Oddly, Diana bothered me the most. And Lennon-I can tell you where I was at the time, what I was doing and who i was with. It burned in that deep. I was also very saddened by R.A. H. 's death -walked around at work in a funk all day.
Every life has meaning, has value, has purpose. I mourn them all when they have passed. That being said, a few "celebrities" that have passed which bothered me: Phil Hartman John Candy Chris Farley Princess Diana Mother Theresa Johnny Carson Bob Hope Don LaFontaine George Carlin (I remember the day I found out, my first reaction was the word "Bullshit!") Michael Jackson Just to name a few. J.
One that bothered me was Raul Julia. He wasn't a "favorite" actor of mine, but the day before they announced his death I had just watched Tequila Sunrise again. He had a really good role in that movie.
I'm not certain that 'celebrity' would properly describe Terry Fox. I remember we were travelling along the 401 in Ontario and seeing a gigantic flag at a Husky service centre flying at half mast and it truly hitting home that Terry had lost his battle with cancer.
lennon 's and henson's because they both were a shock and the feeling so much was wasted. lennon was especially tough since he seemed to be going forth in great new phase of his life. recently nashville lost steve mcnair in a very stupid and tragic way. a lot of people out side the area might not understand just why and how this affected so many.. even some non football fans. not only did a lot people like mcnair for his toughness out on the field but also because he was out and about in the community a lot. even after the bad blood between he and some of the titans brass when he was traded to baltimore he still made a point of coming back and being involved in certain charity events. once he retired he seemed to be everywhere involved in all kinds of charitable events as well as running football camps for kids. yeah some of the stuff he did in personal life was stupid but it didnt negate the vast amount of good he did not just for nashville but for baltimore and especially for mississipi where he was from. and not just in big spalshy things but some personal ones that are still being discovered.
I've been saddened by a number of celebrity deaths, including those of Fred Rogers, Jim Henson, and Tim Russert. But there's only two that ever made me truly upset: Gene Roddenberry, and Jim O'Brien.
Peter Jennings' death after his difficult battle. What a bummer. Eartha Kitt was such a classy lady. George Burns; one in a million
I didn't know Lynne Thigpen had died. Ever since Carmen Sandiego, I kept my eye open for her. I still remember her accepting a Tony Award for having played a southern black jew and ending the speech with, "Shalom, y'all!" Loved her. Majel Barrett's death caused me to tear up. She put her heart into the roles she played, and I felt like I'd lost a favorite aunt. Probably the most impact I've felt from a celebrity death is Madeleine L'Engle. Her books and her life have always resonated so strongly with me, that I felt like I knew her intimately. I really regret that I never had the opportunity to meet her. She had a way of articulating life that moved me immensely. Her birthday is on my calendar every year.
The first one that really hit me was John Belushi. I was about to enter college as a freshman when Animal House came out, and I was a senior when he died. Johnny Carson's death was hard too, but at least he had been retired and out of the public eye for a while prior to that.
Steve Irwin and Billy Mays both came as complete surprises to me. I didn't cry over either, but they were among the first of the TV personalities I grew up with who died. Otherwise, Tim Russert and Peter Jennings, because I've always been a bit of a political nerd, and those guys played a part in delivering the news to me.
[kevin smith in Monty Python voice]I'm not dead yet.[/kevin smith in Monty Python voice] Seriously, I was genuinely curious which Kevin Smith, as I don't believe the Kevin Smith who's most commonly referenced on TBBS (of "Clerks" and "Jay and Silent Bob" fame) has kicked the bucket quite yet. Unless I missed one in the news ....
^ The Kevin Smith who died was a New Zealand actor and stuntman. Linky Another death that upset me: Mark Fidrych. Man, I wish I could have seen him pitch.
I can't believe I didn't mention Gene Roddenberry in my list. I didn't cry, but I was sad. Oh, yeah, Tim Russert, too. Seeing Tom Brokaw choking back tears as he made the announcement got me.
^ Okay if Russert counts as a celeb, then so must RFK. I was 11 and his campaign was the first I got involved in. I was stuffing envelopes at the local headquarters in preparation for the NY primary. Then one morning, my mom woke me for school with the news that he'd been shot. When JFK was shot, it was the first time I saw my parents cry. When RFK was shot, it was the first time I cried when someone I didn't know died.