Ryan Herring English 1103 Ms.

Caruso 21 October 2012 The impact that celebrities have on the lives of the public is astonishing. Fixating on every detail and storyline, the public has adapted what is seemingly an addiction to the life of a celebrity. With this, when the passing of a superstar occurs, especially prematurely, the reactions of the public are intriguing and ever-changing. Throughout the history of Pop-culture many noted celebrity deaths have brought great controversy, grief, and limelight to the world. How people cope, handle, and react to these deaths has changed drastically over time with the increased media and internet exposure. Going all the way back to the deaths of famous people like Elvis Presley and John F. Kennedy, where T.V. and internet werent as prevalent in the lives of the public, we can see how reactions have changed from then up until recent celebrity deaths such as Michael Jackson an Whitney Houston. Reactions can also vary depending on the way that a celebrity deceased. Apparent suicides, like that of Kurt Cobain and Lane Staley captivate the publics attention and cause them to wonder why and how someone would commit such a morbid act. Other, more mysterious deaths such as Heath Ledgers or Tupac Shakur generate interest about who is really responsible. As patrons and consumers, Americans are privileged to prime access into the lives of celebrities. From movies, to the stage, and everywhere else media coverage goes the public has

an eye on nearly everything a celebrity says or does. Given this level of attention, the public allows these people, even if it is subconsciously, to become a part of their lives and make a significant impact. Referring to the death of animal specialist Steve Irwin, one journalist described this relationship with the statement We invite them into our living rooms and we get used to them "being there" at a particular time each week.(Mchugh). This is ever true when people listen to their favorite6 artist or watch their favorite6 movie starring their favorit6e actor. Noting these observations, a generality or assumption can be made about the reaction to a death in one of the figures. Extreme grief and reaction over the death of celebrities has been evident over the course of time when looking at many examples. Some early examples include the death of Elvis Presley, John F. Kennedy, and Ghandi. Elvis Presleys influence on rock n roll as a genre had a huge impact on pop-culture during the 1950s. His popular music was played all over the radio and many people became fans of the rock icon and idolized him. Ghandi and John F. Kennedy, were politicians in the 1960s and being great speakers and role models helped shape their popular image with the public. Having the effect these stars did, there were waves of attention brought to the forefront when they died. Elvis Presleys drug overdose was one of the first to plague musicians with the stereotype of being drug addicts. News of his death was spread through the use of newspaper and radio waves. In the months and years following Elvis death, there were rumors spread of sightings of the rock star. These rumors and folk stories are a way that the public has filled the void in their lives left by his death. This reaction has been common for die-hard fans, and seems to be in attempt to not let go and accept death in celebrities. In regards to deaths of politicians Ghandi and Kennedy, their deaths were met by huge reaction.

1. Need to add a title 2. Maybe say therefore or another transitional work, With This doesnt flow well in that sentence 3. Instead of people, say something like celebrities or individuals 4. Indent 5. To have prime 6. You use favorite three time in this sentence, try incorporating a synonym to make the sentence less repetitive Overall you are a strong writer and you know to transition from one sentence to another and one paragraph to another. You have a strong vocabulary and you use words in the correct places. There are only a few minor mistakes. You have a good flow and it is interesting. I like what you said about Elvis and how people thought they saw him after his death, use more example like this that relate to celebs deaths to make it really interesting for your readers.