Have you ever been greatly saddened by the passing of a celebrity/well known person?

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As sad as it is with anyone passing away I can’t recall many celebrity deaths ever having any lasting impact on me, except for two.

For me, it was the death of Terry Wogan.

I suppose it was mainly because I grew up with him as a constant in the background, mum always had him playing and when I became an adult I automatically carried that on. He had me in stitches and he had the most perfect voice and personality for radio.

I bawled my eyes out when he passed away and I still miss his shows.

As I say, I really don’t get sentimental over such things but the passing of Terry Wogan and my first love, George Michael really did hit me hard when they went.

Paul Walker, I don't know why but when I heard the news I just felt so sad even today when it's mentioned a wave of sadness rolls through me and can bring me to tears if I think too long about it.

I don't know why just does

All the times, even the ones I had little respect for.

Not at all. I sometimes think "ah that's a shame I liked him/her" but that's as far as it goes really.

I had a tearful couple of days when Amy Winehouse died. She was so young and if only she could have got clean and sober she could have lived much longer and had a spectacular career. Instead her demons got hold of her and we watched her deteriorate in public view, and we only got to see a brief snippet of the talent she had. I loved her music (still do) and now there will be no more.

I was surprised to feel so sad when Queen Elizabeth II died. I've never been a royalist and never paid attention to royalty gossip, but the Queen had always been there right through my life as other celebrities, politicians, public figures came and went the Queen stayed. Plus she had never put a foot wrong in public and always behaved as you'd want a Head Of State to.

George Harrison.

im not sure exactly why but I was shocked, almost devastated.

I don’t know if anyone else remembers Lil Chris; my username is taken from a song of his. He was on the reality show Rock School, where Gene Simmons taught kids how to play in a rock band.

After the show ended he got a record contract and released an album of catchy pop-rock. He had a TV programme and starred in a West End show.

When I heard he’d taken his own life at the age of 24, I found it devastating. Especially as I was struggling with suicide ideation at the time myself. Just a tragic loss.

Alice Miller. A renowned psychologist. RIP.

Sean Lock. Such a shame as he was hilarious.
And of course Matthew Perry.

Talking of which, a GM of mine could remember Queen Victoria dying when she was 6. The church bells were tolling and her father said in a very sombre voice, ‘The Queen is dead!’ - and my GM thought the world must be coming to an end if the Queen was dead!

Well, with the benefit of 20/20 historical hindsight, the world as people knew it really did come to an end, not because of QV’s death in itself (though she was grandmother, mother and mother-in-law to half of European royalty), but because the 20th century was so dramatically transformative.

crackfoxy Same here. I follow a few cancer sufferers on IG but one in particular (she passed away this year) really saddened me, she seemed so so lovely.

Peaches Geldof. She wasn't really in my radar, but her death really knocked the stuffing out of me. The thought of her poor little one being alone with her when it happened was so upsetting.

10 years now since peaches died

George Michael. I still can't believe he's gone.

I was shocked and upset when Jill Dando was murdered. It was all just so senseless and tragic. I remember seeing the coverage of her funeral in the papers and her poor father's face looked just unbelievably sad and as if he couldn't quite believe what was happening. I really hope whoever did it is found, brought to justice and to know exactly why they did what they did

Most of these were because it was a shock. Not all of them though:-

Graham Chapman
Amy Winehouse
George Harrison
River Phoenix
Garry Shandling
Rik Mayall
David Bowie
Victoria Wood
Sean Lock
Barry Cryer

I cried all the way on my hour's train to college when Graham Chapman died.

Still feel tearful to think of Garry Shandling. Loved Larry Sanders.

Yes Jill Dando's murder is still so shocking. Probably nothing comes close to me because of it being murder. Hard to really believe.

Peaches Geldof was one who saddened me too, just so young and she seemed to have sorted herself out. I often think of her boys and hope they are doing well. Jade Goody for me too, and Queen Elizabeth II. I went into London for the funeral, sat on the edge of the mall in St James Park and reflected how I’d been there for the coronation not long before. Princess Diana I was really saddened by, I read everything there was to read about it (not online obviously, but newspapers, TV reports), and watched the funeral a few times. There’s some minor celebrities that hit me now and then, they don’t stop me doing my day to day stuff but just feel sad about

Princess Diana, it was such a shock.

Saddened by Alan Rickman and Terry Pratchett (I got to talk to TP a couple of times on book-signing tours). The saddest for me was Professor Mick Aston, though.

George Michael. Similarly to pp’s his music was the soundtrack to my life. It honestly felt like losing a long lost friend.

Amy Winehouse. She had her issues but she was such a talent. And it’s particularly sad to lose someone so young, vibrant and full of potential.

Peaches Geldof. I wasnt a fan of hers particularly but my children were the same age as hers when she died and It was just so sad that they were left all in a very similar situation to her own mother's death, especially with her child being with her body Was very tragic.

Keith Flints suicide. That one was a gut punch too.

Victoria Wood and Helen McCrory. Both totally unexpected.

George Michael. I don’t know why but he felt like a family member. Still so sad he’s gone.

I cried and cried when Diana died. I was only five years old, and she was a real life ‘Disney princess’ in my eyes.

Kirsty MacColl
Absolute tragedy and she never got justice despite the campaigning efforts of her Mum, who died in 2017.