Do you think we have a "right" to be sad when a celebrity dies?
 

Beyond a general human sense that you're sad a life has been lost, do you think we mere mortals are entitled to share the grief when a celebrity we don't actually know, but "love", passes?

I've been really into Queen lately (nothing to do with the recent re-release, there's a bit of synchronicity!), and while Queen and Freddie have basically been constants in my life (both parents love them) I don't feel his loss because I "wasn't there" when it happened, but I was for David Bowie ... :cry: Tiffany in CBB was basically my actual reaction :joker:

But as I never met Bowie or even saw him in concert, shouldn't it be the same as any other death of a stranger?

Yes I think we are entitled to share the grief, some losses hurt more than others. I always say RIP but some hit like a ton of bricks. Shannen Doherty fir example. I adored her.

…yes, we have a right because what we’re feeling is an emotion and emotions aren’t really something that ‘rights’ apply to unless we ourselves apply them…for instance, I did meet David Bowie and his music had been and is a part of my life in so many ways…so many songs that I’ve connected with at different points in life and felt…yeah, this song has understanding of me at this moment in time…isn’t that what music does and makes us feel…?…so knowing him or having met him is not what it’s about, it’s about a connection through music …I was devastated when he died, but I also realise that his music is a legacy that will never be lost…with actors, like Robin Williams for instance…I’d never met him but I also felt that impact because his movies/his characters/his comedy/his infectious joy is something that I felt very touched by also at points in my life…so these people become a ‘part of us also’…maybe not in our everyday life but they all have a part in our hearts and our emotions and with a sudden unexpected death for instance…it can truly stun…and we have a right to feel whatever impact it’s made with us…

:love:

Very nicely put!

I'm soo envious that you met David Bowie btw!

David Bowie was one of the soundtracks to my life. I still miss him and wonder what kind of stuff he'd be doing now. I don't think that's disingenuous. It's human to mourn the loss of things that are dear to us.

In general I would say yes, especially for the ones who die before their time, like amy Winehouse etc. I remember being really saddened by rik mayells death as he was such a big part of my teenage years.

For the ones who get a good innings, I think we should be more celebratory in regards to their lives they've lived and shared with us, whilst still being slightly sad.

But nobody can tell anyone else what they should orcshouldnt grieve about.

I'm dreading paul weller going.

…there’s a quote by Alan Bennett../the author, which I love because it’s so true and it’s something that many people feel../have felt…he’s obviously made it applicable to reading and books but it could equally fit with a favourite actor/musician etc…someone who has impacted our lives in terms of who we are and our emotions etc and how we connect with them…/their music, their artistry…


“The best moments in reading are when you come across something – a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things – which you had thought special and particular to you. Now here it is, set down by someone else, a person you have never met, someone even who is long dead. And it is as if a hand has come out and taken yours.”

I don't think it's the same kind of grief as losing a loved one would have but of course there's no reason you shouldn't feel a loss or sadness when a celebrity who you connected with through their music/films etc dies

…collective grief as well I think is a very powerful thing…like the death of Diana, which was very sudden and had an impact of grief worldwide…and then Elizabeth more recently even though we knew she was becoming more fragile, death is something that’s really impossible to ‘prepare for’…for us in the forum and being BB fans and lovers, we’ve felt a more personal collective grief with Jade Goody and Nikki Grahame…collective grief isn’t just a bond with that person who has died, it reflects a bond with each other also…

Definitely and there's an extra layer on those too because were so tragic, they were so young

Absolutely I agree with all this.

Often although in a differing way, we connect with celebrities.
Even moreso as you point out ones we may meet.

Definitely it can be a big loss felt when they pass away.
Your David Bowie references above highlight how it can hit you too.
His first wife Angie was in Celebrity BB at the time as I recall.
We witnessed her being told that while in the house.
The connections go on and are strong in my view.

I personally felt sadness when Chester Bennington from Linkin Park died because I grew up on their Music, and in particular I loved the **** out of the Hybrid Theory Album.

Plus I think that he had a sad background if I'm not mistaken, so it all culminates into how I feel about his passing.

So yes why can't you personally feel sad about a Celebrities death? As long as you're not treating it as at the same level as losing a family member or friend, or partner.

Kurt Cobain and River Phoenix were ones that hit me hard, more so probably because I was a teenager when they died and at the time, music and film were a huge part of my life. We didn't have social media back then so these were thee things teenagers really focused on

Tbh I could imagine that they would've had a lot of people really upset about their deaths due to them being young when they died, because they both still had so many more years ahead for themselves, which is always tragic to think about.

Your feelings are your feelings and you should feel them as they come, that's healthy :hee:.

HOWEVER... I do think people (fans, etc, people who didn't actually know someone on an individual level) should try to at least be aware and considerate of the actual families of the deceased, i.e. appreciate that what they are feeling is not the same thing at all as what that person's family is feeling.

It's a totally different kind of loss. What you're mourning is what that person represented, their persona, what they gave to the world... important to remember in general about celebrities (yes TiBB including royalty... *cough*...) that we have no idea who they actually are as people/individuals. We do not know them, in any sort of interpersonal way.

Did you know Kurt was from Cork? :hee:

I never knew that.