World, Writing, Wealth discussion
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The 2016 Deadpool...
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2016 can't end quickly enough for me. Seriously.
And there are celebrities not on this list, who wouldn't be known to American audiences, but well-known and well-loved across the water: Terry Wogan, Ronnie Corbett, and Peter Vaughan to name a few. 2016 has not been a good year. I blogged about this trend all the way back in February and things only seem to have gotten worse as the year went on. Have there really been more deaths of famous people this year, or are we just experiencing a form of confirmation bias in the reporting?
There are superstitions about leap years... and maybe they originate from the lists like that or from the lists of unexpected political events...
I also think the stature of the deceased matters as much as how many have passed away.
55.3 million people die each year...6316 each hour...
At some point, there's going to be more and more celebs that die because we have greatly expanded the idea of what celeb is.
For example on the NBC list...
Les Waas
Les Waas, 94, the advertising legend behind the Mister Softee jingle heard in hundreds of ice cream trucks for more than half a century...
Jingle writers are now celebs.
The death of guy who invented the red Solo cup is now getting headlines...
http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-n...
If you thought 2016 was bad I expect 2017 and the coming years to have even more celeb deaths than 2016.
I'm not convinced that there were more celebrity deaths this year. Having lived through the 70s and 80s, I witnessed the rise of super-stardom and greater intrusion into every detail of their lives. Add to this the rise of social media (one click and you're a celeb's 'friend'!) and my personal view that people are generally more emotional and less rational nowadays. People used to hear about a celeb's death, think it was a shame and feel a bit sad, but reactions now are way over the top. And let's face it, those superstars of the 70s - that was 40-odd years ago and they're now approaching (or have reached) their three-score and ten.So, what I'm trying to say is, celebs have become a much larger and closer presence in people's lives than they were in previous decades.
That's a great observation too Michael that the Mister Softee jingle writer is also a 'celeb'.
OK, I acknowledge that the concept of "celebrity" has expanded ridiculously in recent years, and looking at the lists some sources have compiled, hardly any of the names mean anything to me. Yes, with the number of deaths in any given year it's easy to latch onto a media trend and compile a long list of "celebrity" deaths to "prove" a point. However, that's not what I'm talking about. It still feels to me like there's been an unusual number of deaths of people who I would genuinely consider to be household names, at least in the UK. I mentioned Terry Wogan, Ronnie Corbett, and Peter Vaughan. To that, off the top of my head, I can add Andrew Sachs, Victoria Wood, Caroline Aherne, Carla Lane, Jimmy Young ... these are all people who were famous long before the rise of social media, and most of them would be familiar names to most people in Britain.
It's not so much about celebrity worship as it is what certain celebrities represent. I don't mourn David Bowie, Prince, George Michael or Carrie Fisher because I knew them or followed them slavishly on social media. I'm mourning the death of part of my youth and teen years. I'm mourning the end of something irreplaceable and distinct. I also see how many years have slipped by me, in a way.
Tara wrote: "I'm mourning the death of part of my youth and teen years. I'm mourning the end of something irreplaceable and distinct. I also see how many years have slipped by me, in a way."Well put! All those people I listed were well-loved parts of my younger life.
Ian wrote: "Tara wrote: "I'm mourning the death of part of my youth and teen years. I'm mourning the end of something irreplaceable and distinct. I also see how many years have slipped by me, in a way."Well ..."
It is quite poignant for that reason, you know?
Tara wrote: "It's not so much about celebrity worship as it is what certain celebrities represent. I don't mourn David Bowie, Prince, George Michael or Carrie Fisher because I knew them or followed them slavish..."Oh yes, I can certainly relate to that. I've been feeling very nostalgic about the 70s since I found a 70s retro site a few weeks ago - it can't possibly be 40+ years ago! I'm working through it by starting to write about growing up in the 70s, probably not for publication but for some sort of catharsis.
Jen Pattison wrote: "Tara wrote: "It's not so much about celebrity worship as it is what certain celebrities represent. I don't mourn David Bowie, Prince, George Michael or Carrie Fisher because I knew them or followed..."That is cool! I was born in the 70s and grew up in the 80s so if you decide to blog about this please let me know.
Will do, Tara! I don't know why it happened recently, but it just hit me to think how long ago it was. I'm fighting off thoughts of feeling old as you really are as young as you feel; I've known people in their 30s who seem as if they're waiting for the grave and people in their 80s who are lively, fun and energetic.
Jen Pattison wrote: "Will do, Tara! I don't know why it happened recently, but it just hit me to think how long ago it was. I'm fighting off thoughts of feeling old as you really are as young as you feel; I've known pe..."I collect dolls and love cupcakes and that helps a lot lol.
Tara wrote: "I collect dolls and love cupcakes and that helps a lot lol."...and a constantly enquiring mind keeps us ever youthful!
Jen Pattison wrote: "Tara wrote: "I collect dolls and love cupcakes and that helps a lot lol."...and a constantly enquiring mind keeps us ever youthful!"
Here here! I need you on my book discussion podcast!! I'll be in touch.
Hi Tara, I missed this, have not been feeling too great recently (just a cold, nothing serious)... a podcast? Sounds interesting, but does that mean talking??!!! Sounds nerve-wracking to me, but I'm intrigued. I look forward to hearing from you!
Have you met/know any from the list ?
Ive met 4... a couple of very famous authors passed this year...