Sobbing for Celebrities

I'm always puzzled by the extended outpouring of "grief" that emits from fans when their Idol has succumbed to death, untimely or not.

I mean, I want to give them a shake, loudly imploring, "Get a LIFE!".  I don't, instead ensuring my continued friendly relations by saying, "Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that", with that upturned eyebrows feign of sorrow and concern.

The celebrities that have generated the most waterworks:

• Michael Jackson - 50 year old - even I had to experience a momentary pause, thinking it was a shame that he died so young.  Then, I thought about his victims over the years, and that feeling passed.


• Judy Garland - 47 - addictions.


• Kurt Cobain - 27 - I was too old to even know his music.  He seemed to celebrate suicide and chemical addiction.


• Jimi Hendrix - 27 - again, an addict, fairly predictable that he would die young.


• Janis Joplin - 27 - see above.


• Marilyn Monroe - 36 - again, the addiction problems seem to be a theme here.


• Princess Diana - 36 - Car accidents can affect any age group, but excessive speed seems to have been a factor.  Apparently, she was trying to escape the press that she so cultivated in her short life.

For most of the above, the chemical dependencies were probably the major factor in their untimely deaths.  Which shows that FEELING like you're invincible is not the same as BEING invincible.  I'm NOT saying that drug addiction makes you worthy of death, but that there are consequences for abuse.

The celebrities deaths that were - more or less - to be expected at their age.

• David Bowie - 69


• Maurice White - Earth, Wind, and Fire - 74


• Abe Vigoda - 94


• Dan Haggerty (Grizzly Adams show) - 74


• Alan Rickman - 69


• Leonard Nimoy - 83


• Joan Rivers - 81 (You shouldn't TELL her age!)


• Lauren Bacall - 89

I don't think that it's the celebrity that the public is mourning - it's the realization that an integral part of their youth is gone.  For many, if not most, music evokes the emotions.  It's not the music or the celebrity that they miss, but the way the music made them feel - young, hopeful, and alive.

So, what does all this mean?  Beats me.  I do note that the celebrities that are having problems with their everyday lives are the most loudly mourned.  This might be aligned with their appeal to Drama Queens.