Which recent famous death hit you the most and why? [Archive]

Teller

July-18th-2009, 02:09 PM

This will likely break down by age I would guess.

Anyway, for me, it was Michael Jackson. As TLC put it, I hadn't cared about him in 20-some years, but when he died, I remembered just how big a part of my childhood he was.

Still, I can't help but feel for Farah Fawcett. She faught her cancer so courageously and so publicly that she really deserved to have a few days to be mourned and eulogized. Instead, she dies and MJ trumps her a few hours later. It doesn't seem fair.

Toe Jam

July-18th-2009, 02:28 PM

Walter Cronkite.

He was simply the best. I obviously didn't see him during his glory days but I once considered a career in Journalism back when I was naiive enough to believe anything was possible.

I was the editor of my school paper in high school for two years. I knew about Cronkite because I did my research on everything involved with journalism.

There will never be another Cronkite.

G.A.C.O.L.B.

July-18th-2009, 02:31 PM

Billy Mays. He convinced me to buy some OxyClean once.

Spaceman Spiff

July-18th-2009, 02:35 PM

Jackson, simply cause he passed at a relatively young age. Even though he was out of the spotlight (at least musically) for a long time, it was just unexpected. Unfortunately saw Fawcett on the horizon due to her horrible cancer and Cronkite due to his age.

There was a discussion on here a little while ago about who's deaths could trump or compare with Jackson's right now. I can't remember who's names were discussed but if they were to pass away tomorrow, I think Jordan, Mick Jagger and Muhammad Ali would resonate globally.

Sticksboi05

July-18th-2009, 02:35 PM

Definitely Farrah for me. When I was a kid, Man of the House was one of the most watched movies back on the old VHS in my collection and she was so beautiful in that movie, she became my first legitimate crush. I probably wouldn't have been interested in girls as early as I did if not for her. I watched that movie just to watch her sometimes. And for a good year or two my mom and I watched Charlie's Angels on TVLAND at her recommendation from nostalgia which I also really enjoyed watching so I always had a soft spot for her. The Angels in Chains episode was the first one I watched and wow was she gorgeous. Was sad to hear when she got cancer (my friend's mom died of cancer) and watching her documentary was so sad. When I found out she died, my mom and I were really sad. Watching the NBC Dateline thing on her and MJ at the end where they said "this morning, it happened", I actually felt water come to my eyes. The poster will be up in my dorm room this year at college in tribute.

Spaceman Spiff

July-18th-2009, 02:36 PM

Billy Mays. He convinced me to buy some OxyClean once.

How'd that work out?

G.A.C.O.L.B.

July-18th-2009, 02:41 PM

How'd that work out?

I'm still on the ball.

Bang

July-18th-2009, 03:05 PM

In the context that none of them really hit me hard at all, I'd have to say Steve McNair was bit of a shock. Jackson's was surprising, but not all that shocking.

~Bang

KDawg

July-18th-2009, 03:56 PM

Not too recent, and I think this one is obvious, but Sean Taylor.

I was pretty shaken up with that one.

StillUnknown

July-18th-2009, 04:04 PM

arturo gatti for me, his fight with Ivan Robinson really started my obsession with boxing and eventually other combat sports. knowing that he was never considered to be a great boxer, but put on some of the all-time greatest fights really hit me when i was younger

the fact that he was murdered at a young age adds to the surprise of it all

Teller

July-18th-2009, 04:07 PM

ECU-ALUM

July-18th-2009, 04:09 PM

Ed McMahon.

When I was growing up...one thing I looked forward to when it was Friday night or we didn't have school was being able to stay up and watch Johnny Carson...and when Ed would start in with "From Hollywood The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson...." It was the signal that something really cool (and most of the time) very funny was getting ready to start. When he died I felt like a part of my youth died too...Micheal Jackson's death shocked me more than any of the others...but Ed's death really hit me hard.

Fan035

July-18th-2009, 04:11 PM

Farah Fawcett because of her very courageous battle against cancer. Prior to that, I was devastated by Tim Russert's untimely death.

StillUnknown

July-18th-2009, 04:15 PM

Boxing heaven is Gatti and Mickey Ward on a loop for all eternity.

hard to argue that point, but i would put Diego Corrales vs. Jose Luis Castillo as a better and more entertaining fight

RammsteinSkins

July-18th-2009, 05:02 PM

McNair or Billy Mays. Mostly McNair since he was my favorite non-Redskin player.

