It’s social media. It freaks out at any change, especially one which affects the demographics most likely to use social media (young people and idiots).
Terry Pratchett was trending on my Twitter for a good while, and was then knocked off by Jeremy Clarkson, who was then knocked off by Zayn, who was then knocked off by people making puns of celebrities and fantasy names.
Relax: The loss of Pratchett will be felt for a good long while, it will just be a quiet sadness and people hiding “GNU Terry Pratchett” on websites.
Coming in late here: I hate Pratchett’s works; have tried them, and found them – except for the odd slight smile – ponderous, lead-heavy, and profoundly un-funny. However – so many people whose taste I respect, loving the guy’s output: has me feeling that the problem is likely with me, rather than with the late Mr. P. And at all events, it’s regrettable that the author’s decline and death at a sadly early age, robbed enthusiasts for his writings, of potentially much more of them. Plus, I gather very much that Pratchett was personally, an extremely nice man. Altogether – would that things had been otherwise.