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[DropTheHammer]

all that said, George Michael dying so young is a shock of course but the personalisation of it for people is a product of our times

I'm not sure that it's a huge shock TBH-he's beeen abusing drink and drugs for many years and has put himself
In bizarre hi-risk situations repeatedly. What's more of a shock to me is that none of The Rolling Stones are dead! Anyone who smokes/drinks/drugs for the majority of their adult life must be odds-on to die before 60?

[DropTheHammer]

Setting the line at January 4 before I see '2017 gonna be just like 2016'

People love the drama, all want to be the one that breaks the news on social media.  

People just don't get the fact that there are thousands more celebrities than there ever was before, and this is increasing year on year. Look how many well-known musicians/bands there were when the Beatles started-hardly any. Since then the music industry has exploded creating hundreds more celebrities who aren't dead yet. And now of course we have the wonderful situation where people are well-known for doing nothing. With the age of social media creating celebs exponentially. People like the wealdstone raider, for example, are now celebrities!

[Doobs]

Setting the line at January 4 before I see '2017 gonna be just like 2016'

People love the drama, all want to be the one that breaks the news on social media.  

People just don't get the fact that there are thousands more celebrities than there ever was before, and this is increasing year on year. Look how many well-known musicians/bands there were when the Beatles started-hardly any. Since then the music industry has exploded creating hundreds more celebrities who aren't dead yet. And now of course we have the wonderful situation where people are well-known for doing nothing. With the age of social media creating celebs exponentially. People like the wealdstone raider, for example, are now celebrities!

Surely nobody is going to post here about the death of the wealdstone raider?

[RED-DOG]

Setting the line at January 4 before I see '2017 gonna be just like 2016'

People love the drama, all want to be the one that breaks the news on social media.  

People just don't get the fact that there are thousands more celebrities than there ever was before, and this is increasing year on year. Look how many well-known musicians/bands there were when the Beatles started-hardly any. Since then the music industry has exploded creating hundreds more celebrities who aren't dead yet. And now of course we have the wonderful situation where people are well-known for doing nothing. With the age of social media creating celebs exponentially. People like the wealdstone raider, for example, are now celebrities!

Surely nobody is going to post here about the death of the wealdstone raider?

They already have..

[RED-DOG]

Do you want some?

[Doobs]

Setting the line at January 4 before I see '2017 gonna be just like 2016'

People love the drama, all want to be the one that breaks the news on social media.  

People just don't get the fact that there are thousands more celebrities than there ever was before, and this is increasing year on year. Look how many well-known musicians/bands there were when the Beatles started-hardly any. Since then the music industry has exploded creating hundreds more celebrities who aren't dead yet. And now of course we have the wonderful situation where people are well-known for doing nothing. With the age of social media creating celebs exponentially. People like the wealdstone raider, for example, are now celebrities!

Surely nobody is going to post here about the death of the wealdstone raider?

They already have..

Just had to check he wasn't dead.  He can't be just 50?  Would have been setting the line much higher.  Would be a flip him against Tikay.

[MintTrav]

We're agreed that the internet has misunderstood the reasons for there being more celebrity deaths, but I think we are in danger of replacing one myth with another. To say there were virtually no celebs in the 50s/60s is madness. Of course the number now is a multiple of then, but there already were a vast numbers of celebs back then.

And is the personalisation new? I can remember my parents being saddened by celebrity deaths. Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly come to mind.

[TightEnd]

We're agreed that the internet has misunderstood the reasons for there being more celebrity deaths, but I think we are in danger of replacing one myth with another. To say there were virtually no celebs in the 50s/60s is madness. Of course the number now is a multiple of then, but there already were a vast numbers of celebs back then.

And is the personalisation new? I can remember my parents being saddened by celebrity deaths. Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly come to mind.

the difference is the proliferation of media outlets

social media
hundreds of tv channels
print media
forums
mobile, tablets

all allow people to express their "grief" publically whereas when a major celebrity dies in the 50s-60s all they can do is talk about it with friends and family face to face

[MANTIS01]

I'm devastated by the death of George Michael. Felt like a mate.

Understandable because he was our youth and now we are old, devastating.

Wham bam, I am, a man, job or no job you can't tell me that I'm not. Never gonna dance again. I mean it's clearly devastating. What's wrong with people??

[PokerBroker]

Princess Di was murdered.  And queenie is paying this year, she's going to hell.

[TightEnd]

Princess Di was murdered.  And queenie is paying this year, she's going to hell.

there's a difference between unpopular opinions, and offensive ones. still you got the reaction you no doubt were looking for.

[MintTrav]

The Queen's Christmas Message was particularly insipid this year.

I fear she will never again reach the heights of 1992.

[tikay]

Setting the line at January 4 before I see '2017 gonna be just like 2016'

People love the drama, all want to be the one that breaks the news on social media.  

People just don't get the fact that there are thousands more celebrities than there ever was before, and this is increasing year on year. Look how many well-known musicians/bands there were when the Beatles started-hardly any. Since then the music industry has exploded creating hundreds more celebrities who aren't dead yet. And now of course we have the wonderful situation where people are well-known for doing nothing. With the age of social media creating celebs exponentially. People like the wealdstone raider, for example, are now celebrities!

Can you even begin to imagine the noise that will be made when one of the Kardashans (sp?) passes on?

Thery seem to be featured everywhere, but I have no idea what they actually do.  

[rfgqqabc]

Setting the line at January 4 before I see '2017 gonna be just like 2016'

People love the drama, all want to be the one that breaks the news on social media.  

People just don't get the fact that there are thousands more celebrities than there ever was before, and this is increasing year on year. Look how many well-known musicians/bands there were when the Beatles started-hardly any. Since then the music industry has exploded creating hundreds more celebrities who aren't dead yet. And now of course we have the wonderful situation where people are well-known for doing nothing. With the age of social media creating celebs exponentially. People like the wealdstone raider, for example, are now celebrities!

Can you even begin to imagine the noise that will be made when one of the Kardashans (sp?) passes on?

Thery seem to be featured everywhere, but I have no idea what they actually do.  

Kim K made a sex tape which was "leaked" and span up from there. She used to be a stylist for Paris Hilton and a few other celebrities. Her father achieved some noteriety for defending OJ Simpson  Her mother approached a production company to do a "The Osbournes" style tv show which gathered some momentum pretty quickly and things went from there. Marrying Kanye West definitely helped too. Its quite an impressive exercise in media management and marketing tbh.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/apr/20/why-is-kim-kardashian-famous

Depressingly I think you are wrong about the noise when they pass away. I think they will have been forgotten. Paris who springs to mind.

http://gyazo.com/d8780d37607f4f08191ba6ba0f66c841

Blue line is Kim, Red is Paris on google trends. which shows how often each term is searched for relating to a total volume. I don't think it will take them, that long to fade into obscurity, particularly when they stop trying.

https://www.google.co.uk/trends/explore?date=all&q=%2Fm%2F0261x8t,paris%20hilton

As an aside Kim K was searched for more than Donald Trump in September 2016! If it wasn't for the election week itself where Trump is off the charts, she would be pretty much tied.

https://www.quora.com/Why-is-Kim-Kardashian-famous

[DaveShoelace]

Depressingly I think you are wrong about the noise when they pass away. I think they will have been forgotten.

There are lots of them though, I reckon one of them will snuff it quite soon by misadventure or whatnot.

Or driving