42 Athletes That Died Before 40

NBA | February 16, 2021

Bill Barilko

Bill Barilko played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, but became even more of a household name following his strange disappearance while he was on a fishing trip in northern Quebec.

Barilko’s floater-plane vanished and the athlete was never seen again. The plane’s wreckage was found 11 years after Bill had gone missing. He was presumed to have died in the crash at 24 years old. 

Barilko would later be immortalized in a song called Fifty Mission Cap, released by the band Tragically Hip.