James Dean died at the age of 24 in a car wreck in rural California. He was already a star, having been featured in East of Eden and in the soon to be released Rebel Without a Cause. Dean was driving from Los Angeles to Salinas to compete in a road race. Accompanying him was a mechanic, while following Dean were a stunt man and photographer, ready to produce a photo story about Dean's love of car racing. James Dean's death happened before two of the three movies he starred in were released. Unsurprisingly, the greatest legacy of James Dean's death is a series of what ifs about the career James Dean never had.