The initial wave of shock from hearing the passing of a celebrity always seems surreal. Time begins to slow down despite the world continuing to move forward, followed by the emotional rollercoaster of sadness, anger, and confusion. It makes you question if any of this is really real.
Mourning over a celebrity death like as if one of your own loved ones died is completely normal. The term "Parasocial Interaction" refers to a "psychological relationship experienced by members of an audience in their mediated encounters with certain performers." Some have suggested that this one-sided, intimate illusion is only applicable to television personalities, however, that is not the case.
In moments like this, where we often feel the loneliest or the lowest in our lives, we often try to seek our comfort in the things we love and enjoy the most. And for that, I am forever thankful for those who have created and produced an outlet for the better of others. Maybe it's the album you play on loop to suppress or relive memories. Maybe it's your favorite book with sticky tabs bookmarking all the relatable content that feels like a personal attack. Maybe it's an activity, like a sport, that you grew up loving because it was an outlet for you.
No matter what outlet you find yourself seeking, whatever it may be music, reading, or sports, the pain of losing someone is universal. Everyone feels and copes with loss in different ways.
When you're a celebrity, your death is unfortunately publicized. It doesn't matter if you died a blissful or tragic death, notorious media outlets like TMZ will sell whatever is left of your soul to get a confirmed source in order to be the first medium to report breaking news. For a majority of those spent in the spotlight, all of their actions are being watched by the media, their industry, and their fans. At times like this, I wished everyone -especially the media- would respect the victim's loved one's privacy during this difficult time. Does anybody truly want to know the details of how anyone, let alone their favorite celebrity, died?
All you hope for is that the source is wrong and the media will eventually come out to retract their earlier statements because it was a mistake. Behind every "fan favorite" is an entire community, more like family, who all bond over the love for this outlet.
