Celebrity Deaths - Do You Care?

Health care, poverty, homelessness, the worst global economy since World War II... ahhhh who cares? My favorite celebrity died!

It seems as if every time a celebrity passes on, suddenly the general public, led by the national media, marks them for saint hood.  They throw all other issues to the wind, and begin to morn someone they never met. Biblical statues are figuratively erected across the nation. The impulse to label an actor, musician or otherwise as a hero due to box-offices hits or platinum albums is preposterous. Yet the next time a highly photographed, well-known celebrity human dies, the media swoon will only be worse than the time before. To illustrate my point, I have selected a few notable deaths to hopefully clear the air. 

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Kurt Cobain

Credited for the whole Grunge movement in the early 1990's, Kurt Cobain's shotgun suicide came as a shock to many. However, Cobain himself had admitted to an overpowering heroin addiction. We all have faults, but how many morally active souls do you know with a heroin problem. Cobain was incredibly talented in his music abilities, but not nearly enough for sainthood. Yet upon his death, the nation mourned, with candlelight vigils in his hometown  and across the land. If you still disagree, remember who he married, that should be all the evidence about his character and persona that you need. 

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Tupac Shakur

Tupac Shakur, a gangster thug, born to Black Panther parents in the late 1970s. His music was filled with violent anti-everything lyrics. He was imprisoned a few times, then shot multiple, causing his premature death. Tupac blatantly called out his biggest rival, boasting lyrics that claim he slept with his wife in one of his songs. A man, who's priorities included and were limited to money, hoes & clothes is hardly fit to be a  saint .

Entertaining?

Yes. Much like the other artists in this piece ,there is a reason why he was so popular. Saint or Martyr he was not. Time to put him and all the others to rest. However, just the opposite is transpiring. Tupac is the first in certainly a soon to be a long list of artist who are now being presented in hologram form. Concert goers can once again witness the gangster rap star rhyming on stage as if it was 1995.

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Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson is, in my opinion the most obvious case of this ridiculous "death worshiping  phenomenon." MJ is the only man on the planet who could repeatedly walk away from multiple allegations of child molestation unscathed. I know, I know... go ahead and say it: "he was never convicted," but neither was OJ. For an innocent man he sure did spend plenty of money making these issues disappear. The man lived in an amusement park, with a monkey. Do I really need to continue explaining? I shouldn't. After "Wacko Jacko" died the world seemingly stopped. All of the talking heads, and everything on the web, texts, and in print was focussed on his death. In fact, Jackson 's estate continued to rake in profits long after his body was cold with his "This Is It" DVD. If his name was Bernard Smith and was a plumber from Sheboygan, he would be uncomfortably residing in a state penitentiary. Not immortalized in the hearts of ignorant housewives. 

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People are prone to mistakes. Prone to becoming shitheads. Popularity is not the holy water used to absolve one's shortcomings. When cousin Eddy or Grandma Jones pass, we convene around the burial plot to discuss. Arguments over property, wealth or debt are common. Memories of the time the dearly departed upset life reign strong. Nevertheless, Donna Summer dies and her fans are in a frenzy to immortalize her soul.





- Pal