Henry Rollins performing with Rollins Band, 1993 | Image: Pelle Sten
Musician Henry Rollins and his best friend Joe Cole, son of actor Dennis Cole, stopped at a grocery store on the evening of December 19, 1991. They were picking up a few things before returning to the house they shared in Venice Beach, California.
Just steps away from their home, they came face-to-face with two armed men. They pushed Cole to the ground and Rollins to his knees on the grass in the front yard. The gunmen demanded money from Rollins and Cole, and were angered when they only had a combined $50. Ordered to enter their house, Rollins was on the way in when he was horrified to hear the gun discharge and see that Cole had been shot in the face.
Rollins was able to make a run for it and escaped out the back door, but his friend wasn't so lucky. Cole died from his injuries, and his murderers have never been caught. Rollins remains haunted by his death.
Read about other instances in which celebrities are somehow linked to murder in this article.