Celebrity Deaths

I once heard American celebrities described as the closest thing America has to royalty. If that is the case, the American Royal family has suffered some great losses this week.

On Tuesday, June 23rd our first loss took place with the passing of Ed McMahon. McMahon had many acting roles over the coarse of his career, but I will always remember him as being Johnny Carson's sidekick on the Tonight Show and the host of the shows "Star Search" and "TVs Bloopers and Practical Jokes."

At the age of 86, his passing though sad, but wasn't a huge shock. He had been ill for sometime.

Then today, June 25th, news spread during the early afternoon hours of the day that Farrah Fawcett had lost her battle to cancer. She was 62. Again, though sad it wasn't a huge shock as it was public knowledge that she was not in good condition health wise.

I think the biggest shock of all came when I found out after getting home that Michael Jackson died - he was 50. I believe my shock was mainly because his death was sudden and unexpected. Also, he was on the verge of trying to make a comeback. Though faced with problems over the past years that had tarnished his legacy this concert tour was the hope that we would all remember why we had loved Michael Jackson so much.

For me, his music was a big part of my childhood. I still remember dancing to the Thriller albumn for hours on end. Also, how freaked out I was when I saw the Thriller video for the first time but that didn't stop me from loving the song. Or, watching him "moon walk" for the first time on national tv. And that is my experience. As I went through my Facebook statuses a lot of others I know have reiterated the same exact sentiment. MJ was part of our childhood and it is sad to see that go.

I think another reason his passing seems more significant than the others is due to the similarity to Elvis Presley's passing. Both the King of Rock and the King of Pop were at a time in their lives when their careers and personal lives were on a sad and steady decline. Both entertainers whom had a significant impact on the music world. Their deaths both sudden and both related to serious health issues. Though each of these legends personal lives were a mess, it is my hope it will be their music that will keep them alive forever and truly carry their legacy on for generations to come.

One last thought. . . It's not just our country that lost a great entertainer; it was the world.

Ed, Farrah and Michael - may you Rest In Peace.

Until later . . .