the 70s onward were not particularly successful--the most notable being ''ComicBook/TheNewGods'', which, despite a decent amount of promotion, was cancelled before it even came close to the conclusion of its grand MythArc. Most of his business in the 80s and 90s was dedicated to small creator-owned projects or his legal battles with Marvel. While he still carried a lot of weight among fellow creators, he was widely viewed by fans as a dinosaur past his prime--when he illustrated a number of characters for DC's ''Who's Who'', DC apparently got mail claiming they should use less of his art. But when he passed away in 1994, he became properly recognized as one of the great architects of comics, and his star has only risen since then--his DC creations have become a core part of its universe, his lesser-known projects have come under increasingly greater acclaim, and it's not uncommon to hear people naming him the true creator of Silver Age Marvel, after learning how much creative control he really had on most of those books. Even as a person, he's something of a SacredCow, due to both his insane work ethic (he was writing, drawing, and inking at least fifteen pages ''per week'' in his DC days) and his incredibly forthright and moral personality, with his strident antifascism being a major theme of his stories.

* Creator/SatoruIwata, former president of Creator/{{Nintendo}}, was a rather polarising figure for his strategy of attracting new, "casual" gamers with the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS, and UsefulNotes/{{Wii}}, as opposed to appealing to established players. Many called for him to resign after the UsefulNotes/WiiU failed to match sales with its UsefulNotes/XboxOne and UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 rivals. After he passed away in 2015, he was known as a fellow gamer who cared for Nintendo's audience, and more of his SugarWiki/GeniusProgramming feats were known -- almost universally turning his portrayal amongst gamers into a positive one.

* Creator/SatoruIwata, former president of Creator/{{Nintendo}}, was a rather polarising figure for his strategy of attracting new, "casual" gamers with the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}}, as opposed to appealing to established players. Many called for him to resign after the UsefulNotes/WiiU failed to match sales with its UsefulNotes/XboxOne and UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 rivals. After he passed away in 2015, he was known as a fellow gamer who cared for Nintendo's audience, and more of his SugarWiki/GeniusProgramming feats were known -- almost universally turning his portrayal amongst gamers into a positive one.

* WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes examples:

* Prior to his untimely passing to [[UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic COVID-19]], Rick May was an obscure voice actor who had very little to his resume in a long time, despite having birthed the famous "DoABarrelRoll" meme. It was only after his death that his IMDB page got a profile picture and gamers started becoming truly aware of who he was, most famously the voice of Peppy and Andross in ''VideoGame/StarFox64'', Genghis Khan in ''VideoGame/AgeOfEmpiresII'', Dr. M in ''VideoGame/Sly3HonorAmongThieves'', and the Soldier in ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2''.

* Creator/JohnRitter was never much of a ratings draw after ''Series/ThreesCompany'' ended. But after his sudden and unexpected death (less than a week before his 55th birthday), everyone fell over themselves proclaiming him a genius and ''Company'' one of the greatest sitcoms of all time (as well as the show he was starring in at the time of his death, ''Series/EightSimpleRules'', to a lesser extent). The media circus surrounding his death -- on the two-year anniversary of 9/11, no less -- was so massive that his widow Amy Yasbeck joked that she "married Elvis".

* Comedian Kevin Meaney increased in popularity following his fatal heart attack in 2016, causing more fans to learn about [[WesternAnimation/RockosModernLife his roles]] [[WesternAnimation/GarfieldAndFriends in animation]], which were relatively unknown prior to his passing.

* Creator/JohnRitter was never much of a ratings draw after ''Series/ThreesCompany'' ended. But after his sudden and unexpected death, everyone fell over themselves proclaiming him a genius and ''Company'' one of the greatest sitcoms of all time (as well as his current show, ''Series/EightSimpleRules'', to a lesser extent). The media circus surrounding his death -- on the two-year anniversary of 9/11, no less -- was so massive that his widow Amy Yasbeck joked that she "married Elvis".

* Creator/ChrisFarley became a breakout performer when he was in the cast of ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' in the early 1990s and starred in ''Film/TommyBoy'', ''Film/BlackSheep1996'', and ''Film/BeverlyHillsNinja'', which were commercial hits even if they were unpopular with critics. After his death in 1997, Farley became recognized as one of the most iconic comedic actors of his time, with his brother writing a biography, ''The Chris Farley Show'', and fellow ''SNL'' alumni and friend Creator/AdamSandler paying tribute to him.

* Creator/JudithBarsi, a child actress best known for her roles in Creator/DonBluth's ''WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTime'' and ''WesternAnimation/AllDogsGoToHeaven'', died under [[PaterFamilicide tragic circumstances]] before either film came out. Because of this, her work is better regarded than it might have if she were alive.

* Prior to his untimely passing to COVID-19, Rick May was an obscure voice actor who had very little to his resume in a long time, despite having birthed the famous "DoABarrelRoll" meme. It was only after his death that his IMDB page got a profile picture and gamers started becoming truly aware of who he was, most famously the voice of Peppy and Andross in ''VideoGame/StarFox64'', Genghis Khan in ''VideoGame/AgeOfEmpiresII'', Dr. M in ''VideoGame/Sly3HonorAmongThieves'', and the Soldier in ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2''.

* Creator/MaddieBlaustein, who did several voices for 4kids, was an extremely versatile voice actress, who voiced characters of all genders, owing to her being trans. When she passed away in 2008, she left behind a real legacy and is regarded as one of the best anime voice actresses, even by people who don't care for 4kids.

** Creator/RobertMcKimson was quite shy and his work was always seen as more conformist compared to his fellow colleagues at Warners. His only two creations, ''WesternAnimation/FoghornLeghorn'' and ''WesternAnimation/TasmanianDevil'' were far more obscure compared to Bugs and Daffy and would only get more popular after his death. Today [=McKimson=]'s work is re-evaluated as fine draftsmanship. Two of his creations in particular (Taz and Speedy Gonzales, though the latter only became popular after Friz Freleng redesigned him) are among the most popular characters in the Looney Tunes staple. Taz even earned [[WesternAnimation/TazMania his own TV show]].