Teller

July-18th-2009, 05:06 PM

hard to argue that point, but i would put Diego Corrales vs. Jose Luis Castillo as a better and more entertaining fight

Fair enough. I've always just been partial to Ward. I love the guy's heart. Heart doesn't even explain it. And Gatti was the same way. No quit in either guy; ever.

StillUnknown

July-18th-2009, 05:33 PM

Fair enough. I've always just been partial to Ward. I love the guy's heart. Heart doesn't even explain it. And Gatti was the same way. No quit in either guy; ever.

Mark Wahlberg is playing Ward in a movie based on Ward's life

Burgold

July-18th-2009, 05:45 PM

Tough question. I think sounding like a cold-hearted bum... none of them really.

Walter-- I deeply respect the man and his body of work, but I only knew him as a legend that won't change after his death.

Michael-- Hadn't really produced any songs that hit my radar in at least ten years. Again, the music I liked lives. The tragedy that his life became and the truth or fiction of the allegations I can live without.

Ed-- Another one who lives on in a memory of what he was in the past.

Farrah-- She'll live on for me like Marilyn. Who wants to see their childhood crushes fade. She was known for her beauty. She'll always be beautiful, but I hadn't really thought about her except to feel sympathy for her illness in a long time.

To the guy that said Sean Taylor... that shocked me and hit me, because he was Superman, young, powerful, and immortal. That random act of insanity during the prime of his life when he had seemingly rounded a corner into becoming a man and had a little girl who needs a daddy... that was rough.

Drockvb

July-18th-2009, 05:47 PM

My dog . Had to put him down early tuesday morning. :cry:

twa

July-18th-2009, 05:55 PM

I'm with Bur...Nobody

War Paint

July-18th-2009, 06:10 PM

For me it's Michael Jackson. I felt like a friend from my childhood died. He pretty much had a song for almost every period in my life.

Sean Taylor hit me real hard. I remember my friend and I watching draft day and hoping for Sean. We were worried we were getting Winslow.

Somebody like Walter Cronkite was before my time for the most part. You could have told me he died ten years ago and I wouldn't have known better.

Capt. Kaos

July-18th-2009, 07:35 PM

There have been only 2 deaths in my life of people that I did not know that affected me in a more than the average sadness type of way.

Sean Taylor, thats was weird because it hit me sort of like a ton of bricks that I never saw coming. and the other was....

Jerry Garcia, I did spring/summer trips with the Grateful Dead as a youth, I was one of the millons that proudly called themselves "Jerry's Kids" and when I got the news of his passing it was a really rough couple of days. Luckily for me at the time I was working for a hippie (his work table was scraps left over from a stage that Jefferson Airplane had played on at the commune he lived at) and he gave us a few days to be with friends and remember Jerry.

I went and got a tattoo that reads "Thanks Jerry" the day after he passed.

spjunkies

July-18th-2009, 07:44 PM

Sean will probably always trump all in my book, but MJ hit me pretty hard also because it came out of the blue and I never really thought of him ending up dead at such a young age.

jnhay

July-18th-2009, 07:51 PM

I don't usually feel anything for people who I don't know at all.

The Brave Little Toaster Oven

July-18th-2009, 07:53 PM

Definitely Billy Mays....that Billy Mays dub thing was ****ing hilarious and now I'm sad there wont be any commercials to laugh at. :(

fullnelson9999

July-18th-2009, 07:54 PM

Recent? Billy Mays.

Of all the people who died recently, he was on TV the most (at the time). He was funny off the set and a great promoter on it. He just had a great aura around him.

To know that i would continuously see his ads on TV for months after his death kind of got to me.

ST got me too, and it was probably the hardest death ive had to deal with outside of family. I was up all night the day he died so when i found out of his death EARLY in the morning i couldnt finish the paper I was writing. It sucked.

jnhay

July-18th-2009, 08:28 PM

Michael Jackson was the one that had the most impact.
But, i have a cool Redskins store to sell Redskins merchandise
Redskins-store.com

Least subtle plug of all time.

spjunkies

July-18th-2009, 08:33 PM

Least subtle plug of all time.

lol I know, right?

The Brave Little Toaster Oven

July-18th-2009, 08:40 PM

Least subtle plug of all time.

he didnt even try to tie it in with what he was saying :doh: :ols:

Sandman69

July-18th-2009, 08:51 PM

Oddly enough I would have to say Billy Mays. I was starting to watch the Pitchman, so I was "getting to know" him more than the others. Plus all of the infomercials I saw with him pushing products.

