The only celeb deaths that have actually brought me to tears were Princess Diana and John Denver (still can’t play his CD’s without bawling.) The recent passing of Maurice Gibb made me very sad, as well as Richard Crenna’s passing, but they didn’t quite turn on the water works.
I worry about what reaction I will have when William Shatner goes to the “final frontier”. He’s getting up there in years, so I guess I have to mentally prepare myself. Have been a Shatner fan since I was a youngster…can’t quite explain why, but you know how that goes.
What celeb deaths have or will reduce you to a blubbering mess when their time comes?
Most of the time when a celebrity dies, it doesn’t affect me much. I didn’t know them or feel a personal attraction to them. I pretty much say “bummer. I really liked their movies/music/jokes/ect”
The ONLY time I felt a personal loss was when Phil Hartman died. It was really strange. I felt like I had to sit down after I heard… and at one point I felt pretty close to tears.
So, personally I can’t say for sure.
I think I’ll be pretty bummed when Peter O’Toole dies.
I didn’t like it very much when DeForest Kelley died and I think I’d feel similarly for almost any and all Star Trek stars from TOS, TNG, and DS9 with only a few exceptions. And a couple off of Voyager as well.
Owen Hart’s tragic death left me feeling a bit hollow. I wasn’t a big fan but the senseless manner in which it happened was just horrendous. I’d probably feel bad for Ric Flair and some others too.
Finally, I’d probably be saddened if someone from Friends died or if my current favorite actor, Edward Norton, was to be killed. That’d definitely suck.
wow, Phil Hartman is the first one that came to mind for me as well. When Diana died, I didn’t feel any regret…mainly because she never did anything for me, and I had no reason to care. Same thing for JFK Jr. I was kind of sad when Chris Farley died, but I didn’t really feel any remorse because I saw it coming. Once a celebrity is above the age of 60, I am pretty much prepared to hear the news. I suposse the only ones which would really affect me would be if somebody under the age of 50, who I really liked, and who did NOT have a reputation for doing drugs or otherwise living unhealthy all of a sudden died. If Dan Castellelia (Homer Simpson’s voice) died, I would have a very hard time dealing with that.
Weird, I guess. But, in the days before I knew there was a Cecil Adams, Asimov was the guy who could explain things simply enough that they made sense. Thanks to him, it felt like I could almost get a grasp on infinity.
I loved his jokes. Corny as all heck, but I loved them.
And he always seemed optimistic, knowing the horrors man can do. I miss that. I miss seeing new books written by that very prolific writer.
Yeah. He’s the celebrity whose death most shattered me, all those years ago.
I think the only celebrity death that really got to me was Jim Henson. Growing up with Sesame Street and The Muppet Show, he was like a favorite teacher or friend of the family had died. I’m not sure what other performer would have that much of an impact on me.
Hearing about Warren Zevon’s illness made me feel pretty sad, though.
Well,I felt personally for Tupac and Biggie, and more recently, Aaliyah. Chris Farley and my namesake, Phil Hartamn.
The ones I’ll likely mourn in the future? Harrison Ford, John Goodman (most of the Roseanne cast, really), a member of Aerosmith, Tom Petty, Sean Connery.
For me it will be Kathryn Hepburn. One of the biggest thrills of my life was being in the same room with her, although I didn’t go anywhere near her. I just wish I could have seen her perform on stage.
As one of the few residents of Los Angeles who actually loves the city, I was extremely upset when Lakers announcer Chick Hearn died. I’ve heard his voice every year during NBA seasons since I was a baby, and this year’s Laker games, even if I were to ignore the fact that those boys just won’t stop losing, don’t feel right without him.
The deaths of actor-type celebrities don’t really bother me much. Phil Hartman bothered me a little, but that was more because of how he died. His story I would have found disturbing even if it were about Mr. and Mrs. Joe Bolw down the street. There isn’t a personal componant for me in an actor’s death, I guess. I don’t view an actor as irreplacable.
Music-type celebrities are the same – probably because music is not a huge deal to me.
Author-type celebrities are another thing altogether. I am a wreck when one of my favorite authors die. Although, selfishly, the loss is lessened for me if the author in question is already retired. Charles Schultz for instance. I cried for Sparky, but didn’t feel the shock and pain so deeply as I would have if his death were sudden and original “Peanuts” were still being produced. When Olive Ann Burns (author of the brilliant Cold Sassy Tree) died, she was in the middle of a second book. I was blue for weeks after her death – as much mourning for the book (and any future books) as for the lady (whom I didn’t, of course, know). I always tell people now that, if there is a Heaven and I get to go there, first place I’m heading is the library, to Fiction “B.” Because it wouldn’t be Heaven if Mrs. Burns wasn’t up there writing.
I usually don’t care when a celebrity dies. I mean, I feel sad for their friends and family who will miss them, and I feel an amount of regret for the things in life they will never do again, but it’s no different than anyone else dying. They don’t get more brain-time from me than regular people.
That said, I think the one celebrity whose passing I will really mourn is Christopher Lee. His cheesy Hammer movies were a huge part of my growing up, watching him chew the scenery every Saturday afternoon in a double feature on one of the obscurer channels. And in everything I’ve ever read about him, and in all the interviews I’ve seen of him, he just seems like such a neat guy. Thoughtful, dedicated, kind…I think the world will be fractionally impoverished by his loss.
Same here with the untimely deaths. Particularly Jim Henson (I love Kermit), Diana and JFK Jr. I lived in Boston during the Kennedy heyday, and how much grief can one family stand? And I cried when Steve Barton commited suicide. Such a waste.
Mostly, it’s when people who are younger than me die.
Asimov as well – I once wrote him a letter about what I saw as a potential flaw in the Three Laws, and he wrote me back - a handwritten, detailed note that I treasure.