Old folks dying of,,,,,,old age?

[MrsDeltaB]

Whilst I appreciate there is a general outpouring of someone or the actor of a character that you may have grown up with.

Liz Dawn. Died at 77. Yes. Sad. To her family. But why the outpouring of grief to a person of elder generation who may or may not have simply died of old age?

I can't help but get cross when folks are 'gutted' 'devastated' about the death of an old person dying of, being old! "97 year old died of old age'

OP your post really upset me. My mum had emphysema. It's a dreadful disease. Liz Dawn didn't die of old age. When I read about her death it brought the horror of my mum's illness back. I was genuinely emotional when I read about it.

You can have Old Age as a cause of death on a death cert if you're over 80.

Surely people are allowed to be devastated by any death at any age, mortality itself is bad enough.

Also OP, you certainly do not die of old age at 77. You seem very ignorant there! I have known someone of 102 have their systems just start to fail in a way that could possibly be described as dying of old age although that would,not be on the death certificate.

Wait until you get to 70 and then you might think differently MrsDelta!

I work in care with elderly people. I have known, I think, just 1 person die of pure old age - at 104.

She still had all of her faculties right up until the end, but over the last 12 or so months just became slower and slower until one day she stopped. She was never ill as such, she just went to bed feeling very tired one night and didn't wake up.

Most people die of an illness, even if it's an illness attributed to old age (e.g. a cold which becomes pneumonia much more quickly than it would in a young person).

Also, my parents both died of cancer. Dad at 66 and mum at 69. Were they suitably old?

Didn't feel like it to me TBH!

Don't think 77 is s very old age - but I get your point

Personally I wasn't keen on her as Vera though accept I am in the minority'- but she seems to have been a kind lady who made everyone feel welcome and was v supportive etc

But I do think it was OTT in Granada news (NW regional news) they practically dedicated the whole 30 minutes to her - completely unnecessary she simply didn't warrant that regardless of the fact she was by all accounts a very nice human being

Obv not her fault as she has no control over this

My mum died at 80. To me she was old and had been unwell and unhappy. I hate to say this, and will be flamed I'm sure, it was almost a relief (for both of us actually). Losing my mum at 80 was not the same as losing my dad at 51 (him not me). 80 to me (I'm 53) is a bloody good innings. 51, collapsing (as my darling dad did) in front of a class of 11 year olds (he was a deputy head) and us turning his life support machine off three days later is far, far worse.

My uncles death certificate said, "frailty of old age."

Maddie how devastating about your dad

I get what your saying I lost one parent at age 25 and it was life changing list the other parent at 45 and it was a very different experience I was in a different part of my life and more capable of dealing with it

77 is not even the life expectancy of a woman now, which is well over 80. And sorry op, it is sad when someone you love dies. It is devastating and shocking. And many people care deeply about characters in soap operas. My parents were both well into their 80s when they died, one from dementia, one from cancer. Of course you know they're old and sick and they will die someday, probably soon. But it is still shocking and devastating.

It is shocking and devastating to lose a loved one. Agreed.

But this doesn't change the fact the getting to your 70s is a privelege, and to lose your life or loved ones at a much younger age is MORE tragic.

I genuinely didn't realise this was such a controversial thought.

My Mum died last week. She was 86 and in poor health but it wasn't expected so I'm sorry if you don't agree with this OP but I'm gutted, devasted and anything else you want to add.

I lost my Dad when I was 24. I'm now 42 and definitely not better equipped to deal with losing my Mum. I've fallen apart completely this time and wouldn't be coping at all without DH. I think it's partly because I don't have to be strong and support someone else this time.

I was thinking about this today actually... she was literally in people's living rooms for a long time I think people feel they know her and feel sadness like they might if it were an aquaintance. I haven't cried about her but I have been known to cry over the odd celeb death, particularly if they had a tragic life or died young etc, I can't help it but to feel sad that in those circumstances it was probably their fame that killed them... but that's a different subject!

I'm more sad about her than the odious Hugh Hefner

I think that after the age of 70, one has to not be surprised at the diagnosis of a terminal illness, or a sudden death. Some of us are lucky enough to go quickly and painlessly without symptoms, others will struggle on for months or years. Surely, it's too soon for those left behind, especially at short notice. But a sudden failure of life is surely better than a lingering decline? My view; feel free to disagree.

I think it’s a matter of perspective, my mum died when she was 55, died suddenly of a heart attack, a sudden death is difficult to come to terms with. My hubbys mum died when he was 12, she was 39 of motor neurone, they knew she was dying but hubby to young too comprehend the finality. My grandparents all pasted away in their 80’s and 1 was 92. They had a good life and had the opportunity to see grandchildren and great grandchildren, they’re deaths were sad but not unexpected. Both our mums were taken much too soon, especially my hubby who was devastated by the passing of his mum.

Some deaths are sadder than others, also depends on how much death you have ‘experienced’.

People should be allowed to grief as they see fit.

old age deaths that you know are coming i think you should celebrate their lives, my grandma was 80 she deteriorated over 2 years we knew it was coming but I think I cried twice just because I knew she was gone but we loved her so we weren't DEVASTATED we were just sad but happy she wasn't in pain anymore

My grandmother was 85 when she died. Old by most people's standards, 'a good innings' & all that balls. I was 'gutted' & 'devastated' & still miss her terribly 4years on. Someone dying when they're older doesn't mean that people will be any less affected.

A relative of mine died recently in their late 80s. The official cause of death was pneumonia but it had been obvious for three or four months at least that their body was simply wearing out - first their muscles got so weak that they could hardly do anything for themself, then they had a series of different illnesses that probably wouldn't have been hard for a healthy youngish person to shake off, but just got weaker each time and the gaps between illnesses got shorter and shorter. It might not have said "old age" on the death certificate but I think it's obvious old age played a big part in this person's death.

Having said that I don't think a 77 year old could die of old age alone, except maybe in a developing country where the life expectancy in general is lower and people have to work so hard physically that their bodies wear out that much sooner. I think anything under 80 feels a bit early to die nowadays, not that I would get emotional about an actress I didn't know.

I'm not afraid of death; I just don't want to be there when it happens

My mum died at 80. To me she was old and had been unwell and unhappy. I hate to say this, and will be flamed I'm sure, it was almost a relief (for both of us actually). Losing my mum at 80 was not the same as losing my dad at 51 (him not me). 80 to me (I'm 53) is a bloody good innings. 51, collapsing (as my darling dad did) in front of a class of 11 year olds (he was a deputy head) and us turning his life support machine off three days later is far, far worse.

No i wholly understand, no one in your right mind would flame you for saying that.

Losing my elderly relatives has left me terribly lonely. They were lovely, funny, kind and loving. I am devastated by the pain and grief and my life is deeply and profoundly hurt. I think of them EVERY day.

I am not sure if you are young, thoughtless or naive. But something about you that i do know is that you have not been touched by grief so profound that you have heard sobs. Looked around and discovered that you were the one crying.

Bless your heart, everyone faces grief; you have just been lucky so far.

I agree with Sock's point. Once you're into your 70s then death is a fixture in your life. In fact I'm 61 and already I feel I'm playing the health lottery - I count up the people I know of my age who have serious or life shortening conditions or who are already dead and I get into double figures without even breaking sweat. I go to far more funerals than I do weddings.

And even if I do live another 30 years, I know those years will be over in the blink of an eye.

I try and use this positively.