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Who Died First? Trivia Quiz

Well, this may be morbid but we all have to go some time. Each of the following ten questions present the names of four famous people--associated with each other--and you have to tell me which one went to that great celebrity column in the sky FIRST.

A multiple-choice quiz by DonTozzi. Estimated time: 6 mins.

Author
DonTozzi

Time
6 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
378,040

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Difficult

Avg Score
5 / 10

Plays
514

Awards
Top 35% Quiz

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. We're off to see the Reaper--I mean, Wizard. Which of these cast members from "The Wizard of Oz" died first? Hint

The Cowardly Lion, Bert Lahr

The Scarecrow, Ray Bolger

Dorothy, Judy Garland

The Tin Man, Jack Haley

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. Hey, ho! We croaked! The Ramones, in spite of themselves, arguably and probably accidentally, spawned the punk rock movement. Which member of this quartet died first? Hint

Dee Dee Ramone

Tommy Ramone

Johnny Ramone

Joey Ramone

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. The Declaration of Indepedence may have immortalized these guys but, biologically speaking, they were still mortal. Who died first? Hint

Thomas Jefferson

John Hancock

Benjamin Franklin

John Adams

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Question 4 of 10

4. Need another reason to quit? These famous people died within a decade of each other from smoking too many cigarettes. But which one went to that Big Ashtray first? Hint

John Huston

Desi Arnaz

Vincent Price

Yul Brynner

5. Moses Horwitz, Jerome Horwitz, Samuel Horwitz and Louis Feinberg--better remembered as Moe, Curly and Shemp Howard, and Larry Fine--were, of course, members of The Three Stooges. Which one went to that great pie-fight in the sky first? Hint

Curly

Larry

Shemp

Moe

NEXT>

Question 6 of 10

6. With the recent passing of Yogi Berra, there is no one left from the classy, golden era of the New York Yankees. Which of the following Yankees turned in his bat for a harp first? Hint

Roger Maris

Mickey Mantle

Billy Martin

Joe DiMaggio

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. World War II took its toll on the lives of millions upon millions of people. It also took its toll on those leaders of that war. Franklin D. Roosevelt, Emperor Hirohito, Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini were those leaders. Which one died first? Hint

Benito Mussolini

Emperor Hirohito

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Adolf Hitler

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. If you were a Roman in ancient times, being Caesar didn't mean your tenure would guarantee you immortality. It didn't help if you made enemies along the way. Nero, Julius Caesar, Caligula and Tiberius met their ends at the hands of others. Which of these Caesars died first? Hint

Tiberius

Caligula

Nero

Julius Caesar

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Question 9 of 10

9. Yee-haw! Being a rootin'-tootin', pistol-totin', gunslingin' legend of the West--whether you were an outlaw or a lawman--significantly reduced your chances of longevity. These four cowpokes didn't live long enough to see their 40th birthdays. But which one kicked the bucket first?
Hint

Jesse James

Doc Holliday

Billy the Kid

Wild Bill Hickok

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. Hey, hey, my, my, rock and roll can never die. But rock stars certainly do. All four of these rockers died at 27 years old in the early 70s. But which one rocked on and out first? Hint

Jimi Hendrix

Jim Morrison

Janis Joplin

Ronald "Pigpen" McKernan

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. We're off to see the Reaper--I mean, Wizard. Which of these cast members from "The Wizard of Oz" died first?

Answer: The Cowardly Lion, Bert Lahr

While Judy Garland was the youngest to die - in 1969, Bert Lahr died just a couple of dozen months before her in 1967. Ray Bolger died in 1987, and the Tin Man's heart (Jack Haley's) ceased beating in 1979.

2. Hey, ho! We croaked! The Ramones, in spite of themselves, arguably and probably accidentally, spawned the punk rock movement. Which member of this quartet died first?

Answer: Joey Ramone

Joey Ramone, the band's lead singer, died in 2001. Dee Dee, hot on Joey's heels, died in 2002 of an overdose. Johnny waited until 2004 before putting his guitar down forever. Tommy just passed away in 2014.

3. The Declaration of Indepedence may have immortalized these guys but, biologically speaking, they were still mortal. Who died first?

Answer: Benjamin Franklin

Good old Ben was the first to become free of this mortal coil in 1790. John Hancock, who had the largest signature, died in 1793. Coincidentally, friends, then enemies, then friends again, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams died hours apart on the 50th anniversary of the signing of The Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1826.

4. Need another reason to quit? These famous people died within a decade of each other from smoking too many cigarettes. But which one went to that Big Ashtray first?

Answer: Yul Brynner

Yul Brenner died in 1985. Desi Arnaz died just a year later in 1986. John Huston stubbed out his life in 1987. Vincent Price puffed himself away in 1993.

Answer: Curly

The youngest of the brothers, Jerome (Curly), died in 1952. The eldest, Samuel (Shemp) died in 1955. Moses (Moe) and Louis (Larry) died months apart in 1975. This question is close to my heart, not only because I loved the Stooges (and still do), but also because they grew up in the same neighborhood I did: Bath Beach, Brooklyn, NY.

6. With the recent passing of Yogi Berra, there is no one left from the classy, golden era of the New York Yankees. Which of the following Yankees turned in his bat for a harp first?

Answer: Roger Maris

Roger Maris, ridiculously vilified by the New York press for breaking Babe Ruth's single-season home run record (with an asterisk), died in 1985. Billy Martin began arguing with the Great Umpire in the Sky on Christmas Day 1989. Mickey Mantle died in 1995. JoeDiMaggio outlived all these youngsters and died in 1999.

Answer: Franklin D. Roosevelt

April 1945 witnessed the deaths of three of the four leading participants of that terrible conflict: FDR died on April 12, 1945 of natural causes; Il Duce Mussolini was executed on April 28, 1945; and Adolf Hitler followed just two days later on April 30, 1945 by suicide. Emperor Hirohito lived well into his 80s, and died of natural causes in 1989. (All right, so the war didn't take a physical toll on Hirohito all that much).

Answer: Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar got whacked in 44 B.C. by a bunch of senators. Tiberius died, allegedly smothered, in 37 A.D. Caligula was stubbed out in 41 A.D. by a dissatisfied party. Nero, knowing his popularity was waning and too cowardly to commit suicide, had his secretary put the zotz on him in 68 A.D.

Answer: Wild Bill Hickok

Wild Bill, while holding the "Dead Man's Hand" (look that up), was shot dead by Jack McCall at a poker table on August 2, 1876. He was 39. Billy the Kid, a New Yorker(!) whose real name was Henry McCarty, was shot down by Pat Garrett on July 14, 1881.

He was 21. Jesse James was shot in the back by his "friend" Robert Ford on April 3, 1882. He was 34. Finally, Doc Holliday rode off into the sunset from tuberculosis (which was not helped by his frontier lifestyle) on November 8, 1887. He was 36. Happy trails to you...

10. Hey, hey, my, my, rock and roll can never die. But rock stars certainly do. All four of these rockers died at 27 years old in the early 70s. But which one rocked on and out first?

Answer: Jimi Hendrix

All four of these musicians were not only 27 years old when they died but their deaths were directly caused by alcohol and drug abuse. Moral of the story? Quit being a rocker when you're 26. Jimi Hendrix went to that big rainbow on September 18, 1970. Less than three weeks later, Janis Joplin joined that Big Holding Company in the sky on October 4, 1970. Jim Morrison broke on through to the other side on July 7, 1971. Pigpen McKernan went from The Grateful Dead to the really dead dead on March 8, 1973.

Source: Author DonTozzi

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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