Death of a Celebrity

So, this week, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson died, and once again, I had to put up with the emotions that vomited over everyone. Not my emotions though, as I count myself as a rational person. I didn't know either of these people, or any other celebrity, so when they die, I think, "oh that's a shame" and get on with my life.

I have never really understood how people get so emotional over people they have never met or who didn't do anything to their life. OK, they may have made you happy or something from listening to their music, or watching their films or whatever, but if they hadn't done those things, your life would be no different. It's not like the soldiers that went and captured Saddam Hussein. If they hadn't caught him, then Bush would have had to find a different country to 'liberate'.

I wasn't aware of what Farrah Fawcett did. I only remember her name, because as a child, before my humour had properly developed, I thought it was funny that if she was born in Britian, she'd have been called Farrah Tap. So her name stuck with me. After reading a bit more about her, her story is much sadder than that of Michael Jackson's. She had cancer, and tried for years to find a cure, eventually succumbing to the innevitable.

Then, what happens a couple of hours after her untimely demise? Michael Jackson dies. Everyone has now forgotten about Farrah, which speaks volumes. I for one was glad that he died. His life was hardly filled with happiness.

He missed out on his childhood because of an overbearing father, which clearly mentally scarred him. He then becomes a laughing stock the world over because of his bizarre cosmetic surgery exploits. He then dangles his child over a balcony, putting the child at risk and gets labelled a bad father. He then gets accused of being a paedophile and has to go to court to prove his innocence, which he managed to do, but failed to convince everyone. Then, to top it all off, he gets cancer, has a heart attack, and dies.

How much of this do I believe? Well, your question shall be answered. The overbearing father part is obvious to everyone with half a brain, so I'll skip that part. Same with the cosmetic surgery. I do believe he is a bad father. Not out of cruelty, but out of immaturity. He was never fit to look after a child, since he had the mind of a child himself. Everyone was up in arms about that 12 year old who became a father (but was later found not to be), but because MJ looks like an adult, it's OK? He wanted a friend, not a child.

I don't believe he was a paedophile. Just a deeply disturbed individual, and that woman used that to her advantage. Personally, I find the people that let their children stay at his house are idiotic anyway. I know he is Michael Jackson, but they still allowed their children to stay the night in the home of a stranger without supervision. If he was a paedophile, they really only have themselves to blame.

He was clearly never happy. His life was full of things I wouldn't wish on my nemesis. I wouldn't be surprised if his last thoughts were, "it's about time!!"

But don't worry, these latest deaths aren't the only ones to annoy me. I am perpetually annoyed by all of them. What gets me the most, is how people seem to forget how horrible a person was when they die.

My main example for this is the ex-footballer and living person, George Best. For the record, yes, he was a great footballer. I am not denying that at all, but between retiring from football and dying, he was a horrible human being.

He became an alcoholic, and completely wiped out his liver. During the slow decline of his liver, he beat his wife and children. His liver packed in, and he had to have a transplant. Of course, because he was famous, he was bumped to the top of the organ donor list, because that's who deserves new livers, alcoholics. What did he do with this new liver? He killed that one too. But when he died, this was all forgotten and his legend will live on as an angel amongst men.

Now I am not totally uncaring, don't get me wrong. I just think there is a limit to what your emotions should be. I have had these rants before to people I know and someone always says to me "I bet you would change your mind if someone you liked died!" They are right, I would. I'd think, "oh that's a shame. [person] won't be making any more [trade]." It will definitely not make me cry, or totally ruin my day, like it does to some people.