# Celebrity Deaths that Upset You the Most? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 18, 2002, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-deaths-that-upset-you-the-most/137362 "2002-11-18T19:27:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![t-keela](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a3d4f5/32.png) [@t-keela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/t-keela)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2002, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-deaths-that-upset-you-the-most/137362/121 "2002-11-20T07:22:45Z")
[QUOTE] \*Originally posted by DeepPurple \* \*\ ***Freddie Prinze** , I had the day off from school for some reason & saw the news early in the day. It was really bad because I knew my parents wouldn’t understand, so I had no one to talk to about it. I remember it like that too… It was on a Saturday, Jan. 29th. 1:00 PM ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2002, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-deaths-that-upset-you-the-most/137362/122 "2002-11-20T10:16:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lissener \* > \*\*After reading more of this thread, I’ll have to include Brandon Lee and Aaliyah and JFK Jr. in my list. Didn’t actually cry, like I did for Diana and Jeff, but the same feeling of snuffed in the bud of a creative life of huge potential affected me with these deaths. \*\* Lissener, what about **Kirsty MacColl**?? I know you’re a huge fan. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Elvis_Rojo)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2002, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-deaths-that-upset-you-the-most/137362/123 "2002-11-20T10:19:47Z")
Jimmy Stewart and Walter Matthau. Two of the greatest actors to ever have lived, both died within the past couple of years. Terribly, terribly sad. ---
**Author:** ![kingpengvin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9dc877/32.png) [@kingpengvin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kingpengvin)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2002, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-deaths-that-upset-you-the-most/137362/124 "2002-11-20T15:33:23Z")
I’ve been in the “oh no that’s too bad” mode for many stars but only once did I really feel a sense of loss and that was when I heard that Ernie Coombs AKA[Mr. Dressup](http://www.cbc4kids.cbc.ca/general/time/history_radio_tv/mrdressup.html) I watched him throughout my childhood and my children now watch his show perpetually in reruns. I was really upset by that news. ---
**Author:** ![mack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mack)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2002, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-deaths-that-upset-you-the-most/137362/125 "2002-11-20T17:37:13Z")
**Frank Zappa** and **Jerry Garcia** , two of my favorite musicians, died within a couple years of each other. Zappa was losing his battle with prostate cancer, so his death was a matter of time but Jerry’s death was a big surprize and hit everyone pretty hard. I thought **River Phoenix’s** death was particularly sad. I liked his acting and he had something more in him than others of his generation. ---
**Author:** ![cherry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cherry)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2002, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-deaths-that-upset-you-the-most/137362/126 "2002-11-20T20:49:07Z")
\*\* Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan \*\* \*\* Princess Diana \*\* ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2002, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-deaths-that-upset-you-the-most/137362/127 "2002-11-20T21:16:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by kingpengvin \* > \*\*Ernie Coombs AKA[Mr. Dressup](http://www.cbc4kids.cbc.ca/general/time/history_radio_tv/mrdressup.html) > \*\* Never heard of him before clicking the link, but I think that’s the same feeling I got with Henson. And in the “who WILL upset you” file, Fred Rogers is getting up there. When he goes, I’ll feel it again, even though he’s had a long life. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2002, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-deaths-that-upset-you-the-most/137362/128 "2002-11-20T21:28:51Z")
Aaliyah Tupac Shakur Notorious BIG because I had enjoyed their music, and always looked forward to more coming from them. Chris Farley Phil Hartman ---
**Author:** ![JohnBckWLD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JohnBckWLD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnBckWLD)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2002, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-deaths-that-upset-you-the-most/137362/129 "2002-11-20T21:45:19Z")
127 Posts later, at least 200 celebrity names and not one person posted an opinion that said… _“Why would anyone shed tears & be upset over the death of total strangers? Celebrities are fiction. They’re nothing more than manufactured images to be idolized & consumed by the masses. The same masses who lead empty, hollow lives and need royalty tp look up to. The masses who would neither be given the time of day or consideration by these overpaid, spoiled, plastic cut-outs from the entertainment world. Just because you enjoy their work doesn’t mean you have to feel sorrow when they die. Those feelings should be reserved for friends, loved ones, the unfortunate and martyrs.”_ Not that I hold that exact opinion, just surprised that no one stated it. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2002, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-deaths-that-upset-you-the-most/137362/130 "2002-11-20T22:43:15Z")
> [@](#): > > “Why would anyone shed tears & be upset over the death of total strangers? Celebrities are fiction. They’re nothing more than manufactured images to be idolized & consumed by the masses. … Just because you enjoy their work doesn’t mean you have to feel sorrow when they die. ….” JohnBckWLD: I’m not holding you that opinion but I do think that, unless it’s somebody like Osama Bin Laden, Charles Manson, or the guy who wrote “The Macarena”, it is incredibly callous not to feel at least a little tinge of sorrow when someone–be he a celebrity or not–dies. While it’s true that being famous doesn’t make someone perfect and infallible, it also doesn’t strip that person of his or her humanity. Anyway, getting back OT, add me to posters who were upset about John Lennon’s death and it wasn’t just because Although I was a fan of his music. The fact he was shot at age 40 by some deranged fuckwad just seemed so bizarre and pointless. Rock stars die due to drugs, alcohol, or plane crashes, not assassinations. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2002, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-deaths-that-upset-you-the-most/137362/131 "2002-11-21T03:29:06Z")
