No, not really. I mean it’s sad when anybody dies, especially if it’s unexpected, but even when my 91 yo father died a few years ago I didn’t break down. Death is a part of life, and so far no one has been able to cheat death. Famous people die and it’s all the news talks about for weeks on end. Some unknown person dies and they’re lucky to get a small mention in the local paper. Just because your famous doesn’t make you better or more important than anyone else IMHO.
I’ve been having some uncharitable thoughts about people’s reactions to Bryant’s death. I didn’t follow his career or his post-career life that closely, but it seems he was a very talented athlete and also a pretty good guy who worked with kids and may or may not have raped someone. Nothing wrong with being sad that he died so young, or feeling a little shook by yet another reminder of the fragility and capriciousness of life. But it’s weird to me that so many identify him as their hero.
I don’t, apart from the selfish realization there will be no more new material coming from that source. I feel like the celebrity you know is a carefully groomed image that may or may not have anything to do with the actual meatperson, so what is actually lost is that image. It’s no different from a favorite show being canceled. I recognize I should at least empathize with survivors, but even that feels like a lie because I never actually knew “who” died–I have no idea who they lost, and how they might feel about it, because I don’t know them either. I’ve lost a few people close to me, people I actually enjoyed being around, and if I’m honest about it I didn’t feel much of anything at all. I can’t decide if that means I have a healthy view of death or whether I’m a psychopath. Could be both I guess.
I think that it only really happens when, somehow, you manage to admire the living hell out of the person.
It’s an If/Then situation.
If/Then… then you should grieve as privately as you can, unless you knew or worked with the person. People will think less of you if you grieve publicly but didn’t know them.
In some cases, you can publicly grieve when the celebrity is deeply embedded in the psyche of the community you are in. Los Angeles has always been a Laker town, especially in the last 20 years, with the struggles of the Dodgers (until recently) and the demise of NFL teams. Kobe spent an entire 20-year career as a Laker, one of the stars of the team, sometimes the only star of the team. He was embedded in the community, even more so once he retired and won an Oscar. The atmosphere in LA yesterday was pretty somber and there were a lot of people publically grieving without anyone taking them to task.
The last time this town was like this was after Magic’s retirement announcement (in those days, HIV was considered a death sentence).
A person shouldn’t give a flying fuck if people think less of them for having a certain emotional reaction.
I think grief, just like any intense emotion, is best done in private. But if you are sad, go ahead and feel sad. Fuck the people who don’t get it, I say.
When Prince died, there were places in every major city where people gathered to deal with the loss and celebrate his life. Yes, they made a public spectacle of themselves, but IMHO it was a beautiful spectacle.
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I was a big fan of John Denver and was sad when he died. I guess what hit me was I always wanted to meet him and tell him how much his music impacted my life. I was saddened to hear about how in his later years he had struggled with losing the fame he had back in the 70’s and his struggles with alcohol and drugs. I so wish somebody could have helped him because I feel he almost had a death wish in his final years with his getting arrested for DUI, drug possession, and crashing his cars. Then he carelessly went up in a dangerous plane without doing a proper preflight check (the plane was low on fuel), when he had already lost his pilots license… well its almost like John was hoping for the end to come.
I wonder why celebrities cant just come to the realization that their time in the spotlight has come and gone, accept that it was great while it lasted, and just comfortably go on with their lives?
I haven’t ever been “upset” about the death of a celebrity, besides briefly thinking "that’s too bad’’ or “urrggh”*, especially in the case of a sudden unexpected death.
It may be a time to remember their accomplishments and possibly their failings too.
Sometimes the public angst over a celebrity’s death is bizarre and even repellent, as in the case of Princess Diana. I’ve given up on trying to understand the psychic connection many have to people whose lives are inconsequential, as far as benefiting humanity to any significant extent.
*in reaction to the Last Frozen Flight of Payne Stewart.
