The Death of a Celebrity

Why do we become so obsessed with someone who is famous?

Movie stars, sports players, music icons, political figures. I do not understand the world's complete obsession with them. There are many talented people in this world. Elvis, Michael Jackson, Yul Brynner, David Carradine, Farrah Fawcett, Ed McMahon, Princess Di, Princess Grace, John F. Kennedy, and Roberto Clemente all made names for themselves. They all affected us in different ways. They lived the good life or so we all thought. They are all dead.

No singer, actor, sports figure, or politician is worth the idol worship that we give them. They are just men and women who put their pants on one leg at a time like the rest of us. They will die as we will die. Some will die alone and others will die with family and friends around. Just as we will. They are full of flaws and insecurities like the rest of us. They are human. Not a god. We all get older and the one thing we all have in common is that we will all die eventually. Some will die sooner than others. A life snuffed out before its prime, after its prime or during its prime. They are icons nonetheless because we make them so or their talent makes them so. Many will be missed and many will not.

Elvis Presley was a great singer and loved by millions of women. Most of his movies are corny but we loved them. We flocked to see each one as it came out. This country was obsessed with Elvis and everything he did. We watched him being inducted into the Army. We watched him get married and have a little girl. We watched when he fell from the pedestal and still continued to be obsessed. We stood by him when he got his divorce. We debated about his new girlfriend who looked so much like his wife, it was bordering on bizarre. We watched him slowly die and did nothing about it. We are still obsessed with Elvis. By the time I was old enough to finally see a concert of his, I was extremely disappointed. The lean man who I loved in the movies became a drug addicted fat man. He forgot lyrics to his songs and was a disappointment to watch. Throwing his sweaty scarves to screaming women who had no sense of their own self worth was equally disappointing. When I heard about his death, I was saddened. The world lost a part of musical history that would not be repeated. It lost the simpler life of the 50s.

Michael Jackson was a cute little boy of the Jackson 5. He quickly rose to stardom and his star shined for decades until the star broke apart and became a passing comet. I grew up with his songs. I danced to, cried with, laughed with and sang his songs. Over the years we heard about his father and the abusive way Michael was treated. We felt a place in our heart open up and let him in. He became family for many of us. His energy and brilliance that he brought to his craft were amazing. His life as he got older seemed to skyrocket and then that rocket started to come down. Many allegations over the years bought him the nickname of Wacko Jacko. Michael had a gentle spirit that we all wished we could have. His legacy will live on and unfortunately so will all the rumors. The decades of Michael Jackson’s star will continue for many more. Even in death, all of his records are sold out and they cannot produce them fast enough. Never in the history of the world did one person effect so many. I am saddened by his death because he was finally trying to get on with his life and past the rumors and do what he does best. Entertain.

1956 was the year that Yul Brynner came on the scene in "The King and I", "The Ten Commandments" and "Anastasia". I loved all three of these particular movies but I loved the “King and I” the most. I also loved the Broadway show. His capacity for acting in many films showed his brilliance and his love of the craft of acting. He appeared in 49 films, directed 8, and sang on soundtracks and other recordings. He was a guest on many shows playing none other than himself. I was privileged to meet him and see one of his last performances as the King and I traveled the country. He was a true gentleman, very gracious and I loved his work. I truly am sorry that he is no longer living. His influence has helped create the myth that royalty was somehow better and more loved than anyone else in the world. He paved the way for our love of Grace Kelly and Diana as royalty. He was good looking, exotic and we loved him. His most memorable work was a public service announcement that was made before he died and was not aired until afterwards. “Now that I'm gone, I tell you: Don't smoke, whatever you do, just don't smoke."

David Carradine lived the life of privilege because of who his father was. I suppose because of his father, he got into acting as have his brothers. His portrayal of Kwai Chang Caine in the television series “Kung Fu” solidified his stature as an actor in Hollywood. It opened other doors for David that might have kept him as a bit player. He reprised the role in a movie and continued the story in “Kung Fu the Legend Continues”. His ultimate movie contribution was “Kill Bill”. This movie showed David in a darker way that showed his true acting ability. He went on the convention circuit to keep his fan base happy. That is where I met him. At 10 am in the morning he was already drunk. He had a serious problem. If you were not a beautiful woman he did not spend much time with you. While he autographed things, I was disillusioned by his apparent lack of self control that he so adamantly discussed in his Tai Chi videos and interviews over the years. He was also now the ultimate liar.. In my book, you should practice what you preach. His battle over the years with drugs and alcohol were well known. His rudeness and his arrogance were also equally known. Recently some truths have come out about David that were more disturbing to me than the drugs and alcohol. Aside from the sexual deviant lifestyle, the thing that surprised me most of all was an incestuous relationship that was revealed. That is one thing that I cannot condone in anyone, no matter what the circumstances. I am sorry that David had to feel the need to escape in the ways that he did. Did the world lose a great actor? No. David lost the world a long time ago.

