Carrie Fisher's gone

Will this year stop taking please? RIP Carrie.

And Richard Adams too,

How many more will this year take?

steve

RIP Carrie Fisher. Another culturally influential person lost to the year of 2016. Just sixty years of age too. Blimey.

She was recently a guest on the Graham Norton Show on BBC1 promoting her published diary, where she seemed in good spirits. 

EDIT: There's a little more on BBC News site: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment_and_arts

Plus an affectionate biography and tribute over on Empire: http://www.empireonline.com/mo...fisher-dies-aged-60/

Paper Plane posted:

And Richard Adams too,

How many more will this year take?

steve

Given that 151,600 deaths occur daily throughout the world, I make it we've got at least 606,400 more to go before the year's end! Richard Adams had a phenomenal innings, Carrie Fisher, George Michael and Rick Parfitt reaped the rewards of their dissolute lifestyles. I'm at a loss to understand the outpouring of grief that accompanies the deaths of people 99% of us have absolutely no knowledge of, other than their media created public personae. 

Timmo1341 posted:

Paper Plane posted:

And Richard Adams too,

How many more will this year take?

steve

Given that 151,600 deaths occur daily throughout the world, I make it we've got at least 606,400 more to go before the year's end! Richard Adams had a phenomenal innings, Carrie Fisher, George Michael and Rick Parfitt reaped the rewards of their dissolute lifestyles. I'm at a loss to understand the outpouring of grief that accompanies the deaths of people 99% of us have absolutely no knowledge of, other than their media created public personae. 

 

Because we all absorb culture. It helps shape us and define who we are.

When a culturally significant person dies, a little bit of us empathises and we feel our own mortality (if that person has impacted on who we are). They are a kind of momento mori of the modern age...it is their 'personae' which is immortal.

G

It's a bit like trying to understand why people get passionate about music and art in the first place. Maybe it doesn't make much sense, but you make a huge emotional commitment to favourite artists. I don't own or like any Bowie records, so his passing had no effect on me. But when Prince died - and I could remember the excitement of buying his new records on day of release during his golden period, and seeing him play, it felt like a huge loss. When I opened a newspaper years back, and read of the death of David McComb of The Triffids - my favourite band of all time, I kind of hid away and grieved for 2 weeks. And when Grant McLennan of the Go-Betweens died, I was equally devastated. 

Maybe it's illusory, but you absolutely believe you understand and empathise with your favourite artists, because you believe their music is a true reflection of who they really are.

The amount I am affected by these deaths depends on how much the person's art meant to me. So George has affected me a lot more than Carrie, and her more than Rick. Of course, it will be different for others. But even if you actively dislike what they did, it's still terribly sad for their families, friends and of course their fans. Many great artists are in some way tortured souls, and the dissolute lifestyle often goes with the celebrity or rockstar culture. But you'd have to have a heart of stone not to be moved. Interestingly it was this day in 1977 that Star Wars was released in the U.K.  

Carrie Fisher,  'may the force be with you' and RIP.

Hungryhalibut posted:

The amount I am affected by these deaths depends on how much the person's art meant to me. So George has affected me a lot more than Carrie, and her more than Rick. Of course, it will be different for others. But even if you actively dislike what they did, it's still terribly sad for their families, friends and of course their fans. Many great artists are in some way tortured souls, and the dissolute lifestyle often goes with the celebrity or rockstar culture. But you'd have to have a heart of stone not to be moved. Interestingly it was this day in 1977 that Star Wars was released in the U.K.  

Stone it is, then. Some leave me totally unmoved, some I feel are a significant loss of talent (Victoria Wood for example), but devastated; grief stricken? I'm sorry, but those are emotions reserved for the death of close friends and relatives with whom I shared real rather than illusory experiences and empathy.

I'm not being critical of those who feel the need to grieve over those they didn't know, simply confessing my lack of understanding. I really don't get it. Perhaps many need to 'borrow' emotional stimuli in lieu of an absence of same in their own lives? I do get slightly ticked off with the number of column inches given over to B list 'celebs' competing with each other in their efforts to eulogise the deceased. Sycophancy in respect of the living is bad enough, but over the dead is genuinely sickening.

I agree with your sentiment on the vapidity of the celeb 'dialing in' of their form of grief, even if via the most tenuous of connections, such as being a fellow celeb for example.

Timmo1341 posted:

Paper Plane posted:

And Richard Adams too,

How many more will this year take?

steve

Given that 151,600 deaths occur daily throughout the world, I make it we've got at least 606,400 more to go before the year's end! Richard Adams had a phenomenal innings, Carrie Fisher, George Michael and Rick Parfitt reaped the rewards of their dissolute lifestyles. I'm at a loss to understand the outpouring of grief that accompanies the deaths of people 99% of us have absolutely no knowledge of, other than their media created public personae. 

 

Perhaps because although we didn't personally know them some of them produced work that moved us, or that had an affect upon our lives.  Some artists are entwined with our youthful experiences so perhaps when they pass away it reminds us that we are mortal too.  Some artists, and writers for that matter, produce work that makes the world a better, brighter place, regardless of what they are like in their personal lives, their loss takes a little colour from our lives.  When SIr Terry Pratchett died I was truly upset, I'd read and loved his books ever since his first works and felt I'd grown up with his characters.  I'd never met him him but even so he made my life a little more interesting and enjoyable and I will miss his books and his wit and intelligence.  I don't believe that mourning him, or those musicians who had a similar impact is  sycophantic, just respectful and natural.

