5 Famous Celebrity Injuries

5 Famous Celebrity Injuries
Miles Young
3/18/2015
Updated:
4/23/2016

Celebrities may seem like they lead magical lives, but they can get injured just like anyone else. These five celebrity injuries show that anyone can get hurt, even if they are popular entertainers.

Sylvester Stallone Hospitalized While Filming Rocky IV

Sylvester Stallone Injury
Sylvester Stallone Injury

Image via Flickr by Gage Skidmore

Sylvester Stallone takes a beating in all of the Rocky movies. Stallone, however, was only 30 when he first played the Italian Stallion. He was 40 when he filmed Rocky IV. A decade can make a big difference, especially when Dolph Lundgren is throwing the punches.

According to Stallone, he told his 6' 5"co-star to really let him have it during a fight scene. Lundgren complied by beating Stallone so badly that he had to stop the scene. Later that night, Stallone had difficulty breathing. He was taken to the hospital, where doctors discovered that his blood pressure had skyrocketed. Stallone was admitted to the intensive care unit because his pericardial sac had swollen so much that his heart couldn’t beat properly.

At least one of the doctors thought Stallone had been in a car accident.

Tony Iommi Cuts off Fingertips

Tony Iommi, Black Sabbath’s guitarist, cut off the tips of his right middle and index fingers during a work accident when he was just 17 years old. The young musician nearly gave up on his career until his foreman introduced him to the work of Django Reinhardt, a jazz guitarist who lost the use of two fingers during a fire.

Iommi kept playing and eventually got prosthetic fingertips (described as thimbles) that helped him play guitar. The prosthetic tips, however, slid too easily on the strings, making it nearly impossible for him to play solo riffs. Iommi tuned his guitar down to make the strings easier to grip. This small change helped create Black Sabbath’s distinctive sound.

Jim Caviezel Sustains Injuries During The Passion of the Christ

Given the amount of torture and violence in The Passion of the Christ, perhaps it isn’t surprising that Jim Caviezel suffered numerous injuries while making the film. He was famously struck by lightning while filming the Sermon on the Mount scene. But that event actually caused fewer injuries than the planned torture scenes.

Some of the injuries and health problems reported by Caviezel include:

  • Dislocated shoulder
  • Hypothermia
  • Pneumonia
  • Lung infection
  • Persistent headaches

The role helped launch Caviezel’s career, but making the scenes as authentic as possible took a toll on his body.

Jackie Chan Gets Hurts Constantly

Jackie Chan became an international action star by performing all of his own stunts. That commitment has helped him make amazing movies. It has also caused innumerable injuries that still plague the actor.

Chan is so famous for sustaining injuries that a company released a map showing where and when he hurt himself. Some of the most concerning injuries include:

  • Pelvis dislocation that nearly causes paralysis
  • Tailbone injuring that caused temporary paralysis
  • Fractured skull
  • Broken breastbone

Those amazing stunts have come at a steep price. It helped make Chan a start, but also makes him one of five famous celebrity injuries that everyone talks about.

Keith Richards Falls Out of a Tree

Keith Richards seems immortal. How many people could lead the rock and roll lifestyle for decades without keeling over from exhaustion or something worse? Yet Richards keeps touring and making music.

He briefly ran out of luck during a vacation to Fiji. When Richards climbed a tree to collect coconuts, he lost his balance and fell, landing on his head. Early reports said that Richards had suffered a mild concussion. Later, though, he was admitted to the hospital for a surgery intended to remove a blood clot from his brain.

If these accidents can happen to celebrities, some of them could happen to you, too. Celebrities usually have millions of dollars to help them through difficult situations. Finding information on what you need to know concerning catastrophic injury litigation can be difficult, but there are many legal resources online that can help, such as this guide on “Catastrophic Injury Litigation: Everything You Need To Know.”

 

Miles Young is a freelance writer, traveler, tech geek and finger skateboard enthusiast.
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