What if the following celebrities had lived

Elvis definitely would have put out more hits during the 70s into the 80s and 90s I think Elvis would have gone down the route of changing his look but also his style of music heading into the decades of the 80s into the 90s even into today but he would still be a pioneer of rock that's for sure

Prince definitely would put out more music same goes for Bowie

Jackson as for him I think he would put out more albums and probably go on tour again

Lennon I think he would have collaborated with Paul McCartney again or a full scale Beatles reunion would have happened especially with Lennon if he had lived

Cobain as for him I think he and Nirvana would become more legendary as a rock band in the sense of putting out more hits but as for Cobain I think he and Courtney would have eventually broke up

2Pac and Biggie I know with them they would have eventually have squashed their beef but think about how different the rap game would be with these 2 still alive even today...I could see 2Pac or even Biggie collaborating on songs together maybe even collaborating with the artists of today even

Heath definitely would still be acting

As for River Phoenix I think he would have longevity as far as being an actor in Hollywood goes he would probably be on the level of such actors like Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Tom Cruise, etc. with River Phoenix getting such iconic roles like Titanic or even Batman

Elvis would have been doing duets with major pop artists today like Tony Bennett has done in recent years.
Tupac would probably be in collaborating with people like Nicki Minaj and Rick Ross
Michael Jackson would be still making music to an extent and hiding from the public

Tupac has been releasing more music and movies dead than he did when he was alive.

I always wondered what would've happened if Chris Farley lived. I was a huge fan. I wonder if he would've been able to defeat his demons.

David Bowie had just put out an album before he died, and he stopped touring in 2004. We would have maybe received one more proper album, but he kinda slowed to a near halt by 2003 with albums as it was. We had received two over ten years since, so my hopes to actually get one more proper album would have been very slim anyway. If he had lived he would have been on the latest season of Twin Peaks and that would have been great, but as outlined, he had nearly stopped for a long enough time that I accepted it, this is really the only void I have of his legacy.

Chris Farley would have been Shrek and done the animated route, he had recorded a bunch of dialog before he died, but I don't believe it was complete and as such had to be scrapped. I would have seen him ended up like his peers from that time, he might have been in one or two funny movies since Black Sheep/Beverly Hills Ninja, but everything else since then would be passable at best. Here's some footage:

Michael Jackson was working on a tour titled "This Is It" that was supposed to be his last tour, and to be a tour to show his children what he does since he was largely inactive before that. He would have done the tour and then been relatively quiet again. He hadn't been too active since the early 2000's. He might have maybe come out for a Super Bowl half time show, big maybe, but outside of that, I would have seen been relatively quiet.

Kurt Cobain -- I believe I read or heard a rumor he wanted to get out of music, but don't quote that, I can't find anything with a quick Google search immediately. Nirvana would have probably had the same fate as Smashing Pumpkins or Pearl Jam commercially, just a little slower. They would have followed In Utero with a pretty decent album, but anything coming after that would have faded in comparison. They were too much a sound of their time, I don't see them changing too much. Foo Fighters would have probably eventually begun regardless, but not had the initial boom following Kurt's death.

Prince would have continued at his same pace, putting out albums that weren't commercially successful as his hey day, but still good nonetheless, he did his Super Bowl half time show recently and he probably would have put out a good album here or there, a good collaboration, but I think his death boosted his popularity because no one really mentioned him or his genius until he died it seemed.

River Phoenix would probably have done movies like his brother has done or taken the indie route. He was on the up and up, but unless he had a major break out role he would have ended up doing movies where 1 in 5 is really good while the other 4 aren't that bad at best.

Heath Ledger would not have made The Dark Knight as big as it was and people wouldn't be swinging from his onions. He would have been recognized for his well-done role, but it wouldn't be what it is today. Outside of Batman, his was barely in a decent movie. He would have the same fate as his Batman co-star Christian Bale, be in a well-received movie, and have a few starring roles after it, but judging from past roles he would have eventually peaked and been a co-star largely.

Elvis was on the decline by the mid-70s, he would have had the same story as Johnny Cash, continued to put out records that no one really paid attention to that never matched his peak, and eventually towards his final days come out with a few comeback albums that really showcased his talent. He would have probably spent large chunks of time doing residencies instead of touring.

John Lennon would probably put out a few more albums that never really met the popularity of their immediate post-Beatles albums like George & Ringo. He probably would have been good for benefit concerts, could have potentially seen a Beatles reunion, but largely I see him being more of an activist and getting out of music largely outside of the occasional revisits.

Tupac & Biggie would have ended up like Snoop, Ice Cube, & Dr. Dre, putting out nothing worth listening to in 25 years, maybe act, maybe produce, but they're like the Heath Ledger of rap, I think their deaths elevated their popularity in music, but if they lived they would have eventually quieted down.

I saw this thread title in the board overview, and I KNEW who it would be from.

Who knows? Unfortunately life (and death) had other plans for them.

If Ledger lived he would've been to Joker what Jackman was to Wolverine


He'd have been Shrek

'What if' discussions are literally useless because we never know what these guys had in mind. Maybe Cobain would've opened a flower shop? Maybe Heath Ledger would have became a hermit? Maybe Lennon would hold the first ever concert in space.

It's just stupid to even speculate, honestly. It's never as linear as you'd want to assume that it'd be.