Fallen giants, taken too soon.

Unexpected deaths are not entirely unexpected-they surround us every day. What shocks us is "the who," the how, and the why of them, especially when it comes to celebrities. Whether they fought for our rights or spoke to us through song, moved us on screen, stage, or provided leadership for our country, they gave us a window into their hearts and minds, and their loss unites friends and strangers in an outpouring of sadness. Deaths That Shocked the World, the new Special Edition from TIME-LIFE, tells the stories of how we lost some of our most beloved icons to accidents, drugs, murder, and political assassination. And regardless of how they died, it is agreed that they all went too soon. Princess Diana and James Dean, John Lennon and Prince, Kurt Cobain and Robin Williams, Martin Luther King and both John F. Kennedy and John F. Kennedy Jr., are among the many featured in this Special Edition that profiles the impact their lives and deaths had on our world.