Biggest short lived entertainment careers

James Dean.

Aaliyah

Heather O'Rourke

Tracy Chapman and Suzanne Vega

Meghan Trainor

4 top 10 hits (including one #1) and a Grammy within the space of 2014-2016. And let's just say I can't imagine her getting any top 10 hits or Grammys again any time soon.

Hank Williams

Prince Harry’s

Janis Joplin

Helen Reddy

15 Top 40 singles, two major Hollywood movies, multiple TV appearances, then barely anything after the early 1980s

That fat Polynesian woman from "Hawaii", the only actress ever to get an Oscar nomination for her only screen appearance.

That's no way to talk about Bette Midler, R10. And she made many movies after that.

PSY was global then gone

Vanilla Ice MC Hammer Hanson

Amy Winehouse

Milli Vanilli

Kelly Osbourne. She did a remake of Papa Don't Preach which got a lot airplay, then that was it.

Now she's known for losing weight and coloring her hair.

Chris Cuomo??

Oh, yes, that’s right—Chris Cuomo!

I forgot, and Underdog, too!!

[quote]Career over- spring 1980.

Life over- spring 1988.

anyone who continues touring and playing live gigs, whether it is Vegas, corporate gigs, gay pride parades or some county fair is not to be discounted. It is hard work and the fans remember.

Remember when Donald Trump tried his hand at country music?

r5 There seems to be a new Meghan Trainor every year. Is Lorde still happening? I think Billie Eyelash will be a flash in the pan too.

r21 here's hoping (with regard to Eyelash). i can't stand her heroin-induced mumbling vocals, so stupid.

Linda Hunt - she may have had plenty of work, but "The Year of Living Dangerously" was her only famous role.

Iggy Azalia

R4 Suzanne Vega has had a long career but not a mainstream one. And thank goodness! I remember when I bought her first album in 1986 I thought she's amazing, her songs are unconventional, complex, achingly beautiful. Then "Luka" became a smash hit and I was disappointed. It's a good and catchy song. But I like "Marlene on the Wall" much much better. And all her other so not mainstream songs.

hated Luka and Tom's Diner - but i liked Left of Center from the Pretty in Pink soundtrack - she also sang with Pat DiNizio on a cool jazz song In a Lonely Place on the Smithereens first album -

Jim Croce

Christopher Cross was huge in 1980-81. Then nothing.

Gotye had one of the biggest hits in 2012. He hasn't released anything since then.

Death has a way of ending careers.

Gotye is in a band The Basics that releases albums and tours.

R23 Excuse me?

Cory Hart

Sic transit gloria mundi, indeed.

Maureen McGovern

Bai Ling

Martika. 4 top 40 hits, including the #1, “Toy Soldiers”, from 1988 to 1991...then nothing.

Duffy. She came on the scene the same time as Adele where Adele took off you didn’t hear another peep from Duffy. I actually liked her better than Adele.

Lorde

Jennifer Lawrence

Tiny Tim

All of those Bieber clones like Austin Mahone and the Austrian kid. Just embarrassing s and quickly tossed aside.

The girl who sang about the red balloons -- it was an anti-war song. I'm too lazy to Google it.

That guy who is Alan Thicke’s son. Monster hit - 6 months

R42 I don’t recall the singer’s name but the band was called Nena.

Tommy Sands. He was quite a teen heart-throb until he married Nancy Sinatra...

R45 And then Ole Blue Eyes murdered him?

Kenneth McMillan. Great character actor in the same mold as Charles Durning.

Nancy Sinatra

Dave Clark Five

Dee Dee Sharp

Chubby Checker

Little Eva

And anyone else who drove a fashion or dance craze to the ground.

Dino, Desi, and Billy.

Polly Holliday

Sebastian Cabot

Herve Villechaze

Jaye Davidson - He played substantial roles in just two (but very well-known) films and then gave up acting.

In his film debut he played the transgender woman in "The Crying Game" and got an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. His next role was the character Ra in "Stargate”.

Shortly thereafter, he retired from acting. He was averse to the fame and decided Hollywood wasn't for him. He supposedly never regretted his decision.

Most of you are ignorant!

fun, the band who had the hit Tonight We Are Young a few years ago which won a Grammy- i had to look them up because I had no idea who the singer was but liked the song the maybe 4 times I heard it in passing.

Sad stories.

Okay the song is called We Are Young and it was 9 years ago, not a few - just wanted to correct my previous post.

[quote]Linda Hunt - she may have had plenty of work, but "The Year of Living Dangerously" was her only famous role.

Far more people have seen her in NCIS: Los Angeles on TV than ever saw that movie.

Dr. Haing S. Ngor

So how long did the Spice Girls last, anyway? A year or two on top?

For a little while, they were fucking everywhere - all over top 40, all the tabloids and magazines, that stupid movie, every fuckin store I went to had Spice Girls crap for sale, even the grocery stores. And then they were gone, and not missed.

Aaliyah‘s death was so unnecessary, they warned her crew she had too much makeup, handbags, etc. and extra staff on the plane. The old adage failed her COMPLETELY.

R61 she also had the misfortune of dying two week before 9/11. I remember her death was pretty big. At least among us high schoolers. Then 9/11 happened and she was forgotten.

Jane Child the Toronto-born keyboard wunderkind who wrote & produced the 1989 hit Don't Wanna Fall in Love. Warner Brothers tried promoting her as the female Prince, but it failed.

Leif Garrett

Dawn Lyn, global sensation than just disappeard!

Marcia and Cindy.

They didn’t have Jan’s range or staying power.

Many small plane crashes are caused by excess/overweight baggage...that's why pilots do weight and balance calculations. The problem is, people sometimes add stuff at the last minute without alerting the crew.

I was watching ALIENS last night (disappointed in the Amazon prime choices, BTW ) and the little girl in it only made one movie.

Carrie Henn should have at least become the next Carrie Hamilton.