Dakota Culkin Killed in Tragic Accident

Yet another tragedy has struck a famous Hollywood family. 29-year-old Dakota Culkin, sister of actor Macaulay Culkin, died yesterday of massive head injuries after being hit by a car in Los Angeles Tuesday. While rumors were rampant that the driver was drunk, police have determined that he was not under any sort of influence.

The driver stopped and attempted to help Culkin until police appeared on the scene. While the family had no comment, Macaulay Culkin's spokeswoman, Michelle Bega, stated that Dakota's death was a "terrible tragic accident."

Dakota's death is the third in a string of tragedies striking Hollywood families. Oscar-winning singer-actress Jennifer Hudson's mother, brother and 7-year-old nephew were brutally murdered by her sister's estranged husband in late October. William Balfour was recently denied bail (December 3^rd) after prosecutor LuAnn Snow told the court that Balfour had warned Julia Hudson that "her family would suffer if he saw her with other men."

Actor Mark Ruffalo's brother Scott was found December 1^st with a gunshot wound to the head. He was taken off life support a week later. Police recently released the young woman considered a suspect in Ruffalo's death. Shaha Mishaal Adham stated that he accidentally shot himself during a high-risk game of Russian Roulette.

Of the seven Culkin children, Dakota was the only one who stayed out of the spotlight. Her 28-year-old brother Macaulay is best known for his role in the Home Alone films and for the dirty court battle his parents Kit and Patricia put him through in an effort to take control of his personal fortune. During the trial, Macaulay's career came to a halt and eventually, he lost his money due to lawyer fees.

In 1997, Kit gave up on the battle after the Manhattan Supreme Court Justice David Saxe stated that Macaulay and his siblings would not work with their father again. Despite the ruling, Macaulay's career did not pick up the steam it had had in the 90s. The last film he had done was Richie Rich and there he stopped.

In 1998, he married actress Rachel Miner, but they separated in 2000. Nine years after Richie Rich, Macaulay picked up a role in the film Party Monster, eventually scoring a role in the independent darling Saved! in 2004 alongside Jena Malone, Mandy Moore and Eva Amurri. Since then, Culkin has lent his voice to several episodes of "Robot Chicken" and starred in the film Sex and Breakfast in 2007.

Sheila Marikar,New Culkin Tragedy: Macaulay's Sister Dies, ABC News

Culkin's Sister Killed After Struck By Car, Associated Press

Hudson Family Murder Suspect Denied Bail, NME.com

Nancy Dillon, Actor Mark Ruffalo's Brother, Scott, Died After Playing Russian Roulette, Says Murder Suspect, New York Daily News