Spring Break
Death, it surrounds and catches up to all
Issue date: 6/30/09 Section: Opinions
Life has and always will end at some point in time.
For some, death happens suddenly.
For others, it is a slow moving process through months or years of ongoing torture.
One fact remains the same; death will always come.
In the past week we have witnessed the king of pop music, Michael Jackson, die unexpectedly.
TV pitchman Billy Mays died of either heart disease or possibly a simple bump to the head that he suffered on a US Airways flight from Philadelphia to Tampa International Airport.
Americans also lost the 62-year-old sex symbol Farrah Fawcett after her long struggle with anal cancer came to an end.
The "Tonight Show" veteran announcer Ed McMahon died at age 86 after a number of health problems left him hospitalized in recent years.
Then, as if those celebrity deaths weren't enough, we lost Fred "The Man of a Thousand Faces" Travalena to cancer as well. Young readers may not recognize the late comedian's name, but the Travalena was a regular on Johnny Carson's "Tonight Show." His act often consisted of impersonations of celebrities such as Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Bob Hope.
Besides death, these celebrities also shared something else. They all touched the people that loved them the most. Some maybe more than others, but each of their lives were of value to family, friends and fans alike.
When a celebrity dies it seems to put life into perspective. Not that any other death doesn't, but celebrities often seem untouchable.
They live their lives carefree to the public eye, and their words and wisdom reach vast crowds.
When celebrities are hurting, we hurt with them. When they laugh, we laugh with them.
No matter whether you believe Michael Jackson was heaven sent or he was a pedophile, there is no denying his everlasting effect on pop culture and the long list of number one hits.
No matter if you think OxiClean was a scam or Mighty Mendit didn't live up to the promised expectations, Mays was a father of two and a faithful husband that will be missed.
No matter if you're too young or just don't understand the appeal of Farrah Fawcett or Fred Travalena, they were all simply someone to somebody.
As the jokes begin to fade and the tears start to settle we will all ask ourselves, just what do I mean to the world?
The editorial is the majority opinion of The DEN editorial board. Reach the opinions editor at: DENopinions@gmail.com.
For some, death happens suddenly.
For others, it is a slow moving process through months or years of ongoing torture.
One fact remains the same; death will always come.
In the past week we have witnessed the king of pop music, Michael Jackson, die unexpectedly.
TV pitchman Billy Mays died of either heart disease or possibly a simple bump to the head that he suffered on a US Airways flight from Philadelphia to Tampa International Airport.
Americans also lost the 62-year-old sex symbol Farrah Fawcett after her long struggle with anal cancer came to an end.
The "Tonight Show" veteran announcer Ed McMahon died at age 86 after a number of health problems left him hospitalized in recent years.
Then, as if those celebrity deaths weren't enough, we lost Fred "The Man of a Thousand Faces" Travalena to cancer as well. Young readers may not recognize the late comedian's name, but the Travalena was a regular on Johnny Carson's "Tonight Show." His act often consisted of impersonations of celebrities such as Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Bob Hope.
Besides death, these celebrities also shared something else. They all touched the people that loved them the most. Some maybe more than others, but each of their lives were of value to family, friends and fans alike.
When a celebrity dies it seems to put life into perspective. Not that any other death doesn't, but celebrities often seem untouchable.
They live their lives carefree to the public eye, and their words and wisdom reach vast crowds.
When celebrities are hurting, we hurt with them. When they laugh, we laugh with them.
No matter whether you believe Michael Jackson was heaven sent or he was a pedophile, there is no denying his everlasting effect on pop culture and the long list of number one hits.
No matter if you think OxiClean was a scam or Mighty Mendit didn't live up to the promised expectations, Mays was a father of two and a faithful husband that will be missed.
No matter if you're too young or just don't understand the appeal of Farrah Fawcett or Fred Travalena, they were all simply someone to somebody.
As the jokes begin to fade and the tears start to settle we will all ask ourselves, just what do I mean to the world?
The editorial is the majority opinion of The DEN editorial board. Reach the opinions editor at: DENopinions@gmail.com.
The Daily Eastern News encourages on-topic, civil discussion on its articles posted online. It is our policy not to screen comments before they are posted or edit them after they are posted. However, we reserve the right to remove comments that are off-topic, malicious, libelous or include excessive foul language. The DEN also reserves the right to turn off all comments on any story it deems necessary.
Comments violating copyright law will also be removed.
Users who repeatedly violate this policy will be banned from commenting.
If you have any questions on our comment policy or wish to report a comment that you feel violates these standards, please e-mail a link to the article to our Online Editor at DENNews.com@gmail.com.
Be the first to comment on this story