Has the news of famous persons death ever made you cry even though you never met them, or a stranger that you knew about but never met? Why did it make you cry?
I’d say the closest I’ve come was Robin Williams. Patrick Stewart would probably be even moreso.
Robin Williams, David Bowie and Chester beddingfield. Seem to be the most common answer. Williams was a special guy, you could just tell. Probably made the people close to him feel something really loved.
Robin Williams is the only one I remember hitting me really hard. Sometimes it still gets me if I’m in the right (wrong) mood when I remember.
Grant Imahara from mythbusters.
Robin Williams. A surprising death, not a surprising break down. He was so much of my childhood, and always there for a laugh. Life got worse for everyone when he passed.
Grant Imahara. A surprising death, and for me, a surprising response. I still to this day get choked up about Grant. Even though he was on the Mythbusters B team, and was largely not on my radar after, hearing of his death really struck me. I still don’t rightly understand why. Perhaps it’s just because he was such a genuine and smart guy. Really dunno.
Sir Terry Pratchett. Actually, probably counts as multiple because the opening to The Shepherds Crown makes me bawl like a child, and it’s pretty much a step-by-step guide for mourning.
Discworld has been my comfort series for a long time. I have read most of the books more times than I can count. Spent months tearing through multiple a day.
Of course, his condition was known amongst the fans, we had all known it was going to be sooner than later, but it felt like a long chapter of my life was closed. I had looked forward to every release, cherished them. The man’s work had been beside me through some of the hardest times, always bringing a smile back to my face.
Yeah this one for me, too. It felt like humans lost one of the people who understood them best and still kept caring about them in spite of it all. It took me a long time to face Discworld again and I had to put down Shepherds Crown for a bit at that one part.
A fine answer indeed. My brother loved Discworld and used to share some stories with me.
A man only dies when he is forgotten.
Technoblade never dies.
A bloke at work wears a Technoblade shirt all the time, he lives on
David Bowie. I still miss him a lot. I usually don’t even really know the names and faces of bands I like, and I wasn’t even a big knower of his music, but when I heard he died I cried non stop for a day and a night. He was really something else, this crazy force, changing the whole discourse in music and stardom multiple times in his life. What an awe inspiring character. I wonder who could ever take his place, really.
Er Robin Williams, Chester Bennington. I think suicide always harder.
So this is where the question started, was working and a song by Tim Bergling (Avicii) came on and it was one of his less famous tracks. It reminded me of the day I heard that he passed. I wasn’t the hugest fan, but I remembered seeing him play at Tomorrowland. Something about his presence was different and it intrigued me to find out more information about who he was. He was a true artist and got a lot of hate towards the end of his life as he tried to experiment with where electronic music could go. Behind the scenes he was so deeply entrenched in music. Kind of like Bob Dylan in a way. I actually wish he chose a different style of music to play, or joined a band because he was a genius, who was never really given his flowers because electronic producers rarely are. But it killed him. I cried.
bowie didn’t hit me when it happened, but years later blackstar made me weep
For me it was when Steve Irwin died.
It was a shock, but at the same time it gave so much credit to all the other things he did. Never faked it, was most joyous in the face of death over and over again.
Agree with all you said. His life was joyous and I think the legacy lives on with how wholesome his family is even now. :)
Chester Bennington of Linkin Park low-key destroyed me. I didn’t even hear about it when it happened due to a big storm taking out my power for a week. It wasn’t until 4 or 5 days after the news hit everyone else when I finally found out.
You can say whatever you want about Linkin Park, but Chester was fucking talented and its still so upsetting to me to think about it.
And then last year, they made Chester die again when they brought on a Scientologist to be the new lead singer. Now Linkin Park as a whole is dead to me.
I really like their new singer and album. And Up From the Bottom was on repeat for a good month.
I mourned, legitimately mourned Terry Pratchett’s death. I don’t even have a parasocial relationship with him in the sense you get with streamers and YouTubers and whatnot. He was just a man who brought wonderful ideas into the world, who focused my understanding of life and so much more, and to hear of his end hurt me bitterly.
Charles Bradley. He lived on the streets for most of his life. When he became famous he died very shortly after :(
My entire high school mourned Mr Rogers’ passing. 4,000 people and the hallways were almost quiet.
Respect is earned.
I cried when they canceled The Venture Brothers.
My best friends and I watched every new episode when they aired while we were in college. After I graduated we all pretty much drifted apart, but when Publick and Hammer would actually get around to putting out another season it felt like I was back in that dorm lobby on that smelly couch, watching this show on a huge rear protection TV, with a group of people that were closer to me than anyone ever before or since.
When they canceled the show it felt like there was this unicorn at the zoo, and then one day the zookeeper just went out into the enclosure, blew its brains out, shrugged, and announced “Too expensive to feed!” I was devastated.
When Chomsky dies its going to fuck me up HARD. I’m already mentally preparing for it, but that dude has been such an amazing human, he’s responded to so many emails, signed so many of my books, and lectured on things in such a way that I’ve learned a lot