** Creator/RobertMcKimson was quite shy and his work was always seen as more conformist compared to his fellow colleagues at Warners. His only two creations, ''WesternAnimation/FoghornLeghorn'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheTasmanianDevil'' were far more obscure compared to Bugs and Daffy and would only get more popular after his death. Today [=McKimson=]'s work is re-evaluated as fine draftsmanship. Two of his creations in particular (Taz and Speedy Gonzales, though the latter only became popular after Friz Freleng redesigned him) are among the most popular characters in the Looney Tunes staple. Taz even earned [[WesternAnimation/TazMania his own TV show]].

* A more extreme example is John Kennedy Toole's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel ''Literature/AConfederacyOfDunces''. It wasn't his death that got audiences' attention, but the tireless efforts of his mother over the course of eleven years to get it published that made his reputation.

* ''Creator/JohnKennedyToole'' was unknown and unpublished when he committed suicide in 1969. Thanks to his mother's efforts ''Literature/AConfederacyOfDunces'' was published to huge acclaim in 1980, and won the Pulitzer Prize.[[/folder]]

[[/folder]]

* Creator/SylviaPlath. When she was alive, she struggled to gain recognition at all for her poetry. After her death, she was the first poet to posthumously win the Pulitzer Prize, is now regarded as one of ''the'' key figures in confessional poetry, and Joyce Carol Oates hailed the publication of Plath's unabridged journals as a "genuine literary event."

