Since celebrity death is a hot topic right now, which future ones will make you extremely sad? Or happy?
I’ll be sad when the final Beatle dies (Paul or Ringo) as it will seem like the end of something really huge. And also Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen. The reaction of the latter in NJ will be something.
As for happy, murderer OJ Simpson and homophobic bigot Anita Bryant. No only horrible people, but stupid. OJ commits more crimes after getting away with murder, and Biryant slanders the homosexual community, then blames them when the entertainment industry blackmails her, her employees sue her, and her marriage falls apart. So I will definitely raise a glass of orange juice when I hear of those deaths.
When the early cast of SNL start dying off that will be sad. Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Steve Martin, etc. It’ll be the passing of an entire generation of comedians and its only about ten years away.
I don’t know what this says about me, but the deaths of people I hate makes me happier than the deaths of people I like makes me sad.
I won’t list them here, to avoid politics.
People I would be the most upset if we lost them
Justice Ginsburg (especially in the next 10 months)
President Obama. (or Michelle Obama)
Paul Simon
Paul and Ringo
Elton John
I don’t really imagine any - because everyone dies, and i can’t think of any single person outside my family and closest friends who is too terribly meaningful to me.
The only factor I can think of is if I get to the age where celebs my age and/or younger are dying. That’ll make me feel old. The same way I remember the first Playboy centerfold who was younger than me (Lisa Welch!), or when they started describing athletes younger than me as ancient…
Assuming we’re talking about people who might well die in the next few years, rather than just any famous person, I agree with Paul and Ringo, and add in Mick and Keith. The Stones would actually have to stop touring. Mick and Keith have kept going for so long with terrible health habits that despite their age it’ll still be shocking.
Harrison Ford will make me sad (I’m expecting Hamill to keep living for a long time yet but Ford has some health issues).
Patrick Stewart is 79 and could well keep going for a long time yet, but that will definitely be a big deal. He seems like a really lovely person as well as a great actor in Star Trek shows and Shakespeare plays.
Though after the Great Celebrity Rapture of 2016 I’m more blase about other deaths. And yes, I know that 2016 wasn’t actually that huge a blip and there are reasons for it, but it happened to include several people I really liked in the same year.
Yeah, it won’t be shocking or anything, but it’ll be the end of an era.
That would be pretty sad since he’s had a career resurgence and has young kids.
John Cleese; hands down. Of the Pythons left he is far and away my personal hero.
John Kay and Grace Slick in the music scene. Maybe add Ian Anderson as well although his production of constant new stuff will keep me listening for ages after his passing.
Fran Tarkenton although I am ready when it happens; I have a replica of his Vikings shirt in black.
Author Beverly Cleary- born April 12, 1916 (no, that is NOT a typo) will be a big one for me. I read all her books in elementary school, and I remember how shocked I was to google her and find out she was still alive twenty years ago!!
Among the strange bets at the local casino is “Betty White is in a Super Bowl commercial” according to the local news. It seems as if there isn’t enough stuff in the game itself to keep all the gamblers happy – and broke.
Not a single one. I really don’t understand how the death of someone who is a complete stranger to you (and you to them) can have much of an impact on your life. I guess a musician or other performer who you really enjoy seeing live could leave a bit of a hole. I enjoyed seeing Stevie Ray Vaughan but when he was killed I sort of shrugged and thought “That’s a damn shame” but that’s about it. But people crying in the streets over the death of a celebrity? Get a grip. Of course, YMMV.
For sad ones, the worst would be Kesha, but because she’s 10 1/2 years younger than I am, there’s an excellent chance she’ll outlive me.
For happy ones, you need look no further than my 13 entries in the 2020 SDMB Celebrity Death Pool:
Lukasz Gottwald
Donald Trump
Bashar Assad
Justin Bieber
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
Pat Robertson
Jeremy Corbyn
Hassan Nasrallah
Steve Bannon
Wayne LaPierre
Louis Farrakhan
Roger Waters
Recep Tayyip Erdogan
