Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

Celebrity deaths that shocked you

596 replies

OneCosyCrow · 30/06/2025 17:30

Which celebrity’s death do you feel shocked at?

I would probably say Robin Williams. Which is probably an obvious one. George Micheal and Bowie also.

OP posts:
daisychain01 · 30/06/2025 22:02

SplendidUtterly · 30/06/2025 17:45

Shocked :- Diana

REALLY saddened :- Queen Elizabeth II

The world just hasn't been the same since Queen Elizabeth died.

She was such a unique and upstanding woman, so dutiful, to her last breathe.

thecatneuterer · 30/06/2025 22:06

legyeleven · 30/06/2025 17:39

Paul o’Grady. I felt genuine sadness as he always seemed such a lovely and kind person.

Me too. That's the only celebrity death to have affected me emotionally.

Dontlletmedownbruce · 30/06/2025 22:08

Gerry Ryan, he wasn't big in the UK but one of the most famous faces in Ireland. He was a broadcaster and extremely popular. He died suddenly in his early 50s. I remember at work someone shouted it out and we were all getting out of our desks looking up the news.

AbsoluteBeginner1 · 30/06/2025 22:10

Jfk jr, Carolyn and her sister. I remember my mum watching the searches in tears

Sayshesheshe · 30/06/2025 22:11

Ones I have actually cried at - Taylor Hawkins and Prince

ones I was really saddened by - David Bowie, Heath ledger, Sean Locke

Mounjaronew · 30/06/2025 22:11

Elvis and Mohamed ali

AbsoluteBeginner1 · 30/06/2025 22:13

MaudieAtkinson · 30/06/2025 21:17

Philip Seymour Hoffman. He was never less than superb. Imagine what was still to come! Much missed.

Agree, was watching Hunger Games today and thinking how he acts everyone off the screen

flatpack1 · 30/06/2025 22:16

harpytohelp · 30/06/2025 17:37

Chester Bennington.
Still not over it.

Back in the day… River Phoenix.

Same. I'll never get over Chester

Cracklingsilverwear · 30/06/2025 22:18

Comedian : Sean lock - so sudden and so Young.

Saltedcarameltiramisucheesecake · 30/06/2025 22:19

I'm old enough to remember the day Elvis died. I came in to find my mum crying at the kitchen table, everyone was shocked.

OldEnoughToFancyBobGeldof · 30/06/2025 22:19

OneGiddyRubyViewer · 30/06/2025 17:37

It’s sad, but I think a lot of people forget she battered her partner. I wonder if everyone would have been just as sad if it was her partner battering her and he died. I feel sorry for her family but she should’ve gone to prison.

Show quote history

I don’t think she did, I remember watching a documentary about her, she’d thrown a phone at a wall and it skimmed her boyfriend’s face (that’s obviously not okay) but the picture of the broken lamp and blood soaked bed were the result of her hurting herself. Her boyfriend didn’t support the charges and her family feel that it was because of who she was that the police went ahead with the charges anyway. It’s been a while but that’s how I remember it, she apparently had a long history of mental health issues, suicide attempts and self harm.

mylovedoesitgood · 30/06/2025 22:22

OldEnoughToFancyBobGeldof · 30/06/2025 22:19

I don’t think she did, I remember watching a documentary about her, she’d thrown a phone at a wall and it skimmed her boyfriend’s face (that’s obviously not okay) but the picture of the broken lamp and blood soaked bed were the result of her hurting herself. Her boyfriend didn’t support the charges and her family feel that it was because of who she was that the police went ahead with the charges anyway. It’s been a while but that’s how I remember it, she apparently had a long history of mental health issues, suicide attempts and self harm.

Show quote history

She confessed to hitting him.

Youdidnotfindme · 30/06/2025 22:22

Sarah Harding from Girls Aloud

WHYherewhyNow · 30/06/2025 22:25

Redlocks30 · 30/06/2025 17:50

It’s sad, but I think a lot of people forget she battered her partner. I wonder if everyone would have been just as sad if it was her partner battering her and he died. I feel sorry for her family but she should’ve gone to prison.

It is sad she took her own life but didn't she hit him round the head so hard he was covered in blood and rang the police thinking she was trying to kill him? She was charged with and going to be prosecuted for assault.

