Boy 2016 has sucked for losing famous people, hasn't it?
Every time someone famous dies, there can be an outpouring of people talking about how sad it is, and many fans basically distraught. Of course, with that and this being the age of the internet, this is followed by the people who mock them for their sadness, pointing out all the other bad things in the world, and making fun of them for caring so much about a simple celebrity. It never fails. It does in fact beg the question: How come you can feel pain losing someone you never actually knew?
Look, I'm no psychologist, but I can at least explain this one a bit. You see, there is always something that speaks to you as a person. Be it preacher, music, an actor or even a painter or artist. Something that you see that for some reason becomes a part of you. It's something you respect, and may even feel as if that one thing gets you. In this world, which can be at times very confusing and just a bit crazy, there are always things that can give you solace. Things that put your mind at rest and take you to a safe place. That's a connection that can't really be explained, but it's a real one. Because that person's work is such an important part of your life, losing them is just like losing a friend or family member.
I don't understand now why people are angry because someone feels sad their favorite artist (or actor, etc) died. I guess now everyone can be their true selves with the internet's anonymity, and it makes them feel better about themselves by mocking someone else's pain. However, it's weird that this has really started to come out, since there wasn't any kind of backlash against the sorrow felt by people previously when someone famous died. (Well, there was kind of one when Kurt Cobain died.) But no one said boo when there was much grief all over when John Lennon died. The UK definitely was very sad when Eric Morecombe died in 1984. But nary a word was mentioned over how stupid it was that people were grieving for someone they'd never met.
In my opinion, people need to realize that everyone has a thing they connect with. Lovely English Lass has Jane Eyre, the music of the Beatles, and other things as well. I have to admit feeling a certain pang of sadness upon hearing the news that Brazilian soccer great Socrates had passed away a few years ago. (He was a maestro on the pitch in the 1982 World Cup. Watch a few clips if you don't believe me.)
What brought all of this out, of course, was the death of Prince yesterday. Strangely enough, a few weeks ago I downloaded Prince's greatest hits, and started listening to it again. I've always liked his music, and if you grew up in the mid-1980s until the mid-1990s, you heard Prince on the radio all the time. Some people hated his sexualized music, and tales of his perfectionism were rampant. (Ask Morris Day and the Time, or The Revolution, or The New Power Generation.) But if you listened to his music, especially as another musician, you couldn't help but love the sound of Prince. Complex and simple at the same time. (Frank Ocean put it best, so go ready what he said.) It was the sound of growing up to a lot of people my age (now in their late 30s, early 40s.) We, as a group, have introduced some of his more tame songs to our kids already. Plus if you think about all the music he wrote, ("Nothing Compares 2 U") he's undoubtedly one of the greatest musicians of the last 40 years. LEL and I talked about how it was weird that this one felt a bit harder to take than some of the other deaths this year.
Again, to me, it's all about feelings. You make a connection to something, and it becomes a part of you. In this world, with everything crazy that goes on, if you find something that touches you deeply enough to become a part of you, then you should be happy. If someone creates something that means so much to people (be it music, art or literature) that when you die they all mourn your passing as if you were a true friend, that should be celebrated as well. Because, in their eyes, you were a part of their family.
