TV presenter and columnist Peaches Geldof was the most popular term, according to new research from Microsoft's search engine Bing.
The 25-year-old died in April after suffering a heroin overdose at her home in Wrotham, Kent.
Hollywood star Robin Williams came second on the list after he took his own life in August.
Bing says nearly half of all British searches for the comedian came from smartphones.
In third place was Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Lawrence, who has been in the spotlight for both professional and personal reasons this year.
The 24-year-old plays the lead role in the The Hunger Games.
Its latest instalment Mockingjay - Part One took $123m (Â£79m) in its opening weekend in the United States.
Over the summer naked images of Jennifer Lawrence were leaked online, something she later called "a sex crime".
Fast & Furious actor Paul Walker, who was killed in a car accident in November 2013, completed the top four.
Newly-engaged Wimbledon champion Andy Murray was the UK's most searched-for sportsman in 2014, followed by South African Olympic and Paralympic athlete, Oscar Pistorius, who was jailed in October for killing his girlfriend.
In the music world, One Direction and Justin Bieber captured the most online attention this year.
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The blaze broke out at a building of five apartments on Beverley Road at about 06:00 GMT, the fire service said.
The 31-year-old victim was rescued from a ground floor property and taken to Hull Royal Infirmary where he later died.
Humberside Police said the fire was not being treated as arson and described the man's death as "non-suspicious but unexplained".
More on this and other local stories from across East Yorkshire
Two firefighters also suffered minor injuries, Humberside Fire and Rescue said.
Resident Vitalijus Lisauskas, who lives in the top floor flat, said he believed the explosion was a result of a gas leak.
"The fire was in one of the downstairs flats and luckily we exited out of the building as it happened," he said.
"Then it just exploded... knocking off the window and the one above it as well.
"It looked like a fireball, in a split second it went boom."
His neighbour, who would only give his name as John, said: "All I heard was a loud crash.
"I'm quite a heavy sleeper so I went back to sleep and then the next thing you know I've got the fire brigade knocking and banging on my window telling me I need to get out."
The scene is near Hull and East Riding Institute of the Blind (HERIB).
Beverley Road was closed between Alexandra Street and Queens Road for up to three hours while a cordon was in place around the property.
The death of the world's biggest celebrities made them some of Britain's most searched-for stars in 2014.
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A man has died following a fire and explosion at a flat in Hull.