[[folder:Music]]
* Music/KurtCobain was valued before he died, and they did have several hit singles at the time, but Music/{{Nirvana}} probably wouldn't have sold 50 million albums and been considered such a genre-defining band without his dramatic suicide. (Music/PearlJam, for instance, was easily outselling Nirvana at the time).
* Music/TheNotoriousBIG has been hailed by many as the greatest rapper of all time...after he died, and with only two albums, ''Music/ReadyToDie'' and ''Music/LifeAfterDeath'' completed during his lifetime. On top of that, his untimely death in 1997 is likely one of the major reasons his second album ''Life After Death'' went Diamond in 2000 long before any albums by his more popular rival Music/TupacShakur did, even though Biggie was already very popular to begin with.
* Music/BigL's second album ''The Big Picture'', published a year after his death in 1999, went Gold and was L's most successful album, especially compared to his first album ''Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous'', the only one released when he was still alive.
* Music/JDilla, while very popular due to his work with notable acts (including Music/ATribeCalledQuest, Music/DeLaSoul, Music/BustaRhymes, Music/ErykahBadu, Music/TheRoots, Music/ThePharcyde, Music/{{Madlib}}, and Music/{{Common}}), wasn't known for his solo career. While very successful and admired in the hip-hop community while he was alive, his largest first-week sales as a solo artist occurred because of the re-release of his EP-turned-album Ruff Draft (heck, the original release was unsuccessful) in 2007, one year after his death.
* Music/XXXTentacion was a rapper who grew popular in the late 2010s for his dark lyrics and unique beats, yet was heavily scrutinized for his criminal record, including abuse allegations from his pregnant wife. After he was killed while leaving a motorcycle dealership, a wave of posthumous support came in, declaring X as one of the best rappers of the new generation and a pioneer in mumble rap.
* [[Music/HidetoMatsumoto hide]], a Japanese rock guitarist for the band Music/XJapan and who also had a solo career. Very popular in life (and arguably could have been ''the'' person to break the "barrier" between Japanese rock and metal and Western rock and metal had he lived) but '''far''' more popular after his death.
* Music/TaijiSawada, also of Music/XJapan (and Music/{{Loudness}}) and Music/TheKillingRedAddiction and lots of other bands) has also experienced this - in a more understated way. He's nowhere near the CashCowFranchise or wide publicity hide is, but his solo work did get lifted out of relative obscurity on Youtube (and with people who will happily reupload the now out-of-print stuff every time it's deleted) and his bass virtuosity and lyrical skills (along with some of the opinions he expressed in his autobiography, which finally got a full English translation ''because'' of his death) became VindicatedByHistory.
* Austrian singer Music/{{Falco}} ("Rock me Amadeus") supposedly said: "You've got to die in Vienna before the people will appreciate you."
* Music/JohnLennon didn't really become acclaimed until after his tragic assassination. His album ''Music/DoubleFantasy'', did go gold before Lennon died, as David Geffen told John when Geffen dropped by the recording studio on the night of Dec. 8, but it is possible that it wouldn't have won that Grammy -- reviews published in the three weeks between the album's release and Lennon's murder were lukewarm. Ironically enough, he often spoke of this reaction in interviews prior to his death. After his so-called "lost weekend" Lennon took in LA, where he was separated from Yoko and went on an alcoholic binge, leading to some embarrassing behavior around 1973-75, he reunited with Yoko, straightened himself out and took a five-year hiatus from the music industry to raise his son Sean. Lennon commented in interviews that the fact he did not die in Los Angeles meant that critics were free to take shots at his music, but had he died, everyone would be praising him and feeling empathy with his music and messages.
* [=McCartney=]'s late wife Linda had often been ridiculed by members of the rock press and certain music fans as a mediocre talent in both music and photography, a punchline in many sexist "jokes" like "What do you call a cow with wings", etc., right up until the time of her death from breast cancer in 1998. Since then, and especially in the light of the Heather Mills drama, she has been reassessed as a songwriter and performer and a critical force in the band Music/{{Wings}} and Paul's solo groups; her solo efforts as compiled by Paul on the posthumous album ''Wide Prairie'' has received critical acclaim. Her photography and environmentalism have been better appreciated as well.
* Music/GeorgeHarrison has also been a beneficiary of this effect since his death in 2001. Suddenly people remembered why songs like "My Sweet Lord" and "Crackerbox Palace" had been so popular in their day. Additionally, George had been an object of frequent derision for his unabashedly religious music and for the red tape issues surrounding the ''Music/ConcertForBangladesh''. After his death, his spirituality became a point of respect, and he was hailed as being compassionate enough to "invent" the benefit concert. (Incidentally, his death made front-page news in Bangladesh itself.)
* Ian Curtis and Music/JoyDivision; while the band was already critically acclaimed during Curtis' lifetime, it was his suicide in 1980 that catapulted the band to legendary status (though some of the praise nowadays runs along the lines of "well, it's [[TrueArtIsAngsty depressing but at least he meant it]]"). The rest of Joy Division became Music/NewOrder and put out many more albums and hit singles, but tend to be overshadowed by Curtis' suicide. The biopic ''Film/TwentyFourHourPartyPeople'' focuses on Joy Division and moves on to the Happy Mondays with New Order appearing in the background, and Creator/AntonCorbijn's ''Film/{{Control}}'' covers Curtis' life and finishes with his death, with no mention of what the other three did. Grant Gee's ''Joy Division'' documentary contains barely a mention of anything past 1980.
* While Music/FreddieMercury was far from an unknown by the time he died, Music/{{Queen}} experienced a major popularity boost after his death. After their fall from popularity in the USA in TheEighties, Mercury told Music/BrianMay: "[[FunnyAneurysmMoment Guess I'll have to fucking die]] before we're big there again" - [[HarsherInHindsight which sadly was the case]]. Their album sales in 1992 were significantly better than their sales in the '80s and to date, about half of their sold albums have been since Mercury's death. The AIDS benefit concert dedicated to him certainly helped as well. His bandmate Brian May [[WordOfGod mentioned in many interviews]] that Freddie encouraged Brian to release the latter's solo "Driven By You" single after Freddie's death, as the singer knew that public interest in Queen would skyrocket at that point and it would help the single soar up the charts.
* Music/LouReed was already appreciated and respected for his music and influence on many bands, but when he died in October of 2013, tributes and accolades were given by a huge number of people in the music industry. In fact, his death ultimately led to his induction in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist in 2015 (it was too late to add him in 2014 and the Music/VelvetUnderground had already been inducted in 1996).
* Cliff Burton, the dead bassist of Music/{{Metallica}}, has achieved legendary status within the heavy metal world. Probably because, back in 1986, he died when the tour bus slid on black ice, flipped over, and crushed him. The fact that, when they were lifting the tour bus up with a crane after the accident, they accidentally dropped it back onto him did not help.
* When Jerry Garcia of Music/TheGratefulDead passed away, not only was there increased demand for the albums, but also for his line of men's ties and even Ben & Jerry's "Cherry Garcia" ice cream, which had existed since the mid-'80s and went from being one of its better selling flavors to the brand's biggest selling flavor of all time.
* Music/{{Mayhem}}:
