UPCOMING EPISODES

On June 11th, 1979 the world was saddened by the news that American screen legend, John Wayne had died. As Hollywood’s tough guy, his portrayal of men of strength and duty charmed audiences for over fifty years making him one of the most iconic Americans of the Twentieth century. But what exactly would kill a man who seemed so invincible, on and off screen?

In September 1955, the twenty-four-year-old actor and figurehead of teen rebellion, James Dean died in a horrific car crash near Cholame in California. For more than 60 years mystery has surrounded the cause of the crash as Dean was an accomplished racing driver travelling on a straight road in good conditions. Now, expert Coroner and Forensic Pathologist, Dr. Michael Hunter is reopening the case using testimony from family, friends, crash experts and biographers to finally reveal the real cause of James Dean’s death.

On the morning of May 29th, 2010 the news broke that Hollywood icon Dennis Hopper had died. Dennis was an icon of the silver screen, famed for intense portrayals in twisted maniacs and dark hearted villains. In 1969 he made cinema history by writing, directing and co-starring in the revolutionary road movie Easy Rider. The film tore up Hollywood’s movie-making rule book, and made $60m from a budget of under $400,000, but Dennis’ follow up picture, the Last Movie, was a commercial disaster. It’s failure sent him into a spiral of extreme drinking and drug taking that lasted more than a decade. Dennis was ultimately forced into rehab and underwent intensive addiction therapy. Dennis also had a turbulent love life. He was married 5 times, and wed his last bride, 29 year old Victoria Duffy, when he was 60. In 2009, Dennis revealed he had prostate cancer, and he died 7 months later, aged 74. It’s common for those diagnosed with Prostate cancer to live for more than a decade afterward – so why did Dennis die so quickly? World renowned forensic pathologist, Dr. Michael Hunter forensically examines Dennis Hopper’s dramatic life and discovers the truth could lay in a secret that Dennis kept from the world for over 10 years.

Steve McQueen was a legendary actor probably best known for his roles in ‘The Great Escape’, ‘The Magnificent Seven’ and ‘Bullitt’. By the mid 1970s, ‘The King of Cool’ was the world’s highest paid movie star but on November 7 1980 he died almost unrecognizable in a hospital bed in Mexico at just 50 years old. His death fuelled wild rumors and allegations of conspiracy. Forensic Pathologist Dr. Michael Hunter examines Steve’s extensive medical records to unravel the truth surrounding his death and attempts to reveal what really happened to this iconic star.

On September 6th, 2018, news broke that Hollywood icon Burt Reynolds had died. Burt broke into the bigtime by winning the lead in gritty survivalist drama Deliverance in 1972, and became a household name in the late 70’s and early 80’s in light-hearted car chase movies such as Smokey and the Bandit, and Cannonball Run. Burt was box-office gold, but behind all the fame and fortune he was battling demons. Despite his easy-going image, Burt suffered panic attacks that were so severe that he needed to be hospitalised for checks. To combat this stress and anxiety Burt turned to large doses of anti anxiety medications. To make matters worse, to cope with the injuries he picked up doing stunts on film and TV, he added painkiller medications into the mix . His reliance on prescription pills turned into addiction and led to an overdose and a coma - but the star survived and went on to conquer his addictions after decades of struggle. Towards the end of his life Burt had appeared stooped and in pain in public appearances - so what had happened to reduce this former Hollywood hunk to a hunched, unsteady figure, and could it provide vital clues to his eventual death? World renowned forensic pathologist, Dr. Michael Hunter analyses the crucial details of Burt troubled life to find the answer.

In this investigative medical documentary series, we look at the lives and deaths of the biggest names in American entertainment history. Through a combination of interviews with family and friends, archive footage and dramatic reconstructions, we tell these stories and unpick the- sometimes mysterious- circumstances around their deaths. Larry Hagman is fondly remembered as playing the bumbling astronaut, Major Anthony "Tony" Nelson, in the 1960s sitcom I Dream of Jeannie. He had supporting roles in numerous films, including Superman, Nixon and Primary Colors. But he is best known for playing the king of all soap villains: the wicked, scheming, JR Ewing on the hit prime time soap Dallas. The subject of the biggest cliff-hanger ever, thirty million viewers from fifty-seven countries watched the episode where JR Ewing was shot, making Larry Hagman one of the biggest soap stars in the world. With a larger-than-life, fun-loving personality, Larry was a hippy at heart, belying the conservative facade of his oil baron character in Dallas. However, he was also a big drinker and was known to finish off five bottles of champagne a day during his Dallas heyday. This eventually resulted in severe liver damage and a life-saving liver transplant operation. Ever the optimist, Larry continued performing and played a vital role in the Dallas reboot in 2012 but died during filming the second season from complications resulting from throat cancer. We'll explore what drove Larry to continue performing into his early 80s and what really led to his death in November 2012.

