Morbid Curiosity by Alan W. Petrucelli

Released: September 2009

Morbid Curiosity is a collection of facts about the "Disturbing Demises of the Famous and Infamous", detailing the deaths of movie stars, writers, musicians and various other celebrities and notorious figures from history.

While Morbid Curiosity does touch base on the deaths of recent, contemporary stars such as Heath Ledger, Michael Jackson and Natasha Richardson, the stories even go as far back as the year 453 to shed light on the death of Attila the Hun.


I really appreciate and enjoy Petrucelli's blunt and matter-of-fact style; for example there have been so many different conspiracy theories on the deaths of figures including John F Kennedy, Elvis Presley, Adolf Hitler, Marilyn Monroe and others that Petrucelli is easy to clarify here. I agree with Petrucelli's very confident tone that his explanations are truly the way these people died.

I am also amused by how forgiving the media is regarding certain deaths of respected celebrities. Some of the fatal cancers that led to many demises are due to the less angelic characteristics some notable figures are portrayed as having. An example in point: John Wayne's "stomach cancer" is actually a kinder term for the colon cancer he suffered due to his heavy diet of meat, and I'm leaving it at that. Do the research and you'll know better. My point is that I chuckled over some of the terminology used in some instances, and I have a hunch that with his dry sense of humor, Petrucelli chuckled as well.

Morbid Curiosity is a fun novel for those seeking some intellectual discussion or comic relief. It's a perfect book for a road trip too!

Alan W Petrucelli has also written Liza! Liza! An Unauthorized Biography of Liza Minnelli (1983). Wow -- the material Petrucelli could have added to that book if he had waited several more years!