To be creeped out by people who make a huge deal out of celebrity deaths?

There has been lots of mentions of Diana's death and the intense public reaction - which there was. Just for balance, I remember at the time there were a lot of people (me included) who were quite baffled at this intensity. Obviously it was a shock and sad that a young woman, public figure and mother of two children had died - that wasn't lost on us, but some of the OTT reaction made me feel I'd stepped into another dimension

I also did cry when Victoria Wood died as she was part of the language between me and my mum. So it felt closer to us somehow. My mum had Alzheimer's and wasn't always sure who I was until I said "Who's been telling you about guttering?" then her face would be wreathed in smiles of joy because the confusion was gone and she knew it was me. No other celebrity deaths have affected me like that though.

Performative grieving when ANYONE dies is fucking weird. I do understand feeling very sad when a celeb dies though - most recently I felt extremely moved when Matthew Perry died. Surprisingly so! I didn’t weep and wail in public though. But I wouldn’t do that if my husband died, either. I would feel sad and manage my emotions in private/with close family and friends.

I can’t bear people who gush and post about dead people for likes on SM. I particularly hate it when the contestants on strictly do the ‘dead Nanna’ contemporary wafting about with bare feet during their couple’s choice. Performative grief never ever moves me. I felt like I was losing my marbles during the 10 days of enforced mourning when the queen died. Hate hate hate.

I was sad when Matthew Perry died. He was so funny on friends, but in his private life he was very unhappy, same with Robin Williams. I wasn't crying or anything like that though.

What trend? People getting upset at the death of a celebrity?

@BadLad
I think that started the trend

The two news worthy moments I remember where/when/how I found out most clearly are Diana's death and Thatcher resigning. I always thought Diana was a bit of a narcissist though so wasn't particularly upset. I can't imagine getting upset beyond 'oh that's a shame' about any famous person I don't know dying though.

And I put a rose at the gates of Kensington Palace for Diana, I was much younger then, it was a very surreal atmosphere. I was happily willing to be convinced (then) it wasn't just an accident.

I was uncharacteristically gutted when Michael Moseley died!

The worst thing when Diana died was the bloody women crying when the hearse came out. The poor princes who had just lost their mother were expected to behave with dignity and those people in the crowd who had never met her were acting like it was them who had lost a parent in childhood. That actually still makes me mad, it's such narcissistic behaviour.

The entire country didn't go mad, but the TV coverage likes to focus on the mad people, not those of us who turned the TV off for a week and carried on their normal lives.

Feeling a bit sad when a favourite actor or writer or musician dies is normal, feeling it's more tragic when it's suicide or drugs is also normal. But it shouldn't have any long lasting impact on your life, save that for the people who are actually close to you.

Lovely turn of phrase to use for a 36 year old mother of two young boys who died in a horrific car crash.

I was very upset when Caroline Flack died. I never had the same reaction for any other celebrity.

That's interesting about your DF. I do wonder if there is such a thing as 'referred grief' a bit like referred pain.

When DF died after many months of cancer my emotions were complex. Sadness wasn't really there. I felt relief that it was over. I was worried for DM. I was annoyed by an aunt who seemed to want to muscle in on the whole situation.

Shortly afterwards a character in The Archers died (I was a regular listener) and I was ridiculously upset. It only lasted a couple of hours but the strength of my response shocked me.

Looking back, I was sad about my DF but the feelings of sadness had got lost amongst all the other emotions. Grieving for this fictional character gave me an outlet.

What is worse is 'grief tourism', especially if someone has not died of natural causes. Privately being upset is nothing unusual, someone may have through their work (music for example) been important to you and even in a way helped you.

There are a couple of celebrities who died that I did feel quite sad about and I did well up over it when I heard but I was on my own.

Utterly cringed at an old work colleague who said she had time off work when Stephen Gately died though!! I judged her hard for that!

I reckon there's a correlation between these people and those that tagged themselves as at the hospital on FB.

I’ve had to unfollow one home account - initials PPH as she has started making her whole existence about Liam Payne - she never once mentioned anything about him before he died but now she’s his biggest fan. Seems to be a common thing among ‘influencers’ grief tourism.

My dad was very indignant that her funeral was on a Saturday and football was cancelled. I seem to remember him rambling on about Churchill and us all turning into Americans with the drama but I did zone out and just nod politely

I remember that well

Dd was born in the may,Diana died in the aug-i was still getting my head round having a baby

We were at home,when ex's sister banged on our door

'Diana's dead'

'Who the hell is Diana?I don't know a Diana'

'Princess Diana'

'Who?' (We'd had a bad night with dd and where not really with it)

Then the grieving started up-they cancelled all the tv programmes to talk about her,a building in our city centre had some book to write in,and they where turning people away as the queues where that long and you couldn't move for people mourning her

I remember the crowds crying and wailing over a woman they'd never met,the old ladies behind me in the post office,chatting like they had been mates with her and the papers demanding the Queen dragging the boys to London so the public would have a gawp at them

I know someone who has to be the biggest griever of them all-her pain is the worst pain in all mankind,no matter who the person is

She's still like that even with diana-she loved her the most

My dd feels a vague sense of annoyance every time someone mentions Princess Diana-she had a massive tantrum because The Tellytubbies wasn’t on that morning and it’s still somewhere there in her subconscious…

Yep - we all know a few grief vultures/drama llamas who love SM validation.

I know a couple of people who think they’re chief mourner at every funeral and mascot honour at every wedding - it’s just all about them and getting attention.

Theres been a few singers die recently who I’m a fan of but there’s a big difference between posting a song and a brief RIP and killing it like they were your best mate

Some people definitely do just enjoy jumping onto a maudlin bandwagon.

However, I think it really depends on what that the celebrity really meant to you. If someone was a huge lifelong fan of that person, then their death is going to have a big impact. Or sometimes a famous person just signifies something to someone that goes beyond the famous person themselves - eg a famous person who felt like a part of someone’s childhood/youth dying can feel like the end of an era for some.

Yes I was as well. I had seen him live and was a fan

also John Lennon’s as I was a teen and he was too young and such an unnecessary tragic death

I was shocked at how upset I was about David Bowie's death. It completely blindsided me as I didn't own any of his music or particularly identify with him in any shape or form. It was very weird and didn't relate to anything going on in my life at the time. I just remember tears pouring down my face and thinking wtaf? I never cry, I really don't. It was just so out of character, I was embarrassed and certainly didn't tell anyone about it. Still to this day I don't know what the hell went on that day (s) afterwards. Nothing by me about it on SM though so I guess not very performative!

Don’t you also cry at tragic deaths you hear of in the news too? Or on tv shows?

i was thinking about if I have cried at any celebrity deaths and yes I did, I remember feeling really sad about that singer from
the Wanted, he was so young and had a child the same age as mine. Him being famous had nothing to do with causing my tears, it’s just sad because he was young and had a family. I’d feel the same towards any other tragic death, famous or not, i still shed a tear. Privately, mind. I wouldn’t express anything publicly, but I don’t see the problem in being deeply upset by the death of people you don’t know, especially if they died in tragic circumstances

I don't think that's ridiculous. She was an incredible, uniquely talented artist and it's really sad that she's no longer around