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Five Other TV Stars Killed in Car Crashes

Ryan Dunn's sudden death early Monday shocked Jackass fans.
/ Source: E!online

Ryan Dunn's sudden death early Monday shocked Jackass fans.

Here are five other TV stars whose lives were abruptly ended in car crashes:

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1. Justin Mentell: Best known for playing a young lawyer during the early days of Boston Legal, the actor had returned to his native Midwest to work on art and music when he was killed in a single-car accident in 2010. He was 27.

2. Lamont Bentley: In 2005, the Moesha favorite--he played Brandy's friend-turned-boyfriend Hakeem on the 1990s comedy--was on his way home from a Los Angeles movie screening when his car careened off the freeway. The actor was 31.

3. Ernie Kovacs: On a rainy night in 1962, the influential comic was 42, and in the prime of his Emmy-winning career when, on his way home from a baby shower for Milton Berle and the star's wife, his car smashed into a utility pole.

4. Dr. Frank Ryan: A go-to expert on plastic surgery, Ryan was frequently seen on E!, CNN and other outlets. Last summer, just months after turning 50, the doctor rolled his Jeep Wrangler during a drive along Malibu's Pacific Coast Highway. While speculation had it that Ryan had been tweeting about his dog at the time of the crash, investigators determined a unrelated unsafe turn was to blame.

5. Johnny Palermo: In a brief run, the New York-born actor racked up more than a dozen TV credits, most notably in the Nick show, Just for Kicks, and Chris Rock's Everybody Hates Chris. In May 2009, he appeared as a heavy on Rules of Engagement. One month later, he was dead at 27, killed in a one-car crash in Los Angeles along with his girlfriend, who was the driver.

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