Forgotten Celebrities from the 2000s

These people made headlines during the past decade, even if for just a short time. Find out which of these fleeting celebrities and people of note in 2000 have made to this list.

Susan Boyle gained international stardom in 2009 as a homely-looking 48-year old lady with an amazing singing voice when she joined Britain’s Got Talent. Would she get any attention if she were young and pretty? Probably. These days people expect rising stars to be talented, young and pretty. But nevertheless, people just loved her for what she is.

Terri Schiavo was a patient in an irreversible persistently vegetative state who gained media mileage and controversy in 2001. Her husband elected to have her feeding tube removed because he claimed that she expressed she did not want to be kept alive by life support. His move, however, was hotly contested by her parents, who claimed that she was fully conscious. The familial dispute became widespread when pro-life, right-to-die and disability rights activists picked their story and hotly wrangled against each other over it. The controversy eventually attracted the attention of then-president George W. Bush and Pope John Paul II. Her feeding tube was eventually disconnected on March 18, 2005, and she died thirteen days later.

Remember her? She gained fame through her single “Oops (Oh My)” from her debut album Southern Hummingbird in 2002. It reached the top 10 of the Billboard R&B tracks and also the Hot 100. After she released another album in 2005, she wasn’t able to follow it up the success of the first album. But now she’s currently working on a new album which was slated to be released in January 2016.

The pianist-singer rose to stardom when, at age 21, she had a huge pop hit with “A Thousand Miles” in 2002. But after a few unsuccessful follow-ups, Carlton has not had another hit as big as her debut single. She released her latest album Liberman, in 2015.

The singer-actresses’ biggest claim to fame is her Top 40 dance-pop hit “I Wanna Be Bad” in 2001. Although she has not had a hit as big as her debut single, Ford has taken roles in several small films. She also became a contestant on Dancing with the Stars in 2006.

Ashanti made news on the music scene when her debut single “Foolish” became a big hit in 2002. That same year, she was also featured on Ja Rule’s “Always on Time” and Fat Joe’s “What’s Luv,” both of which also became big chart smashes. Her self-titled debut album and the follow-up Chapter II were also big hits. But she hasn’t been able to follow them up with another big hit. Aside from singing, Ashanti also acts.

Blu Cantrell rose to fame when her debut single “Hit ‘Em Up Style (Oops!)” peaked at #2 on the Hot 100 in 2001, and even garnered more success when her next single “Breathe” became a major success in 2003. She seemed poised to take over the world musically, but since her earlier successes, Cantrell hasn’t released any material.

The name of the R&B singer Kelis used to grace the music scene when her single “Milkshake” smothered both the Hot 100 and Billboard R&B charts in 2003. Although she would continue to release material, Kelis spread out her talents to acting, cooking, and writing. In fact, she has starred in her own cooking show and launched her own sauce line.

Before Lady Gaga took over the scene, there was one other “Lady” before who used to shatter the charts for a while. In 2006 British rapper Lady Sovereign (born Louise Amanda Harman) hit it big on the Billboard Dance charts with her single “Love Me or Hate Me.” It also went to #45 on the Billboard Hot 100. She continues to make music up to the present.

Mandy Moore used to be the teen pop sweetheart during the 2000s with her famous songs “Candy” and “I Wanna Be With You.” Although she has continued to release more music, Moore has gained more renown as an actress than as a singer. Her most well-known recent film project is her voice work for the Disney animated film Tangled.

Michelle Branch’s pretty face, youthfulness as well as singing and musical talent brought her to stardom in the early 2000’s with her albums The Spirit Room and Hotel Paper. She was even brought to world renown when Santana’s single “The Game of Love,” which featured her vocals, went to #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and won a Grammy for “Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.” Although she has continued to release music, none of them have been as successful as her earlier hits. She recently made news due to her divorce from her musician husband Teddy Landau in 2015.

Nadya Denise Doud-Suleman shattered the headlines in 2009 when she gave birth to octuplets in 2009, leading her to be called as Octomom. Initial public fascination turned into negative reaction when it was learned that Suleman was an unemployed single mother already with six other young kids who subsisted on public assistance.

Ryan Starr was considered one of the first breakout stars during American Idol‘s first season in 2002, where she ended up in seventh place. Starr has since appeared in several movies and television shows (some of them reality shows, of course).

Singer Mya made music headlines in the 2000’s with hits such as “Case of The Ex (Whatcha GonnaDo)” and “My Love Is Like… Wo.” But after the release of her second album Fear of Flying, she has not garnered another hit. She also branched out into acting and has appeared on television, including her stint on Dancing with the Stars’ ninth season.