Farrah Fawcett lit up our world for one year as one of “Charlie’s Angels”. She was the girl next door and she carried a gun to boot! She was the sex symbol of the 70s. Her performance in the “Burning Bed” brought to light the seriousness of domestic violence in this country. While her career was not as evident as some others of my time, I will never forget her smile or her ability to laugh in the face of cancer. She was charming and sensitive and loved her family. She was an inspiration to a world that was seeing so much death and war. She proved her love when letters to each of her family were read at her funeral. Of the two that died that day, I think I will miss Farrah over Michael Jackson.

Ed McMahon was best known as the MC for Johnny Carson. I remember watching them when I was a kid. I was allowed to stay up late one night a week and watching the “Tonight Show” was awesome! I enjoyed watching Ed McMahon over the years in various movies and Star Search. His ability to make us laugh is what kept many of us going over the years. His passion for “The Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon” helped “Jerry’s Kids”. I will miss this funny man because he made me laugh and feel good during a dark and horrible time in my own life.

Lady Diana Spencer was every little girl’s dream. She was a normal person who was being married into royalty. That meant it could happen to us too. Her smile, her charm, her grace, and her love of life brought her into our hearts just like Grace Kelly did. Diana made us believe in love again. We watched her fairytale wedding and all cried as the vows were spoken. We were so happy for her. When she had her two boys, we were all overjoyed for her. It was obvious that she loved them completely. It appeared on the surface that dreams can come true. Tragically, that was only the public view. Behind the scenes and in private, Diana’s world was crashing down around her. We cried when the marriage broke up and we blamed Charles for his infidelity. We never understood how he could not love her like we did. We applauded her for getting on with her life and for being passionate about AIDS and landmines. We were also happy that she found someone else to love. When she was died the world lost a great person. We still mourn her death. When Charles married his mistress the world was outraged. It dishonored Diana and for that he may never be King of England. The only good thing left of Diana is her sons. They are her lasting gift to the world

Grace Kelly was a promising young actress who starred in 11 films that were all blockbusters of their time. She retired at the age of 26 to marry a man she met while at the Cannes Film Festival. Prince Rainier, III of Monaco. She went back to the states to do another film. Her Prince came to the United States and proposed to her. Like Diana’s wedding hers was equally elaborate and deeply religious and shown around the world. She found her Prince Charming and lived happily ever after until her death in a tragic car accident. Her legacy to the world is her 11 films and The Princess Grace which helps those with special needs for whom no provision was made within the ordinary social services. She did more for the Arts in Monaco than any other member or royalty. She had style. She had grace and she had charm.

Camelot in the United States is most known for the reign of President John F. Kennedy. While I never understood this term for his presidency, I must admit that his life was an interesting one. Rumors abounded that he had an affair with Marilyn Monroe and other women of his time. Whether it was true or not, his speech at his inaugural address was definitely a rousing one. “Ask not what your country can do for you but ask what you can do for your country”. This is one of the most notable quotes in our history next to “Give me liberty or give me death”. He was a war hero and the first Roman Catholic to be President. I was very young at the time when his visit to Dallas was televised. It was a big deal to my parents and family. I remember my mother crying and it appeared that the world had stopped. Nothing was as important as JFK and his death. As president he did a lot of good things. He established the Peace Corps, protected the “Freedom Riders” in Alabama, Social Security, banned racial discrimination in housing, and banned nuclear war testing. One thing that I admire in JFK is that when the invasion of Cuba happened and it was a fiasco, he took full responsibility for his actions. He did not hide from it.

One of baseball’s greats was Roberto Clemente. I grew up in Pittsburgh where he played for the Pirates from 1955 to 1972. He received many awards over the years for his expertise in playing. He played in 12 All Star games, won 12 Gold Glove Awards and led the National League in batting averages for 4 years. He was elected into the Hall of Fame after his death in a tragic plane crash. In his early career he was discriminated against but he showed everyone that he was above that but saying “I don’t believe in color”. He even joined the United States Marines as a reservist. When Clemente died, the city of Pittsburgh was in a state of shock. The only thing that I could even compare it to was when JFK died. It was that devastating to the city. He was a great ball player, all around nice guy and was known for his charity work. He did what he loved. He played baseball. We all should be so lucky.

References

http://www.yulbrynnerfoundation.org/