** The band has had countless singers throughout their history. One of them, Dead (real name Per Yngve Ohlin), in addition to being pretty unhinged in life (starving himself to "improve" his voice, burying his clothes in the ground and wearing them onstage while cutting himself), ultimately blew his head off with a shotgun while leaving a note that only said "Pardon the mess." The guitarist, Euronymous, then took a picture of his body before calling the police, the picture of which appeared on one of their album covers. He then, according to legend, made a ''stew out of the pieces of his brain and ate it'' (which Euronymous confirmed as false, though he apparently thought about it), and collected fragments of his skull and made necklaces out of them (Euronymous confirmed this one as true.) Now, guess which of their many singers was traditionally called the best?
** Original guitarist and songwriter Euronymous was murdered shortly after recording for the band's proper debut album, ''De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas'', was completed. This album has effectively become the yardstick against which all subsequent Mayhem albums have and must be measured. His murderer, Varg Vikernes, was playing bass on that album. Varg's releases as Burzum later became entry-level black metal music [[SarcasmMode for unrelated reasons]].
* Music/EvaCassidy may have never actively sought out for fame and a stable career in the music business, she was relatively unknown outside her home state of Washington D.C. when she passed away from skin cancer in 1996 at the age of 33. She released a collaborative album with Chuck Brown entitled ''Music/TheOtherSide'' in 1992 with her own arrangements of classics like "God Bless the Child" and "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" and won a couple of local music awards, but nothing else. Two years after her death, a compilation album, ''Music/{{Songbird}}'', was made, which sold over 100, 000 copies over the following months. A British music show then aired a poignant, DeliberatelyMonochrome video of Cassidy singing "Over the Rainbow", and ''Songbird'' shot up the charts. ''Eight million'' copies of her album have now been sold as of this writing, and her music has topped international charts.
* Music/MichaelJackson sold over 270 million albums and helped define a generation, but he also spent pretty much the last two decades of his life as a pop-cultural punchline, almost universally dismissed as a walking train wreck and a {{reclusive|Artist}} freak whose GloryDays as an artist were ''long'' behind him. After his death, the media coverage and tributes completely reversed his reputation almost overnight, to the point of [[http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2009/10/michael-jacksons-american-music-awards-nominations-unfair.html winning four AMA awards after his death]] for a ''2003 GreatestHitsAlbum''. ''Magazine/{{Mad}}'' mocked this twice, first with a "brutally honest" obituary that pointed up both his personal failings and the failure of his family and handlers to do anything to help him, and second by declaring the post-mortem near-deification the Dumbest Event of 2009. This renewed popularity would take a major hit, however, with the release of the 2019 documentary ''Leaving Neverland''. Meticulously detailing two new accusations against Jackson, the documentary would end up prompting a widespread re-evaluation of the man's life and legacy and reignited the debate of whether or not it should be socially acceptable to separate art from the artist, although his overall popularity was not affected in the long run.
* In Australian youth radio station Creator/TripleJ's [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triple_J_Hottest_100_of_All_Time,_2009 Hottest 100 Of All Time 2009]] 4 of the artists in the top 10 (Music/KurtCobain, Music/JeffBuckley, [[Music/JoyDivision Ian Curtis]] and Music/FreddieMercury) died relatively young.
* Richey James Edwards, the lyricist and guitarist for the Music/ManicStreetPreachers mysteriously disappeared in 1995, and has been [[NeverFoundTheBody presumed dead]] since 2008. The band has had much more commercial success since then. Of course, this could be because, without his unique vision, they've produced several more pop-friendly albums (an album using lyrics left by him was released in 2009).
* Music/SidVicious didn't play on any of the Music/SexPistols' albums, didn't write anything and his amps were turned off live (the man [[DreadfulMusician couldn't even play]]). Still, he's the most famous "member" of the band because he died at 21 (and because he allegedly murdered his girlfriend, though that's a surprisingly small part of it).
* Music/{{Aaliyah}} was a rising star in the R&B genre and it was predicted she would become even bigger after ''Film/RomeoMustDie'' showed her crossing into films. But she had a growing HypeBacklash that said she owed far more to her beauty and production thanks to Timbaland. Since her death at the age of 22 in a plane crash in 2001, she's been remembered as a great singer who died too soon. In fact, many R&B singers who became famous in the 2000s like Beyonce, Ciara, Zendaya etc. cited her as their idol. She's still glorified to this day.
* Music/OzzyOsbourne has had nearly a dozen guitarists join his band, with varying levels of success, but which of them is considered the greatest? Randy Rhoads, of course, the one who died in a plane crash in 1982 and left a legacy even Zakk Wylde lives in the shadow of after playing on only 2 Ozzy albums, if you don't count the live Tribute album released in 1987 (it helps that Rhoads was also Ozzy's first guitarist, and had achieved some fame beforehand as the guitarist for Music/QuietRiot) and was a very influential guitar player during his time with Ozzy.
* Music/NickDrake achieved ''very'' little success in his life before his death, mostly attributed to the fact that never gave interviews and almost never performed live, attributed to debilitating mental illness (he died from an overdose on psychiatric medication, most likely unintentional as psych meds back in the '70s were notoriously dangerous). Afterward? People started discovering him, and his sales started increasingly tremendously. Though he didn't achieve true success until almost ''forty years later'', when his song "Music/PinkMoon" was used in [[RepurposedPopSong a Volkswagen ad]]. In the ensuing months, his albums sold more copies than they had in the last 35+ years ''combined''. In a haunting case of HarsherInHindsight, Drake described this trope in "Fruit Tree" from his very first album, predicting his own posthumous fame: "Fame is but a fruit tree, So very unsound / It can never flourish 'till its stock is in the ground..."
* Music/AmyWinehouse was a very successful artist before her untimely passing at the age of 27. Her album ''Music/BackToBlack'' sold over 20 million copies worldwide (even more impressive when you consider that record sales were at an all-time low at that point), had 15 charted singles, many of which were international hits, won numerous awards - including 5 Grammys in one night - and by their own admission directly inspired and paved the way for the likes of Music/{{Adele}}, Music/LadyGaga, [[Music/FlorenceAndTheMachine Florence Welch]] and Music/{{Duffy}}. However, in the later years of her life, she was ridiculed by the media for her substance abuse problems and dismissed as a terrible role model.[[note]]NME voted her "Villain of the Year in both 2008 and 2009.[[/note]] After her death, the focus was not only on her music but also on her charitable activities which had never been mentioned before.
* Although Creator/DeanMartin has always had some measure of popularity, he seems to have gotten much more positive attention in death than in his lifetime, when under the shadows of Creator/JerryLewis and Music/FrankSinatra. It is almost as likely that posthumous compilations of his greatest hits will turn up in record shelves as Frank's.
* Music/WhitneyHouston did sell over 170 million records in her career, but she was ridiculed by the media constantly for her problems with drugs and alcohol, her increasingly erratic behavior, and her tumultuous relationship with Bobby Brown during the last decade of her life. Shortly after her death, sales of her records soared, tributes to her began to pour out, and [[NeverSpeakIllOfTheDead jokes about the problems she had were largely forgotten]].
* While Davy Jones of Music/TheMonkees was hugely popular in TheSixties, he fell out of mainstream exposure since the mid-'90s despite continuing to be musically active, getting a brief resurgence in popularity after his unexpected February 2012 death. Jones' death also caused fellow Monkee Music/MichaelNesmith to reunite with his former bandmates for touring, having separated from them since 1996.