Roddy overcame a tough childhood to rise through the ranks to become a household name alongside Hulk Hogan in the days of Wrestlemania. But his wrestling world was ruthless and like many of his fraternity, Roddy relied on a toxic cocktail of steroids, painkillers, alcohol and cocaine to maintain his status as the main event and medicate for the pain that had been dealt to him. Famously, Roddy was on record predicting his early death, stating that he would not survive past the age of 65 but was his wrestling lifestyle the only reason for his premature demise? Or were there other hidden factors at play? World renowned forensic pathologist, Dr. Michael Hunter analyses every detail of Roddy Piper’s life to piece together what exactly was going on in his body to find the answers.

On May 23rd 1999, world renowned wrestler Owen Hart, fell to his death plummeting 78 feet from the ceiling of an arena during a live television broadcast. He had been due to make a spectacular entrance, flying into the ring from the rafters as his superhero character, ‘The Blue Blazer’, but something went drastically wrong. At the age of just 34 years old, Owen left behind a devastated wife and two young children, who could not understand why their dad was never going to come home to them again. As the youngest child of Canadian wrestling legend, Stu Hart, and younger brother of World Wrestling Federation superstar, Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart’, Owen grew up within the industry. Despite attempts to follow other careers, his natural talent and flair for wrestling led him to the WWF stage at the age of 23. Within five years he had become one of the promotion’s top stars. But how did one of the world’s most talented wrestlers, working for a multi-million-dollar company fall from such a great height? Using information from Owen Hart’s Autopsy Report, the Police Investigation, and firsthand accounts from Owen’s wife and family, Forensic Pathologist Dr. Michael Hunter uncovers how this tragic accident occurred.

In this investigative medical documentary series we look at the lives and deaths of the biggest names in the entertainment history. Through a combination of interviews with family and friends, archive footage and dramatic reconstructions, we tell these stories and unpick the - sometimes mysterious - circumstances around their deaths. Over a June weekend in 2007 , Canadian wrestler Chris Benoit, killed his wife and his 7-year-old son at his exclusive Georgia home before hanging himself in a horrific double murder-suicide that shocked wrestling world. At the time of his death, Chris Benoit was one of the premier athletes in the whole of World Wrestling Entertainment stable. A former World champion, he was widely regarded as one of the best technical wrestlers of his and any generation and at 40-years-old was still drawing huge audiences. So why would such an elite athlete, who had achieved so much and lived a seemingly glamorous life with his beautiful wife and child choose to kill himself and his family? This drama-documentary explores the medical factors that led to Chris Benoit’s death and investigates the tragic events that led to this tragic murder suicide.

Eddie Guerrero was considered by fans and peers alike as one of the greatest pound-for-pound wrestlers in history. He was born into a wrestling dynasty, with Dad, Gory Guerrero, having been one of the most celebrated Mexican-American Luchadores of his generation. Eddie’s almost 20 year career saw him battle adversity, from overcoming his diminutive stature to dealing with addiction and depression. Against all the odds, Eddie lied, cheated and stole his way to the very top of WWE. In 2005 was made World Champion, the highest honor in the sport. But less than 2 years later, Eddie was found dead in his hotel room, on the morning of a planned fight. He was just 38 years old. With the help of industry insiders, we reveal shocking new details about what really happened and pay tribute to the icon, Latino Heat, Eddie Guerrero.

On January 28th, 1993 wrestling legend, Andre The Giant, died in a hotel room in the Paris, France. He was 46 years old. Trading on his extraordinary physique Andre Roussimoff was the biggest draw in the wrestling world throughout the 1970s and 80s; standing at seven feet plus and four hundred pounds he was billed as the Eighth Wonder of the World. It was only a matter of time before the movie industry came calling and in 1986 Andre starred in the fantasy hit The Princess Bride. But privately Andre had been haunted by his size throughout his life. Andre made no secret of his belief that the world wasn’t made for people of his stature – cars, hotel rooms and airplanes all presented challenges and frustrations. Born in France Andre had grown prodigiously in his late teens. When his size and agility caught the eye of a wrestling promoter his path out of poverty was set. Japan and North America beckoned and the legend Andre the Giant started to grow; the stories of his phenomenal appetite for alcohol reaching mythic proportions. By the mid 80s Andre was wrestling’s star attraction but what his fans didn’t know was that a rare condition was eroding his once superhuman strength and the clock was ticking on his life. In 1993 after receiving news that his father had just days to live Andre returned to France. Two weeks later Andre had also passed away. World renowned forensic pathologist, Dr Michael Hunter analyses Andre’s long medical history and the testimonies of close friends to determine the precise reason for his death.

