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Why do we mourn celebrities?

January 22, 2011 By Dr. Katrina Wood

Strawberry Fields NY

There are a few celebrities whose lives and deaths touched us in ways that we can’t always put into words.

Year after year, as the anniversaries of their passings come around, we take a moment to pause, reflect and mourn the loss of such lives. 

John Lennon was mourned once again last month on the 30th anniversary of his death — a day always recalled by radio and the media. Hearing such memorable tunes as “Imagine” transported many of us back to that chilling night — and we recall exactly where we were upon first hearing of the ex-Beatle’s death.

We relate with the part of John Lennon that resides deep within us. His humor, innocence and wisdom. His deep sensitivities and his internal struggles, which he bore for the world to witness in so many ways. The depth of his passions. The ever-developing expansion of his musical talent.

Perhaps most of all it was this exceptional man’s down-to-earth way of touching — and being touched by — the average working person. That he was our voice in the wilderness, reaching for something more, fearlessly seeking deeper bonds with others.

These are some of the reasons we mourn so deeply for one such as John Lennon.
 
When news of Princess Di’s fatal car accident ricocheted through the media in August 1997, the world came to its knees. Shock set in as global mourning began for the “people’s princess.” How hard it was to absorb the tragic news of such a young woman’s passing.

Was it Diana’s heart, her love of children, her tireless work for the underprivileged or even her naivete that we treasured? So many people felt Diana was a part of their personal lives.

Diana marked the changing of an era in the Royal Monarchy in Great Britain. Her personality and connection with “the people” closed a gap in the emotional distance that the nation had experienced for so long. Certainly Diana took greater risks in this area than her predecessors.

As with John Lennon, the circumstances of Princess Di’s death were horrifying and traumatic. Both tragedies underscored the fleetingness of time — and the importance of living in the moment the best way we can. 

In many ways Lennon and Di presented an ideal of the best that is possible in human nature. Perhaps that is why the losses remain so deeply felt.

Despite these celebrities’ faults, misgivings, and shortcomings, at the end of the day they reminded us that hope, love and compassion are values to carry with us each and every day.

As the anniversaries of these passings come around, we are reminded of the their gifts for us. Legacies to manifest in our own lives and to share — not only with those we love but also with the strangers we meet and those we have yet to meet on life’s highway. 

Filed Under: stress and trauma Tagged With: media, mourning & grief, society

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Southern California psychotherapistKatrina Wood is an author, lecturer and certified life coach focusing on psychotherapy and emotional healing. She lives in Los Angeles, where she runs the Wilshire/Valley psychotherapy center. ( More )

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