* This can also be said for '70s disco queen Music/DonnaSummer; her passing from cancer just three months after Jones' passing caused people to remember why songs like "Hot Stuff" and "Last Dance" were so popular.
* Adam Yauch, AKA MCA of the Music/BeastieBoys, was GenreSavvy enough to attempt to prevent this by [[http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/adam-yauchs-will-prohibits-use-of-his-music-in-ads-20120809 forbidding the use of his music for advertising]] in his will.
* A subversion in one of the most bizarre incidents, [[Music/{{Rodriguez}} Sixto Rodriguez]] was a small-time Detroit folk singer who [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff didn't know he was a pop superstar in South Africa]], who was rumored to have died of suicide on stage. When he was discovered alive and well and performed in South Africa, the local populace felt like it was the equivalent of [[ElvisLives Elvis being found truly alive and performing again]]. ''Film/SearchingForSugarMan'' tells the complete story of Rodriguez's fall and rise.
* Music/ElvisPresley. It was once said by a handler that death was the best thing to happen to his career. In fact, he sold more albums and merchandise in the three years after he died than in his entire career! Also, it is not widely remembered that Presley's career and popularity were in uncontrolled freefall in the last couple years of his life; he could only score moderate hit singles (and even then they were generally relegated to the country western charts), critics savaged his new albums, and his fading physical condition and erratic live performances did not go unnoticed, with only blind loyalty (or perhaps the [[BileFascination innate attraction to watch a train wreck in action]]) selling tickets. His death made even his most critically lambasted recordings financially lucrative again and drew people to seek out even his worst movies.
* Jenni Rivera, a Mexican-American ''Banda'' singer largely unknown outside of the genre (although considering ''banda'' is practically the most-listened genre in Mexico, she was known by almost everyone there, even by the ones who didn't like her music) got a popularity push after her December 2012 death in a plane crash. Shortly before her death, she was in the news not because of her music, but due to her scandalous divorce from baseball player Esteban Loaiza, who allegedly cheated on Jenni with her own daughter. However, as of 2019 this seems to have been averted, she is not more popular than she was before her death, and she's mostly forgotten in the media except when talking about her daughter (also a banda singer) or her past scandals. ''Two'' biographical series about Rivera also emphasize the many troubles she went through throughout her life.
* Singer/actor Pedro Infante became one of the major icons of Mexican popular culture after he died in a plane crash in 1957 at the age of 39. '''More details?'''
* Music/BobMarley was already popular during his lifetime, but only after his death did his fanbase expand beyond a cult reputation. Today he is perhaps the most well-loved musician in the Third World. And even in the United States, his fan base has grown considerably.
* Blues singer Music/RobertJohnson died in obscurity back in the 1930s. His reputation only grew a few decades later, when his music was rediscovered by collectors of authentic American folk music. Those collectors later introduced mainstream audiences to his music when his sides were compiled on the bestselling albums ''Music/KingOfTheDeltaBluesSingers'' and the Grammy-winning ''Music/RobertJohnsonTheCompleteRecordings''.
* It's difficult to tell whether the reputations of Music/CharlieParker, Music/BillieHoliday, and Music/JohnColtrane would have been so enormous if they hadn't passed away at such a young age.
* Music/FrankZappa once said that he didn't care whether he was remembered at all and bitterly assumed that this would be the case after he died. Though he will never become a mainstream favorite his music is now far more popular and acclaimed than during his lifetime.
* After Music/CaptainBeefheart's death, his discography, amazingly enough, started selling better than ever before.
* Music/JeffBuckley's death has caused an enormous interest in his music and made his first posthumous album ''Music/SketchesForMySweetheartTheDrunk'' sell far better than it would have in normal circumstances.
* Israel "Iz" Kamakawiwo'ole. Popular and acclaimed regionally before his death; popular and acclaimed worldwide afterwards.
* Music/BuddyHolly and Music/RitchieValens would almost certainly not have gotten their {{Biopic}}s had it not been for the fateful Winter Dance Party flight. Averted in the case of Music/TheBigBopper, though it's arguably due to the effects of this that he even gets mentioned at all nowadays.
* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Jamerson James Jamerson]] was {{Creator/Motown}}'s first-call bassist in its classic era. He wasn't very well-known to the public and had a long struggle with [[ArtisticStimulation alcoholism]] that led to his death at age 47 in 1983. Years later, as interest in the careers of session musicians grew, Jamerson was rediscovered and is now usually considered to be one of the most important bassists of all-time. One unintended side effect is that Jamerson sometimes gets erroneously credited with bass work on songs that were actually done by other Motown bassists like [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Babbitt Bob Babbitt]].
** Interest in Jamerson seems to have led to most interest in general in the "Funk Brothers" (Motown's in-house session musicians), many of them deceased as of 2014, and the documentary movie about them, entitled ''Film/StandingInTheShadowsOfMotown'' received much acclaim.
* Although {{Music/Selena}} was a pretty big deal in Latin America at the time of her death in 1995, she was unknown in the US until the circumstances of her shocking murder made headlines all over the world. Her anticipated English-language crossover, ''Music/DreamingOfYou'', was released just a few months later, and the residual media interest is at least partly responsible for the album's record-breaking commercial success. Nearly all of the critical acclaim for that record seems to be influenced in some way by the tragedy and imagining what could have been. The successful [[{{Film/Selena}} biopic]] and Selena's status as a folk hero/borderline religious icon in the Mexican-American community continue to fuel interest in, and admiration for, her life and musical legacy.
* Paul Baloff of {{Music/Exodus|Band}} was often considered a poor singer with too much anger and no control over his voice during his lifetime. After his death, having sung on only one studio album and one live album, he was widely praised for his raw, chaotic vocal style, as well as his enthusiasm for thrash metal.
* Film composer Music/JamesHorner has gotten this treatment following his June 2015 death in a plane crash. Prior to his death, Horner had a VocalMinority of detractors accusing him of ripping off pieces of music from other artists, though he was still respected overall.
* Music/CharlesMingus was a respected jazz bassist and bandleader but was really only considered a genius after his death in 1979 from ALS.
* The Rev from Music/AvengedSevenfold's recognition as a drummer increased greatly when he passed away from a drug overdose in December 2009 at age 28 and is now commonly cited as one of hard rock/heavy metal's greatest drummers.
* Richard Wright was the main keyboardist for Music/PinkFloyd and instrumental for defining the band's signature sound, even leading it for a while following Music/SydBarrett's exit. His work was generally overshadowed though by the more prominent members like [[Music/RogerWaters Waters]], Gilmour, and the after-mentioned Syd, and in general just seen as 'there' by the general public. It wasn't until after his death in 2008 (and the [[Music/TheEndlessRiver tribute album]] the band put out for him) that his role in the band's success became officially recognized.
* Music/SuicideSilence lead singer Mitch Lucker was pretty popular during his short lifetime. However, after a November 2012 motorcycle crash claimed his life, his fans seem to love him way more and often pay tribute to him online. They even wish he was still alive.
* Legendary British singer Music/CillaBlack got her ''first'' number one album after dying of injuries after falling from her balcony in 2015.
* After his death, Music/{{Motorhead}} frontman Lemmy got massive media coverage. Although his death was late in 2015, he is remembered as the start of the series of tragic deaths from 2016.
