Gollum was once a hobbit, but was turned into a ghoul by the ring of power. In 2463, his cousin found the ring of power in a riverbed while fishing, and Smeagol immediately killed him for it. The ring let him live for many many years and it distorted his mind and body. For nearly five centuries, Gollum lived in the tunnels of the Misty Mountains. In 2941, Bilbo Baggins found Gollum and took the one ring, unaware of what it was. In 3019, Gollum followed Frodo Baggins, hoping he could reclaim the one ring. Frodo seemed to tame him for awhile, but Smeagol could not be made better. Gollum finally got the one ring back by biting off Frodo's finger, but at that moment, he toppled backward into the crack of doom with his "precious" prize, and there he died.