MJ, wasn't a real shock to me. Farrah, will be missed alot, but knew she was dealing with cancer. Ed McMahon was a little shock, but it wasn't like he was a spring chicken.
David Carradine was somewhat of a shock with the way it happened.

No Excuses

July-18th-2009, 08:56 PM

Steve McNair and Eddie George were the reason I started watching football. Out of all of these, only McNairs death really hit me. He was my favorite player growing up.

Rdskns2000

July-18th-2009, 11:06 PM

ldysknzfn1

July-18th-2009, 11:17 PM

I will have to go with Michael Jackson. I've always liked his music and his ability to move on the stage. I remember listening to him and his brothers when I was a kid and I have several J5 45's at my mom's house(Motown label and CBS label also.) It felt like I had lost a childhood friend or something.

I absolutely fell in love with "Ben" and I thought Michael looked fine with what he was born with. In his older years, I must admit I thought he'd crossed the line on some things. I don't think he could have brought himself to hurt a child, but his way of doing things was definitely "off center". He had always been a part of my life over the years. I can distinctly remember what I was doing when the Billie Jean and Thriller videos hit the TV! I was awestruck!
RIP MJ :(

Also...Sean Taylor. He was just the most amazing player I've ever had the privilege of watching play this game!

Sticksboi05

July-19th-2009, 12:19 AM

None. Why should it. Are these people family members? No. Even Sean Taylor's death didn't hit me as it has some here. When his murder happened; I felt angry but got over it.

You feel sad but these people aren't friends or family who are a part of my life.

Coach or Athelete- someone I see on TV coaching/playing a sport I like to watch.

After the initial shock; I get over deaths of the famous pretty quickly.

So you are telling me if Muhammad Ali died of a stroke tomorrow you wouldn't be sad? Nobody is saying they are like our family members but they are our icons and influenced our lives and when they die, a piece of your lifetime goes with them.

Westbrook36

July-19th-2009, 12:44 AM

So you are telling me if Muhammad Ali died of a stroke tomorrow you wouldn't be sad? Nobody is saying they are like our family members but they are our icons and influenced our lives and when they die, a piece of your lifetime goes with them.

i honestly wouldn't give a ****. Maybe its the fact that I'm in the military and knowing that servicemembers die each day in war that barely makes a blip on tv or the newspaper yet Billy Mays is mentioned ad nauseum.

The freedom that soldiers provide influence our lives every day yet I never see a thread about them.

So if Muhammed Ali died tomorrow, I probably wouldn't even blink. His fights are on video. People live and die. I never met the man. A piece of my lifetime isn't going anywhere. I'll remember what I want to remember.

chipwhich

July-19th-2009, 12:52 AM

So you are telling me if Muhammad Ali died of a stroke tomorrow you wouldn't be sad? Nobody is saying they are like our family members but they are our icons and influenced our lives and when they die, a piece of your lifetime goes with them.

This year I lost my mother in law and my grandmother.

My dad lost his best friend.

To not understand real loss and to talk about some stars loss really equals someone who doesn't understand real loss in their lives.

Michael Jackson didn't cause total chaos in my household. The loss of my mother in law did. Not to mention my grandmother.

But hey...to each his own.

Destino

July-19th-2009, 01:45 AM

i honestly wouldn't give a ****. Maybe its the fact that I'm in the military and knowing that servicemembers die each day in war that barely makes a blip on tv or the newspaper yet Billy Mays is mentioned ad nauseum.

The freedom that soldiers provide influence our lives every day yet I never see a thread about them.

So if Muhammed Ali died tomorrow, I probably wouldn't even blink. His fights are on video. People live and die. I never met the man. A piece of my lifetime isn't going anywhere. I'll remember what I want to remember.

People of all types die every day. Every minute. The reason's death affect people more or less is familiarity and common cause. The more you know about someone that passes the more deeply it is felt.

As for me Billy Mays affected me more than the rest. I've worked all sorts of sales jobs and this guy was one of the best. He got so big in the industry that he was able to focus on new inventions. He sold dreams and made more than a few come true.

PleaseBlitz

July-19th-2009, 09:19 AM

Michael Jackson made me avoid all media for over a week. Holy **** people went overboard for that.

Sticksboi05

July-19th-2009, 09:28 AM

This year I lost my mother in law and my grandmother.

