ISSUES AT STAKE: Celebrity mourning a symbol of our age
An unusually high number of headline makers passed away during 2016. While there was obvious grief for their families and close friends, for most it was little more than more fodder to the entertainment continuum. DAVE SAVIDES gives his opinion.
The 2016 celebrity ‘roll of honour’ was a long one when it came to the names of the deceased icons.
Stage and screen heroes fell one by one, leaving spots of darkness in the bright constellation of celebrity super stars.
Make no mistake, these were talented people: showmen and -women, musicians, song writers, singers, actors, dancers.
And let’s not forget those other modern adjuncts of show business, namely sport and politics.
Not only did they give enormous pleasure to those who saw and/or heard them, their musical or stage offerings became landmarks in the lives of their fans.
For example, many will remember where they were, what they were doing – or who they were dating – when a certain song was top of the charts.
In case anyone needs reminding, and at the risk of showing my age, here are some of the more significant international losses:
Music – David Bowie, Leonard Cohen, George Michael, Prince, Rick Parfitt (Status Quo), Sir George Martin (Beatles record producer), Glenn Frey (Eagles guitarist).
TV, radio, stage and screen – Carrie Fisher, Debbie Reynolds, Alan Rickman (Harry Potter star), Zsa Zsa Gabor, Andrew Sachs (Manuel in Fawlty Towers), Robert Vaughn (The Man From UNCLE), Ronnie Corbett (The Two Ronnies).
Sport – Arnold Palmer, Muhammad Ali, Johan Cruyff.
Our own country also laid to rest some big names, such as Simba Mhere, Collins Chabane, Senyaka Kekana and Nkululeko ‘Flabba’ Habedi.
One of the lessons learned from the lives of these people is that many died from their excesses; they paid the price for the physical and psychological damage they did to themselves during the ‘good times’.
Drugs and alcohol were frequent themes in the obituaries – and of course, they could afford to live decadent lifestyles.
The inability to sustain relationships or to handle the pressures of fame were also prominent refrains.
They were richer, more famous, given preferential treatment… but few seem to have been truly happy and content.
It strikes me that perhaps we who put them on pedestals might have contributed to their downfall.
By hero-worshiping them, perhaps we came close to idolatry. (Isn’t it ironic that we literally have ‘Idols’ contests?)
Here’s the thing: other than entertaining us richly, how many actually contributed to a better world and left lasting legacies?
Some did, one in particular.
Among the 2016 eulogies was one for Harper Lee, the author of ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’.
Now, there was someone worthy of mass respect and admiration.
If you haven’t yet done so, do yourself a favour and read her classic – especially relevant to us as it deals with racial themes.