* Music/NatalieCole briefly got this after her sudden death on New Year's Eve 2015. Sadly, her passing was completely overshadowed by a number of celebrities with even greater media prominence who died in the weeks and months since she did.
* The year 2016 was marked by the deaths of three prominent music stars and their subsequent reactions:
** First, Music/DavidBowie's death in January almost approached Music/MichaelJackson levels in terms of media exposure. Bowie was widely admired at the time but was seen as something of a ReclusiveArtist because he spent nearly a decade out of the limelight following a severe on-stage heart attack in 2004, and didn't tour when he resumed recording again in 2011. His last album ''Music/BlackstarAlbum'' was released just two days before his death, and while it sold well and earned critical acclaim upon release, posthumous sales skyrocketed (even knocking Music/{{Adele}} off the top spot in most areas) and the album quickly came to be regarded as Bowie's greatest work.
** Next was Music/{{Prince}}, who had fallen out of the limelight for years until his death in April, upon which he became a media juggernaut to an even greater extent than Bowie did. At the time of his death, he was still a highly regarded live performer (his last live performance was only one week before his death) but his recent albums had received a less than stellar reception, and [[NewMediaAreEvil his stance on music streaming and]] Website/YouTube hadn't helped his popularity with younger audiences. The fact that he died rather young and of an unnatural cause (he died of an opioid overdose at 57; Bowie was taken out by cancer at 69) and the masses of [[ArchivePanic unreleased songs in his vault]] also helped feed his legend status. He even took over the ''entire top 10'' of the [=iTunes=] chart afterwards and much of the ''Hot 100'' as well.
** Finally, Music/GeorgeMichael, who died suddenly on Christmas Day, and who was younger than both Bowie and Prince, dying of natural causes at 53. Owing to a protracted dispute with his record label, Michael's solo career ground to a halt in the early '90s, particularly in the United States. His last album of new music was released in 2004 and he spent much of the next decade touring to a dwindling audience and dealing with various run-ins with the law and paparazzi. After his death, his music returned to the charts. The revelation that he was heavily (albeit anonymously) involved with philanthropic causes and gave millions away to charities for terminally ill children and the homeless also greatly improved his reputation.
* Music/ChristinaGrimmie was hardly a household name, mostly known for her stint on ''Series/TheVoice'', but she had a sizable following on social media. Her shocking murder at an Orlando theater in 2016 made national and international headlines, largely due to the circumstances that were not unlike those of Selena's death (a crazed fan shot and killed her at an autograph signing before turning the gun on himself), and also the fact that she was only ''22''. Even though it would be overshadowed by the mass shooting of a gay nightclub the next night, she still received a brief popularity boost.
* Music/TheGerms were a relatively popular L.A. area band mainly known outside of their devoted fanbase for being unbookable due to their shows frequently ending in riots. It wasn't until frontman Darby Crash died of suicide that the band was VindicatedByHistory and recognized for helping to kickstart the HardcorePunk movement, although it took a while to set in due to Darby's death occurring the day before John Lennon was killed.
* While he was highly valued throughout his life and was far from being forgotten, Mexican singer Juan Gabriel became the Latin American highest example of this trope, surpassing Selena, after his sudden death in August 2016, just two days after giving a concert in Los Angeles and the same day the final episode of his autobiographic TV series premiered in Mexico. The reaction to his death was comparable to those of Elvis Presley, John Lennon, and Michael Jackson.
* Three years later, fellow singer José José's passing rivaled Juan Gabriel's in terms of media exposure and public reaction, especially after he spent his last decade as a sad shell of his former self.
* Music/BigStar would probably never have become one of the most influential PowerPop bands if founding guitarist Chris Bell, half of the driving force of ''[[AcclaimedFlop #1 Record]]'', hadn't died at the young age of 27.
* Russian's cult alternative musician [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yegor_Letov Yegor Letov]] managed to subvert the trope - due to his highly non-conformist behavior, constant light drug usage, and rather nihilistic approach to life in general, on one point he was ''expected'' to be killed in some kind of accident or to die of suicide sooner or later. His actual death (heart failure while sleeping) was quiet and painless contrary to preposterous predictions from many mass media, and for the lack of any big scandals surrounding his persona during the last days of his life, Letov's CultClassic status remained practically the same as it was before his death.
* Although a certain reinterest in her and her work was already brewing in the last years of her life, particularly with Bridget Fonda's character Kelly Porter in ''Film/GraceOfMyHeart'' being loosely based on her [[note]]Lesley co-wrote a song Kelly sang in the movie, "My Secret Love", but was unhappy with the experience and in not even being invited by the film's producers to the movie premiere[[/note]], and "You Don't Own Me" being featured heavily in ''Film/TheFirstWivesClub'', the death of [[TheSixties 1960s]] TeenQueen Lesley Gore in 2015 to cancer seems to have further awakened interest in her music, with Australian pop singer Grace covering "You Don't Own Me" (using Lesley's '60's producer, QuincyJones) with an assist from rapper Music/GEazy for a hit popularized by a trailer to ''Film/SuicideSquad2016'' and Lesley's original recording being inducted in the 2017 Grammy Hall of Fame. Labels like the London-based Ace Records and American label Real Gone Music have reissued her back catalog, and a biography based on her life, also titled "You Don't Own Me", was released in 2016.
* Music/{{Soundgarden}} were very popular in the '90s, but they were never given the same recognition as Music/{{Nirvana}}. Things changed with Music/ChrisCornell's death in May 2017 and their reputation greatly improved.
* Music/LinkinPark, already often mocked for being a NuMetal band early on in their career, was suffering major critical and fan backlash after their new pop sound on their album ''One More Light'', and lead singer Chester Bennington for his defence of the album and angry retorts at fans. His suicide in July 2017, just two months after his close friend Chris Cornell's (on the latter's birthday, no less), led to vindication of the new album and former fans reevaluating the band as a whole, as well as increased activism for mental health issues.
* Swedish DJ and producer Avicii had initially hit it big with songs such as 2011's "Levels" and 2013's "Wake Me Up", with even more songs such as "Addicted to You" "Seek Bromance", and "Hey Brother" becoming very well-known songs in the electronic music world. However, Avicii's career and reputation had hit a low point [[SophomoreSlump after the release of his sophomore album]] ''Stories'', with few artists mentioning him, and with outspoken critics such as Music/{{deadmau5}} criticizing his lack of variety in his work. After his tragic suicide at the age of 28 in 2018, however, Avicii's popularity skyrocketed once again, with many people praising his influence in the dance music industry (in particular, the way he combined electronic music styles with country music on his debut album), and how he passed away too soon. As of late April of 2018, "Levels", "Wake Me Up" and "Hey Brother" have [[http://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/20180427/7501/ re-entered the UK Top 100 Singles Chart]].
* In June 2018, Music/{{Pantera}} lost its second key member in the form of drummer Vinnie Paul (who is also the above-mentioned Dimebag Darrell's brother). Following Paul's passing, many fans and critics reevaluated certain parts of Paul's discography[[note]]most notably his work with Damageplan and Hellyeah[[/note]]. Tributes were poured in by many iconic bands in the hard rock and heavy metal community. News about Paul's passing was also covered by mainstream news sites such as Creator/{{CNN}}, Creator/FoxNews, and Creator/{{MSNBC}}.
[[/folder]]