Thinking some more on this I think the death that affected me the most was Senna. I didn’t grieve as such but I was watching the race live and saw the crash and felt the unfolding situation in real time. That was a dark sad day but not so much because I felt I knew him (I didn’t) or that I was fanatic follower (I am an F1 fan in general) but because I pretty much watched it happen. Though I’m not much given to wild shows of emotion in real life I have a real aversion to watching the pain and distress of others and being unable to help, It just isn’t something I want to see. Had he died off-screen without my real-time involvement I know I wouldn’t have felt it as strongly.
Am I affected? Not at all. I have no interest in sports, and don’t follow celebrities beyond knowing names of a few bands and musicians. And those only because I like their music, and am likely to enjoy any future work. There are no actors that I keep up with, as I consider them interchangeable. Since their only expertise is pretending, I’m uninterested in their off screen beliefs or activities.
I’m not being snarky, but I honestly couldn’t recall who Kobe Bryant was when I first saw news about the crash. A celebrity death affects me no differently than any other stranger’s passing. Regrettable, but causes no change in my day’s plans.
That’s a really interesting observation. I have a relative who tried to “make it” in Hollywood and came tantalizingly close. As my other relations tell it, he had a bit part next to George Clooney (maybe spoke a word or two?). Then nothing. No calls, The End. From what they tell me, it seems much rougher for him than if he’d never gotten close.
I started playing the Death Pool in 2002 because I was too affected by celebrity deaths. I was pretty young (26) and struggled to contextualise it; the irreverence of the Death Pool actually helped me quite a lot… That, and time.
When I’m sad about a celebrity death, it’s usually because that person’s work has had an impact on me, brought me some kind of pleasure, and I feel a gratitude. I feel a connection and a loss. Terry Pratchett was a tough one - without the embuggerance, he’d likely have had many more productive, creative years. I felt his loss as the loss of good friends too - I felt like all of his characters died that day.
I was a teen in the 90s, a total grunge chick. There have been so many high profile deaths from bands of that era, and each one feels like it is another step further away from my youth.
celebrity deaths don’t affect me any more then the death of any other random stranger. I did not know them so doesn’t really affect me.
Affected? Not really. Saddened? Sometimes. Especially when the celeb was young (younger than I am.)
Sometimes I feel a sense of loss if it’s someone whose work I really enjoyed, but I don’t lose sleep or rend my clothing or sink into deep melancholy.
Slight affect if they are in a music group I really like such as Keith Moon and John Entwistle. First saw the Who live in 79 , year after Moon died.
There are people in my town who I’ve seen around a lot, but have never actually introduced myself to or had a real conversation with. Like, the owner of the local grocery store. He might say hi, or wave as I come in, but while I know his name, due to it being on the building, he doesn’t know mine. Despite the lack of relationship or meaningful interaction, he’s a fixture in the community, and I’d be sad for him if he died, especially if his life were cut short. I didn’t follow Kobe Bryant’s career, but as a person who is part of standard American society (I’m on social media, I’ve seen some basketball games), I knew who he was, and in a way, he was a fixture too. I wouldn’t go to a vigil for either person or go through a grieving process, but I might post somewhere and talk about what a shame it was.
I’m not really bothered by celebrity deaths, and it actually irritates me that so much attention is brought to them.
I know there is reason for the attention, but I personally don’t care more than as an interesting foot note in popular culture.
I equate celebrity deaths about equal with Arnold becoming CA governor. Somewhat interesting for cultural knowledge, but no affect on me at all.
I’m also old and have experienced deaths of people very close to me; so other people deaths pale in comparison. The attention celebrity deaths get mostly bugs me.
Some; it depends. As a fan of Python, a few movie stars, and a few bands, I regret their passing because it means nothing new from them. And there are those few that happen at such a time in my life and in such a way that they become “milestones” - Lennon for example.
And I have worked behind the scenes on a few projects and have been “walking scenery” for over 40 years. Some celebs rubbed me so badly that I could almost be happy in their deaths. But there have been one or two ------- I feel the loss because they treated me well and the memories make me smile.
They’ll all outside my monkeysphere, so nope, they don’t impact me.
People don’t mourn celebrities because they know them. They mourn celebrities because they help them know themselves.