It was her blood from an injury, from what I read. It was all blown up, and exaggerated in the media.

Crispyturtle · 30/06/2025 22:26

The cricketer Phil Hughes, I think because I watched it happen; one minute he was a completely healthy young man playing at the top of his sport and then next he was effectively dead (he was resuscitated but died a day or so later in hospital without regaining consciousness). He was hit by a ball in the neck which compressed and burst an artery, which caused a catastrophic brain bleed in seconds. He could have faced a similar ball a million times and it wouldn’t have hit him where it did, it was such terrible bad luck. He seemed like a really lovely guy too, it was just all really sad.

Redlocks30 · 30/06/2025 22:28

I don’t think she did, I remember watching a documentary about her, she’d thrown a phone at a wall and it skimmed her boyfriend’s face

It hurt him enough for him to ring 999 saying she was trying to kill him. There was enough evidence for them to arrest and charge her and she was due to be prosecuted for assault.

Marshatessa · 30/06/2025 22:31

I felt shock and sadness at the Queen - as it was a sign of changing times and the norm.

David Bowie, George Michael, Robin Williams, Liam Payne. Alan Rickman.

Lifelover16 · 30/06/2025 22:31

Rob Burrow

legyeleven · 30/06/2025 22:34

Firefly1987 · 30/06/2025 20:33

Shocked that people cared when arguably the biggest pop star in the world died relatively young and suddenly, ok then...

Show quote history

Saville was never convicted of anything either. Do you think he’s innocent

OldEnoughToFancyBobGeldof · 30/06/2025 22:34

Redlocks30 · 30/06/2025 22:28

I don’t think she did, I remember watching a documentary about her, she’d thrown a phone at a wall and it skimmed her boyfriend’s face

It hurt him enough for him to ring 999 saying she was trying to kill him. There was enough evidence for them to arrest and charge her and she was due to be prosecuted for assault.

From a quick google the CPS didn’t recommend the charge, they wanted to let her go with a caution. The IOPC were in the process of investigating weather she was treated differently because of celebrity status.. This was all in a documentary where her family spoke in detail about that night. I wasn’t there and neither were you, but it wouldn’t be the first time the MET police have got it seriously wrong and cost someone their life.

IncessantNameChanger · 30/06/2025 22:36

The Queen.

I know, I know. I have a Biology degree ( so i get the circle?of life etc) and she was old. I just.... don't know. Thought she would go on forever ( like her mum maybe).

It's insane but part of me was like "but she is the queen!" Like I forgot in some parallel universe she was just human like the rest of us. But she was a constant.

MadisonAvenue · 30/06/2025 22:36

George Michael
Prince
Terry Hall
Matthew Perry
Luke Perry

CoffeeCantata · 30/06/2025 22:36

DrowningInSyrup · 30/06/2025 19:08

Michael Jackson was a paedophile. He paid people off, he admitted to having numerous young boys sleeping in his bed. Even if you think he wasn't a paedo, this should be enough to think what a creepy guy he was. The whole set up was bloody weird, makes my skin crawl.

The Queen died at 96, nothing sad or tragic about it.

But the question we’re answering is about which deaths made US feel sad (or shocked). I was very sad at the Queen’s death - and in fact her great age made it worse for me because she’d been there all my life and it felt like losing a part of my own history.

mindingmyown37 · 30/06/2025 22:40

The ones that shocked me the most were robin williams, Matthew Perry, George Michael, Liam Payne and Whitney Houston

mylovedoesitgood · 30/06/2025 22:41

OldEnoughToFancyBobGeldof · 30/06/2025 22:34

From a quick google the CPS didn’t recommend the charge, they wanted to let her go with a caution. The IOPC were in the process of investigating weather she was treated differently because of celebrity status.. This was all in a documentary where her family spoke in detail about that night. I wasn’t there and neither were you, but it wouldn’t be the first time the MET police have got it seriously wrong and cost someone their life.

Show quote history

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-53679454.amp

Caroline Flack

Caroline Flack 'hit boyfriend over cheating fears', inquest hears - BBC News

The TV star's mother says if she was "an ordinary person" she wouldn't have been charged with assault.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-53679454.amp