As a young boy I was in love with Princess Leia for a while - untill she was replaced by Diana Spencer. Now they're both gone. Sweet memories of an innocent time though.

My thoughts are with her family and those who loved her. Rest in peace. 

Of course I didn't know Carrie Fisher, but am still saddened by news of her death. Maybe it is because she played the lovely, iconic Princess Leia from my youth. Or maybe it is because she died at the relatively young age of 60. In any case, I also feel sympathy for Debbie Reynolds. I imagine that losing a child at any age is a horrible thing to experience.

Boy this has been one heck of a year for this sort of thing...I wonder if it has been as much of an increase as I perceive it to be. It sure seems like it has been worse than in years past.

It's very sad. Rip Carrie.

Only two high profile deaths have every really moved me. One was Freddie Mercury and the biggest one for me was Ayrton Senna, I worshipped that guy (and still do).

I was ready to comment like anybody else, but Timmo's posts have somehow stopped me, made me reconsider my perspective, and intensely reminded me of a few moments in Stephen Frear's The Queen. I think I agree with him.

No need to reconsider. If a life has impinged on yours then it's leaving may well cause some pain.  

Reducing these moments to statistics is more heart of stone than heart of glass.

Carrie and Rick had more effect on me than George because i didn't like his music. 

To be moved by art(ists), by life, by both, by neither. To de-construct emotion into definable elements for analysis (understanding?) is to miss the point. Inability to empathise isn't a useful quality at the eulogy.

Thanks for the memories Carrie. You will be missed, your trials in life acknowledged, your positive contributions remembered, your flaws accepted. Rest in Peace and may the force be with you.

Adam Meredith posted:

Timmo1341 posted:

Paper Plane posted:

And Richard Adams too,

How many more will this year take?

steve

....  Carrie Fisher, George Michael and Rick Parfitt reaped the rewards of their dissolute lifestyles.

 

While I too wonder at some extreme expressions of grief for distant people, I've just passed through a year where my disssolute lifestyle (think Michael Douglas) tried to kill me.

What really helped was the suspicion that there might be people like you who thought I would deserve to die.

It meant a lot.

Sorry Adam, but have to take issue on a couple of non sequiturs. The supposed link between Michael Douglas' cancer and the performing of oral sex can hardly be described as evidence of a dissolute lifestyle. The well evidenced and documented shovelling of mountains of cocaine into the noses and veins of the other three would, I believe, meet most people's definition of dissolute (not to mention the weed and alcohol consumption).

Nowhere did I state, or infer, that they deserved to die, simply that they effectively hastened their own demise - fact, not judgement.

Happy New Year, hope it's a better one for you.

Non of the passing Slebs this year were 27. So they couldn't have been that great, or they got lucky.

Interesting discussion.

None of these 'stars' deaths 'sadden' me as such, but it would be disingenuous of me not to concede to some affect from the death of Leonard Cohen. His later work was a promise of deeper and more profound insights yet to come.

G

Surely it's about happy moments and memories brought to us by some people, crossed with a relatively early death?

Joe Bloggs in wherevertown never tugged at my emotions, so while those closer may mourn his passing at any age, I won't. Carrie Fisher did provide me with many happy moments and I find it sad she died while she was still relatively young. If she were aged 96 at death, I would still remember her fondly but wouldn't feel it were a waste or regretful.

Richard Adams and Liz Smith brought much joy to many I'm sure, but I don't think anyone would suggest they had achieved less than a decent innings, as it were.

Anyhow, must go. Elvis is plating up my lunch.

I've just had look through some of the RIP threads and I can't find any outpouring of grief. Mainly just sadness at the loss of someone whose work had in some way touched our lives and if we can't reflect that then the world is indeed a sad place. Whilst I'm here I'd just like to add Bobby Welliins, the excellent British Saxophonist who died in October,  to the list of those lost in this sad year. RIP.

Yetizone posted:

She was recently a guest on the Graham Norton Show on BBC1 promoting her published diary, where she seemed in good spirits. 

 

She was constantly wheezing on that show and you could even hear it whilst the other guests were being interviewed. Also, she was very slow and obviously had issues.

I've read all the articles in LA Times, I can't say I grieve but admire her fortitude through tough times, yes self indulgent, but by disclosing her issues, addiction, mental illness, failings, she helped others.  I know a friend in AA and had heard her talks, she had a graceful way to lampoon herself with great wit. Very talented at writing, scripts and acting.

"By about 16 I wanted to be Dorothy Parker," she told The Times in 2008. "I figured out the ways I am like her…. She’s short. She was half Jewish. She had brown hair and brown eyes. She was an alcoholic or addict. And she married a gay guy!"

Someone who wasn't impressed with celebrity and could lay out the convoluted layers of life in such disarming wit was a great talent.  Admire her for being a take charge female in Star Wars years before other women did that in other films. GURL Power!!!