One Minute Writer #25 - Celebrity Deaths

Why do celebrity deaths deeply affect so many people?

There have been quite a few celebrity deaths this week and they do seem to affect people quite deeply. It seems odd that someone could be so heavily affected by the death of a person they probably never met. But if you think about it, you don't need to met a person to feel connected to them. They can touch you in ways that only a celebrity could, like overcoming adversities similar to your own or by simply being the kind of person you aspire to be.

In the case of Michael Jackson, who died on Thursday from a heart attack (at least that is the assumption right now), a great deal of people grew up watching and listening to him. He was a superstar right from the beginning of Jackson 5 and eventually became one his own. He was the first African American to to successfully crossover music genres on MTV and was also one of the few artists to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice. He had a pretty memorable fall from grace what with the sexual abuse charges and frequent changes in his physical appearance, but his true fans stood by his side. With his fancy footwork and eccentricities, he was hard to ignore and even harder to forget.

Farrah Fawcett also died this week at the age of 62. She lost her battle to cancer despite her valiant fight. She had been diagnosed with anal cancer in 2006 and underwent a great deal of traditional and alternative treatment in an effort to beat it. She had her good friend document her journey through film which was released as a two hour movie some time ago. She didn't leave anything out, including the loss of her trademark hair, as she stated, it was all part of cancer. Her rise to fame took off when she was on Charlie's Angels and then moreso when she made the famous poster shown on the left. It was a record breaking poster in terms of sales - the best selling pin-up poster of all time. She influenced the lives of many people, spanning multiple generations. She is an icon to this day and will likely remain so.

Ed McMahon died on Tuesday of this past week. Many people my age likely do not know exactly who Ed McMahon is, but have definitely heard his name. He was basically a TV personality similar to Dick Clark. He actually worked with Dick Clark on a TV blooper series for some time. The thing I remember him most for, is as the presenter of the American Family Publishers Sweepstakes. I remember people getting letters in the mail stating that Ed McMahon wanted to give them money. Then on TV there would be a camera crew and Ed McMahon showing up on someone's front lawn with balloons and a giant cheque. Ed McMahon is considered to be one the the greatest sidekicks in TV.