Maybe because the OP clearly said: > [@](#): > > \*\*Let’s not let this turn into a “why do people get upset over people they don’t even know?” argument. \*\* And that’s been respected, thank goodness. I don’t need to be told how stupid I am for mourning someone I didn’t know. Why mourn the people who died at the World Trade Center if no one is supposed to mourn people they didn’t know? ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2002, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-deaths-that-upset-you-the-most/137362/132 "2002-11-21T04:00:03Z")
Oh, and my posting should read, “… it wasn’t just because I was a fan of his music.” (I forgot to take “Although” out.) ---
**Author:** ![fizzestothetop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e79b87/32.png) [@fizzestothetop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fizzestothetop)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2002, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-deaths-that-upset-you-the-most/137362/133 "2002-11-21T04:29:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by gonzoron \* > Yeah, that’s antoher one. His death didn’t hit me when I heard about it, because I barely knew who Bruce was, much less Brandon. But after seeing The Crow, it upset me. Whether you like that movie or not, he _owned_ it. Such charisma, such potential. And “reviving” him via special effects to finish the movie that he was so committed to was such a creepy reflection of the movie’s plot. First time I watched that movie a few years ago I didn’t realize he was dead and absolutely fell in love with him/his character. Then I watched the interview at the end of the movie. Just the way he talked about his role, it got to me. He was so proud of it and excited about the movie. I bawled my eyes out and was bummed out for days afterwards. I still get a bit teary eyed everytime I watch that movie. Brandon had a hell of a lot of potential and this movie would’ve propelled him into the spot light. and IIRC, **River Phoenix** was up that role originally but I think he died before the movie even began filming (or something to the sorts, I could very well be wrong). ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Creant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b487fb/32.png) [@Miss\_Creant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Creant)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2002, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-deaths-that-upset-you-the-most/137362/134 "2002-11-21T04:40:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by t-keela \* > \*\*One name worth mentioning alongside the others. All of whom were terrible losses. > > The Great\*\* Walter “Sweetness” Payton\*\* he was poetry in motion and will be missed. > > Peace \*\* I was hoping that I wouldn’t have to go through this whole thread only to find **Sweetness** had not been mentioned. Thank you \*\* t-keela\*\* **Stevie Ray Vaughn** cried for days **Edgar Bergan** **George Burns**'night Gracie ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2002, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-deaths-that-upset-you-the-most/137362/135 "2002-11-21T04:54:36Z")
**Warren Zevon** - partly because he’s still in the middle of it. But mostly because his music has been one of the more enjoyable things in my life, and I was looking forward to his musical take on old age. “You thought I was pissed off about being young and poor? Wait 'till you hear what I’ll have to bitch about when I’m old and cranky.” - Warren Zevon ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2002, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-deaths-that-upset-you-the-most/137362/136 "2002-11-21T05:56:59Z")
**Danny Kaye** –I wore something black for three days after he died. **Jim Henson** , of course. I didn’t believe it at all when I first heard it. I knew some folks in MD who have a Viking long ship that he took a ride in one day. The mental picture of Kermit the Frog singing “Bend Over, Greek Sailor”, has been with me for years. **Gordie Dickson** and **Poul Anderson**. There were memorial filks for them both at WorldCon that year that got me all weepy. **Isaac Asimov** , purveyor of fine puns and tall tales. I was stunned when I heard that **Lennon** was murdered. I didn’t want to believe something like was even possible. _sniffle_ ---
**Author:** ![Hometownboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5e9695/32.png) [@Hometownboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hometownboy)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2002, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-deaths-that-upset-you-the-most/137362/137 "2002-11-21T06:25:53Z")
To the earlier mentioned **Robert A. Heinlein** and **John D. MacDonald** I would definitely add **Theodore Sturgeon** , a writer of such incredible talent. His work could always move me, especially “Slow Sculpture.” And of course **Jimi Hendrix** and **Janis**. As I said in another thread, I want to nip into a record store in that alternate universe where they and **The Beatles** are still putting out new albums. There Ain’t No Justice ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2002, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-deaths-that-upset-you-the-most/137362/138 "2002-11-21T07:12:02Z")
Audrey Hepburn ---
**Author:** ![okielady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/fbc32d/32.png) [@okielady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/okielady)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2002, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-deaths-that-upset-you-the-most/137362/139 "2002-11-21T13:28:09Z")
Several have already been mentioned, so I’ll limit mine to those who I haven’t seen in the list yet. Dudley Moore Lisa Lopes from TLC ---
**Author:** ![Magickly\_Delicious](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magickly\_Delicious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magickly_Delicious)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2002, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-deaths-that-upset-you-the-most/137362/140 "2002-11-21T17:02:07Z")
**Jim Henson** Yeah, his name’s already showed up. We need Kermit back, and not the evil twin in his place who has been advertising for Denny’s. And **Will Lee** , Mr. Hooper from Sesame Street. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-deaths-that-upset-you-the-most/137362.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-deaths-that-upset-you-the-most/137362.md?page=8)