From F1 drivers to global football and basketball stars, the sports world has mourned many famous individuals who tragically lost their lives in accidents. The fatal accident of Diogo Jota is just one of several events that shocked the sports community.
Payne Stewart (USA, 1999)
Stewart’s death in 1999 remains one of the most heartbreaking tragedies in golf history. Just a few months after winning his second US Open title and a few weeks after helping the US team win the Ryder Cup, Stewart’s life ended in a catastrophic plane crash on October 25.
Payne Stewart, who owned 3 major championships, was en route from Florida to Houston to attend a major event when the plane carrying him lost cabin pressure and ultimately crashed. None of the people on board survived.
Jules Bianchi (Italy, 2015)
Bianchi, a rising star in Formula 1, passed away at the age of 25 after suffering injuries in a horrific accident during the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix. On a rain-soaked track at Suzuka, Bianchi’s Marussia lost control and collided with a crane.
Bianchi was unconscious for 9 months before he passed away. He suffered severe head injuries and was in a coma. Later, Bianchi was transferred to a hospital near his family’s home in Nice, France, where he died in July 2015. His death was the first fatality from a Formula 1 racing accident since Ayrton Senna in 1994.
Emiliano Sala (Argentina, 2019)
One of the most heartbreaking aviation tragedies in modern football was the death of Argentine striker Emiliano Sala. At just 28 years old, Sala had just signed with Cardiff City when the light aircraft transporting him from France to Wales unexpectedly crashed. It plunged into the English Channel on January 21, 2019. A search effort was conducted, and weeks later, Sala’s body was recovered from the seabed.
Antonio Reyes (Spain, 2019)
Former Arsenal and Sevilla winger Jose Antonio Reyes tragically died in a car accident in Spain. Similar to Diogo Jota, Reyes lost his life while speeding. Police reported that at the time of the accident, Reyes’s vehicle was traveling at nearly 200 km/h.
After the collision, the car veered off the road and caught fire. The 35-year-old player was accompanied by two cousins, one of whom also died in the accident, while the other was seriously injured.
Kobe Bryant (USA, 2020)
In January 2020, basketball legend Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna were among nine people who tragically died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California. The group was en route to a youth basketball tournament when the helicopter went down, killing everyone on board.
The investigation concluded that the helicopter crashed in foggy conditions. The painful loss of Bryant, a 5-time NBA champion and global sports icon, sent shockwaves around the world.
Andrew Symonds (Australia, 2022)
Legendary Australian cricketer Andrew Symonds died in May 2022 after a car accident in Queensland. He was driving when the vehicle veered off the road and rolled down an embankment, resulting in the driver’s death. The cause of the accident remains unclear.
Symonds’s sudden death shocked the cricket world. He was known for his explosive batting, exceptional fielding skills, and fighting spirit. During the golden era of Australian cricket, Symonds was a key figure.
Chapecoense Club (Brazil, 2016)
One of the most tragic plane crashes in modern football history was the one involving Chapecoense, a Brazilian football club. While en route to the Copa Sudamericana (South American Cup), the plane carrying Chapecoense crashed. The accident resulted in 71 fatalities, including 19 players and 2 coaches from Chapecoense. Only 9 people survived, many of whom later could not return to play.
The football club also fell from grace after the tragedy. Currently, Chapecoense is struggling to stay in Serie B, the second division of Brazilian football.
Diogo Jota (Portugal, 2025)
Yesterday, the world was shocked by the passing of one of the most talented strikers in football: Diogo Jota. He died while traveling from his hometown to England to join Liverpool. The vehicle carrying Jota suffered a tire blowout, lost control, and flipped several times in the air before crashing down like a fireball. Two people in the car died, causing horror in the football world.