My dad lost his best friend.

To not understand real loss and to talk about some stars loss really equals someone who doesn't understand real loss in their lives.

Michael Jackson didn't cause total chaos in my household. The loss of my mother in law did. Not to mention my grandmother.

But hey...to each his own.

Are you now telling me I don't understand loss? I've lost both my grandparents. My grandfather on my dad's side is slowly succumbing to Alzheimers. I lost my dog of 12 years and it is still hard to wake up and not have her running to my room. I was devastated each time I found out. It's funny that you cannot look at the situation plainly and insist on playing the "well I'm more sad for my family" card. No crap. My god, I hope your family elicits more of a response. That's not the point, the simple question was which death hit hardest? Three of my good friends have lost parents due to cancer and another about two weeks ago lost his sister (who I knew) to cancer (part of the reason Farrah's death hit me the most). Don't sit there and tell me because of one thread I made, I've never lost anyone close to me and I have no idea how it feels.

And Westbrook:

I agree, the lack of respect we give our servicemen is a shame. Half the country would rather insult them for being "monsters" than appreciate the protection/service they provide but unfortunately there's not much that can be done. The media will always go for ratings and MJ's death provided absurd ratings, moreso than people dying in Iraq or 150 people aboard a trans-ocean flight perishing. And you're right, Ali may not be a part of your life since his heyday was before you or I were born but Ali is one of my favorite athletes and I have the utmost admiration for what he did so does that not give me the right to feel a sense of loss when he dies?

Destino

July-19th-2009, 10:35 AM

I agree, the lack of respect we give our servicemen is a shame. Half the country would rather insult them for being "monsters" than appreciate the protection/service they provide but unfortunately there's not much that can be done. This is completely false.

Sticksboi05

July-19th-2009, 10:54 AM

This is completely false.

What part is false...the amount of people that do not truly appreciate the service they provide is astounding.

And there isn't much that can be done because the media cares about ratings. Evident by Jackson taking over news for two weeks straight.

It helps when you elaborate on a post...

Redd

July-19th-2009, 11:41 AM

MJ easily. I never realized how big he was to me until he died. Hit me so hard I finally downloaded all his best music including his Jackson 5 hits a couple weeks ago. Thank goodness for the Zune Pass or it would've cost me a fortune.

CounterTrey75

July-19th-2009, 12:55 PM

For me it was MJ. Seeing these numbers under his picture was a sight I thought I'd never see:

1958 - 2009 :-(

Edit:

And of course the other is the person in my sig below.

ST 4 ever!

RammsteinSkins

July-19th-2009, 01:19 PM

Steve McNair, I would throw Sean up there because I actually broke down during school that day. Some people I've known have died and I never broke down like that. But it's been 2 years so not really recent. Steve McNair was my favorite non-Redskin and that just ruined the next few days after his death for me, plus it was worse because he was murdered.

Rdskns2000

July-19th-2009, 01:38 PM

So you are telling me if Muhammad Ali died of a stroke tomorrow you wouldn't be sad? Nobody is saying they are like our family members but they are our icons and influenced our lives and when they die, a piece of your lifetime goes with them.

I don't remember Muhammad Ali in his prime as I was just a kid then. You feel sad for a moment but move on. Even when Joe Gibbs passes away, after an initial bout of sadness; I'd move on.

Sorry, but death affects people in different ways and people who aren't family or close friends don't really affect me in the same way.

AS for the big death, MJ- I personal think his own sins brought about his demise. Steve Mccair was engaged in adultery; so it came back to bite him by ending his life.

To each his own. For those who are affected by deaths of the famous, I feel sorry for your loss.

AAARedskin

July-19th-2009, 03:16 PM

Not 1 of the recent celebrity deaths hit me hard at all. I suppose I didn't think any of the people were any more important or special than anybody else. The last celebrity death that was truly upsetting was when ex-Beatle John Lennon was shot and killed by a sicko who had no business walking the streets as a free man.

DCSaints_fan

July-19th-2009, 03:59 PM

Yeah, none of those celebrity deaths hit me really much at all. All of them had their lives pretty much played out, and really not much more they could offer to the general population, only to their families. I know thats harsh, but its true. Well I guess MJ was still touring, but I've never been into live music all that much.

I remember Cobain's death kind of hitting me, I was 15 then and kind of a fan. I also remember feeling for Walter Payton when he died, however I was younger then, had less to death with, and death was a bit harder to take when you're young.