James Dean, 24, 1931-1955
This photo of James Dean at a gas station was taken the day that he died. Dean was a keen driver and loved race cars. He died when he crashed the Porsche in this photo, swerving to avoid an oncoming car, on September 30, 1955. Curiously, when Dean introduced himself to British actor Alec Guinness during an encounter in Hollywood, he asked him to take a look at the car. Guinness thought the car appeared "sinister" and told Dean: "If you get in that car, you will be found dead in it by this time next week." This happened on September 23, 1955, seven days before Dean's death.