* Creator/FScottFitzgerald was popular during UsefulNotes/TheTwenties, but afterwards saw his reputation falter badly. It wasn't until after he died that ''Literature/TheGreatGatsby'' became celebrated as one of the greatest American novels.

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* Creator/HeathLedger was a critical darling during his lifetime, but the general public mostly knew him as "the guy from ''Film/BrokebackMountain''". That all changed when he died unexpectedly of an accidental drug overdose in 2008. His death wound up having a tremendous impact on the hype for ''Film/TheDarkKnight'' (his last fully completed role) and it became the second-highest-grossing film of all time in America (not adjusted for inflation), and the fourth to surpass $1 billion worldwide. Ledger won a lot of posthumous awards, including the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, a first for a superhero movie. Even though Ledger's ''actual'' final movie, ''Film/TheImaginariumOfDoctorParnassus'', received mixed reviews and only a moderate gross, his status as a Hollywood legend was fully cemented.
* In the same vein as Ledger's death, Creator/ChristopherReeve's paralysis later in life made him a living martyr and ensured his ''Film/{{Superman}}'' movies ([[FirstInstallmentWins well, the first two at least]]) would be considered untouchable and quintessential, though Superman and his world from the Creator/DCComics [[ComicBook/PostCrisis have long]] [[UsefulNotes/TheModernAgeOfComicBooks evolved past]] their depiction in the films. This made it frustrating for modern comics fans when the first Superman film in decades was a [[Film/SupermanReturns slavish super-homage]] to a retro version instead of depicting the contemporary one they're used to. [[Film/ManOfSteel That changed with the reboot,]] [[UnpleasableFanbase not that that automatically made it beloved.]]
* Creator/BrandonLee's final movie, ''Film/TheCrow'', received a huge boost due to his death and has become a CultClassic. He died from a gunshot wound accidentally sustained on the set.
* Creator/BrittanyMurphy's career had shrunk to small roles and voice acting (most notably, her role on ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'') by the time of her death, which became a media sensation.
* UsefulNotes/HongKong actor Creator/LeslieCheung was hugely popular in his lifetime, but the sheer number of eulogies and overwrought tributes after his sudden suicide was unprecedented.
* Creator/JamesDean starred in only three movies before his death at the age of twenty-four from a car accident: ''Film/EastOfEden'', ''Film/RebelWithoutACause'', and ''Film/{{Giant}}'', plus a handful of TV performances. Only ''East of Eden'' was released when he was still alive and it was a huge sensation, but ''Rebel'' (which reached theaters after his death) made him a legend. James Dean was considered by the American Film Institute to be [[http://connect.afi.com/site/DocServer/stars50.pdf?docID=262 one of twenty-five greatest actors of all time]] -- this occurred partly because of the remarkable promise he showed at such a young age, as well as the fact these three films were considered stone-cold classics in their own right. Prior to the assassination of JFK, the day of Dean's death was the benchmark for the "Where were you when you heard..." question, and the level of fan/critical response to Dean's death for an actor would not be equaled until the death of Creator/HeathLedger a half-century later.
* Creator/BruceLee's premature and mysterious death greatly contributed to the box office success of his films and all the Bruceploitation films it spawned.
* Despite being -- to quote ''The New York Times'' -- "the most ambitious and widely admired American actor of his generation," Creator/PhilipSeymourHoffman's death made him a household name in the eyes of the average moviegoer. For example, he finally got his own page here only after his death.
* Creator/RobinWilliams was extremely popular during his lifetime but didn't have the same reputation as, say, Creator/WillSmith or Creator/JohnnyDepp. His death triggered a worldwide media sensation almost comparable to those of Princess Diana and Music/MichaelJackson. It also brought a renewed focus on mental health issues, given Williams [[SadClown grappled with them throughout his lifetime]], as well as spotlighting Lewy Body Dementia.
* Creator/PaulWalker, known for starring in the ''Film/TheFastAndTheFurious'' series, as well as a few other roles, was killed in a car crash in November 2013. Although the ''Fast and Furious'' films were massive hits, Walker wasn't well-known outside of those movies and his popularity was very low compared to co-star Creator/VinDiesel. Since then, [[AudienceShift a new legion of teenage fans who had previously never heard of him now worship him insanely]]. The greatest moment of Walker's posthumous legacy came in 2015, when then-fading rapper Music/WizKhalifa recorded a song in tribute of him, "[[Music/Furious7Soundtrack See You Again]]", for the next ''Furious'' movie. The song was an enormous hit -- spending twelve weeks atop the ''Billboard Hot 100'', selling nearly 500,000 copies the week it first hit #1 and [[BreakawayPopHit becoming its own separate entity from its parent film]], as well as propelling featured artist and songwriter Charlie Puth to stardom. Think about it -- had Walker's reputation remained where it was when he was alive, "See You Again" would have likely done next to nothing on the charts -- and of course, it's also likely the song wouldn't have been made if Walker was still alive. It should also be noted that he ''beat Vin Diesel'' for a Teen Choice Award that same year.
* Director Creator/EdWood is known today as the patron saint of bad movies like ''Film/Plan9FromOuterSpace'' or ''Film/GlenOrGlenda'', but in his lifetime he was virtually unknown and died nearly broke.
* Creator/CaroleLombard was a very successful actress in the 1930s, but it wasn't until after her tragic death at age 33 in a plane crash that she became one of the great icons of screwball comedy, with some calling her the greatest and most influential comedic actress of all time. Even Creator/LucilleBall decided to do ''Series/ILoveLucy'' after she dreamed Lombard told her to do it.