On April 20th 2016, professional wrestling legend Chyna died from an overdose in her Los Angeles apartment. Once celebrated as the ninth wonder of the world – Chyna’s life unravelled after she left WWE and she became infamous as a casualty of drug and alcohol abuse. After a mysterious 4-year-long exile in Japan, Chyna returned to the US intent on reinventing herself – only to die alone 9 months later at the age of just 46. In this episode, expert Coroner and Forensic Pathologist, Dr. Michael Hunter unpacks the secrets of Chyna’s autopsy report and together with accounts from friends, pieces together the truth about Chyna’s tragic death.

In the supersized world of pro-wrestling, Randy “Macho Man” Savage was one of the most muscular, the most daring and most intensely competitive in and out of the ring. Famed for his aggressive demeanor, his colorful outfits and incredible stunts, he was regarded as one of the greatest pro-wrestling showmen to have ever lived. To his fans, he appeared incredibly fit and in-dominatable. But in 2011, following a terrifying loss of consciousness at the wheel of his Jeep forcing the vehicle into oncoming traffic and into a tree, they were shocked to learn that it was a massive heart attack that ended his life at the age of just 58. So did Randy’s athleticism and physical prowess come at a price? With the help of medical reports and first hand testimony from those who knew him well, world renowned Forensic Pathologist, Dr. Michael Hunter explores Randy’s life story and 30 years in the pro-wrestling spotlight to uncover a shocking medical history in which Randy piled pressure after pressure on his increasingly battle-weary heart.

Roddy overcame a tough childhood to rise through the ranks to become a household name alongside Hulk Hogan in the days of Wrestlemania. But his wrestling world was ruthless and like many of his fraternity, Roddy relied on a toxic cocktail of steroids, painkillers, alcohol and cocaine to maintain his status as the main event and medicate for the pain that had been dealt to him. Famously, Roddy was on record predicting his early death, stating that he would not survive past the age of 65 but was his wrestling lifestyle the only reason for his premature demise? Or were there other hidden factors at play? World renowned forensic pathologist, Dr. Michael Hunter analyses every detail of Roddy Piper’s life to piece together what exactly was going on in his body to find the answers.

On May 8th 2020, the entertainment world was rocked by the news that legendary Las Vegas illusionist Roy Horn had become a victim to the coronavirus pandemic. As one half of Siegfried and Roy, he was the animal-tamer who helped re-invent the magic act as multi-million-dollar spectacle. It was during a traumatic childhood in post-war Germany that Roy developed a unique ability to communicate with animals. In partnership with budding magician Siegfried, he took his talent to the stage – and the pair developed a live act that starred cheetahs, lions and tigers. They went from touring the clubs of Europe - to scoring their own headline residency as the hottest act in Vegas. They performed over 30,000 shows, becoming one of the most successful live acts of all time – and the official ‘Magicians of the Century’. But in 2003 tragedy struck – when Roy was mauled onstage and almost killed by one of his tigers. He was left permanently paralysed – but his strength to survive and recover from the incident was heralded as close to miraculous. Then, at the age of 75, he died from complications due to coronavirus. It’s a highly contagious disease, but has a low mortality rate – and 94 per cent of those who die have at least one other pre-existing health condition. So what made Roy’s infection turn fatal? World renowned forensic pathologist, Dr. Michael Hunter needs to analyse every detail in the limited available information to piece together what else was going on in his body to find the answers.

On September 4th 2006 Australian zookeeper and wildlife expert Steve Irwin was tragically killed while filming an underwater documentary on the Great Barrier Reef. Steve had won global notoriety as the ‘Crocodile Hunter’, handling deadly snakes, toxic reptiles, and apex predators on programmes watched by an estimated worldwide audience of 500 million. But the world was shocked to learn that, at the age of just 44, the seemingly invincible conservationist, had been killed by a creature not known for being aggressive or dangerous – a stingray. Now, world renowned forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Hunter is investigating what led one of the world’s most iconic wildlife experts to be killed by an otherwise docile animal?