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Sam Cooke

Hulton Archive, Getty Images

What is known about the soul legend's death is that he died after being shot by Bertha Franklin, the manager of Los Angeles' Hacienda Motel. Cooke allegedly burst into Franklin's office wearing only a sport jacket and underwear then attacked her. The events leading up to the shooting are even murkier: Cooke was at the motel with Elisa Boyer, who claimed that the singer tried to rape her. She fled, taking some of Cooke's clothes with her, leading to Cooke to chase her and run into Franklin's office. Boyer was later arrested for prostitution, and Cooke's thousands in cash were never recovered, lending credence to the theory that he was the victim of robbery. Either way, Franklin was exonerated in the shooting and Boyer was never charged.