* After a string of flops in the '80s, Creator/GeneWilder had retired from acting, with the public mostly remembering him for playing the title role in the classic 1971 movie musical ''Film/WillyWonkaAndTheChocolateFactory'', based on Creator/RoaldDahl's classic novel ''Literature/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory''. His death in August 2016 not only helped sustain ''Wonka'''s great legacy, but also raised the profile of his other films such as ''Film/TheProducers'', ''Film/BlazingSaddles'', and ''Film/YoungFrankenstein'' and everyone began citing him as one of the greatest comedic actors of all time. On a related note, while Creator/TimBurton's [[Film/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory 2005 film version of]] ''[[Film/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory Charlie]]'', starring Creator/JohnnyDepp as Wonka, had faced intense HypeBacklash for over a decade for what was being increasingly seen as a butchered remake of the original film as opposed to a TruerToTheText adaptation of Dahl's original book, Wilder's death firmly solidified the '71 film as the definitive adaptation of the book and sent the '05 film into pure DeaderThanDisco territory.
* Creator/RockHudson fell off the Hollywood A-list in the late-1960s, and within 15 years found himself in supporting roles on TV series such as ''Series/{{Dynasty}}''. However, he revealed in 1985 that he was dying of AIDS, which was followed a few months later by his untimely passing. This ensured Hudson's status as a beloved Hollywood actor, in large part because his death gave the public a greater awareness of AIDS than ever before. In addition, Hudson came out as gay in a posthumously-released memoir, which finally allowed the public to see Hollywood's unfortunate treatment of homosexual actors in the 1950s and 1960s.
* Creator/CarrieFisher was very well known for playing Princess Leia in the ''Franchise/StarWars'' films, but she had no real profile beyond ''Star Wars'' and wasn't nearly as iconic as her co-star Creator/HarrisonFord. Her shocking death at the end of 2016, capping off a year of a surprisingly high number of high-profile celebrity deaths, truly made the world fall in love with her all over again, and Princess Leia was appropriated into a feminist symbol at the Women's March a month later. On a related note, Creator/DebbieReynolds, Fisher's mother, died a day after her daughter. Reynolds was a star from the '50s who was relatively obscure at the time of her death, but the fact that she died just ''one day'' after Fisher gave her passing a lot more attention than it would have gotten otherwise.
* Creator/RogerMoore wasn't the most popular of the [[Franchise/JamesBond James Bonds]], but he was still fairly well-liked. When he died in May 2017, a lot of his films' biggest critics (namely Connery fans) began to look at his films in a more positive light. Moore's death certainly would have been a big news story, especially considering that he is the first Bond to pass away, but it was largely reduced to an afterthought in the aftermath of the Manchester attacks.
* The actor Antonio De Curtis, known as Totò, well known in his country of Italy, once said: ''It's going to be really beautiful at my funeral, there will be praises, words, big words, they will find out I'm a great actor: because this is a wonderful country, where to be recognized in anything, however, you have to die''. He was right about his future fame.
* Creator/AntonYelchin starred as Ensign Pavel Chekov in the ''Film/StarTrek2009'' films, [[BrokenBase which many Trek fans have been divided over]]. In June 2016, only a month before the release of ''Film/StarTrekBeyond'', Anton was killed in an auto accident at age 27, and the entire ''Trek'' franchise united to pay tribute to him.
* Creator/SharonTate acted during the latter part of the 1960s getting a lot of hype when she was alive, but she was often dismissed as just a MsFanservice (not helping matters by her breakout role ''Literature/ValleyOfTheDolls'' being critically trashed but still [[CriticProof a Box Office hit]]). However, her shocking and brutal murder at the hands of the Manson Family ensured her place in pop culture history. Some of her films, notably ''Film/EyeOfTheDevil'', were re-released after her death and grossed much more than they had on their first runs. It got to the point that in 2019, the fiftieth anniversary of her death, three films about her were produced. These days she's considered a big part of the UsefulNotes/NewHollywood. Roman Polanski said after her death that she was recognized more for her beauty rather than her beauty.
* Creator/AnnaMayWong had faded by the '50s and '60s after being a star in the '20s and '30s. Hollywood's insistence on casting her only in stereotypical Chinese parts forced her overseas. Her sudden death just before she was to star in ''Theatre/FlowerDrumSong'' happened right before a broad-based emergence of Asian-American talent in Hollywood materialized. This lead Creator/NancyKwan (who she would have starred alongside in ''Flower Drum Song'') to call Wong a pioneering Hollywood Asian actress. These days she's recognized as the first major Chinese-American movie star and a trailblazer for minorities in the movie industry.
* Creator/MarilynMonroe achieved iconic status after she died. While she was a huge star when she was alive, her popularity has endured over the years and she's acquired the image of a tragic cautionary tale that almost certainly wouldn't have happened if she had lived longer.
* Creator/JeanHarlow was growing in popularity in the 1930s as one of America's favourite blonde bombshells but was despised by critics as a bland MsFanservice. However, her sudden death at the age of 26 caused a worldwide sensation -- including a national day of mourning in the UK (where her films were rarely exported). Her all too brief career caused her to become a legendary figure, and a major precursor of Marilyn Monroe (who was considered her SpiritualSuccessor). It helps that some of the few films she starred in -- ''Film/HellsAngels'', ''Film/ThePublicEnemy'', ''Film/RedDust'', ''Film/DinnerAtEight'' -- have endured as classics. You can also thank her for the term 'platinum blonde', as she starred in a film with that title referencing her hair colour. The buzz around her death was so large that instead of recasting her part in ''{{Film/Saratoga}}'' (which she'd filmed half of before she died), they used {{Fake Shemp}}s and released it as her final performance.
* Creator/JackWild had long fallen into obscurity as a FormerChildStar from the '60s and '70s by the time of his death from throat cancer in 2006. He's nostalgically remembered for his iconic role as the Artful Dodger in ''{{Theatre/Oliver}}'' and his own TV series ''Series/HRPufnstuf''. A posthumous biography was even released in 2016, a full ten years after his death.
[[/folder]]