I think part of the reason people go on about it being a year in which so many celebrities died is that there were two notable months at the beginning and end of the year which resulted in lots of headlines.
January: David Bowie, Alan Rickman and Terry wogan all died within within the space of a couple of weeks.
December: Rick Parfitt, George Michael and Carrie Fisher all died within a few days of each other.
During those two months (and particularly in December) 'celebrity deaths' was a hot topic of conversation and others who may well have gone relatively unnoticed were highlighted by association.
It's a bit like having two plane crashes within a week or two of each other. It will generate more headlines, and be more memorable, than two plane crashes six or seven months apart.
What about Gene Wilder, Caroline Aherne, Victoria Wood and numerous others? It's been a devastating year for celebrity deaths. Your plane crash scenario makes no sense whatsoever.
A lot of people that a lot of peopled loved died last year and that's it.
So what about the years when there's been a below average amount of celebrity deaths? (and I'd hazard a guess there's been a few). What do you make of that OP? What can possibly be going on there?
What about Gene Wilder, Caroline Aherne, Victoria Wood and numerous others? It's been a devastating year for celebrity deaths. Your plane crash scenario makes no sense whatsoever.
A lot of people that a lot of peopled loved died last year and that's it.
Blimey! At what point did I say that only those celebs I mentioned died in 2016?
If you don't understand how several notable events or deaths happening within a few days of each other makes them more memorable to the wider public, I won't waste my time, or your time, trying to explain it.
Random statistical fluctuations in the rate of celebrity deaths mean absolutely nothing.
In the end we all take a nice long dirt nap - even those of us who have lived a very spartan and healthy existence.
I'm not sure why you replied to my post.
It has no relevance to what I posted.
It would have had more relevance as a single post as opposed to trying to contravene the fact that I feel that at an extreme amount of relevant people were taken from us this last year.
If anyone can find a good dataset for the last 5 or 10 years I could write a program that breaks it down into graphs. The assumption that more celebrities of a particular age died last year is different to the assumption that more celebrities died compared to other years, by the way. Both can be tested with statistical analysis.
If anyone can find a good dataset for the last 5 or 10 years I could write a program that breaks it down into graphs. The assumption that more celebrities of a particular age died last year is different to the assumption that more celebrities died compared to other years, by the way. Both can be tested with statistical analysis.
It's also a weird one because you'd have to define what constitutes a celebrity.
I mean, how well known does someone have to be before they're a celebrity, like how many people have to know who they are? It's a bit of a grey area.
Could well be. One year I noticed lots of people around that had new babies, yet the following year I saw hardly any. Kinda spooky.
I think cultural waves could play a part, if that's not a horribly drippy term.
Say we have a particularly nice summer, people are in high spirits, tons of people getting frisky, cue loads of April/ May babies the following year
Then there's the reverse of that, bad year- people feeling gloomy. Like I said, not saying it's the reason for celebrity deaths, but the mind is a powerful thing, especially when it comes to frailty and illness.
Of course, there are some illnesses that can take people no matter what eventually, but mentally giving up, maybe not looking after yourself because of what is happening in the public Zeitgeist, I'd at least throw it out there as a possibility.
It's also a weird one because you'd have to define what constitutes a celebrity.
I mean, how well known does someone have to be before they're a celebrity, like how many people have to know who they are? It's a bit of a grey area.
There was somebody that died the other day but I can't for the life of me remember who it was, and it was 'breaking news' on the BBC website - like a little pop-up at the bottom of the page. The guy was in his late 80's IIRC, hadn't been in the media for years, and he hadn't just died, the BBC had just found out and were making it public.
I mean, when did an old man who died a few days ago of old age, or age-related illness, become 'breaking news', just because he made a visible contribution to society or culture? A person's achievements should be lauded at their funeral, obviously, but I fail to see how an obituary is considered the kind of thing that needs immediate global publication. It's weird. Someone should tell the press it's weird.
There was somebody that died the other day but I can't for the life of me remember who it was, and it was 'breaking news' on the BBC website - like a little pop-up at the bottom of the page. The guy was in his late 80's IIRC, hadn't been in the media for years, and he hadn't just died, the BBC had just found out and were making it public.
I mean, when did an old man who died a few days ago of old age, or age-related illness, become 'breaking news', just because he made a visible contribution to society or culture? A person's achievements should be lauded at their funeral, obviously, but I fail to see how an obituary is considered the kind of thing that needs immediate global publication. It's weird. Someone should tell the press it's weird.
I've noticed that too. Someone who is a very minor celeb dies, it tends to make news, obviously some people will have heard of them, but they are hardly household names, at least, not any more. It is a weird fixation, but then the news picks and chooses what it reports based on perceived public interest and their own agendas. I agree though, it seems perverse at times.
I think cultural waves could play a part, if that's not a horribly drippy term.
Say we have a particularly nice summer, people are in high spirits, tons of people getting frisky, cue loads of April/ May babies the following year
Then there's the reverse of that, bad year- people feeling gloomy. Like I said, not saying it's the reason for celebrity deaths, but the mind is a powerful thing, especially when it comes to frailty and illness.
Of course, there are some illnesses that can take people no matter what eventually, but mentally giving up, maybe not looking after yourself because of what is happening in the public Zeitgeist, I'd at least throw it out there as a possibility.
I once saw an animated population pyramid - I think it was the US population for the past few decades - with each frame of the animation showing a complete population pyramid for each year, and there were clear population ripples from the baby boom onwards.
[Edit] ...Here's one. Admittedly they're not easy to follow, but the topmost spikes represent people conceived after WWI and the spikes lower down represent those conceived after WWII. Not exactly just a particularly nice summer, but you get the idea.
There was somebody that died the other day but I can't for the life of me remember who it was, and it was 'breaking news' on the BBC website - like a little pop-up at the bottom of the page. The guy was in his late 80's IIRC, hadn't been in the media for years, and he hadn't just died, the BBC had just found out and were making it public.
Based on the first bits I'd guess at Lord Snowdon (aged 86 and hadn't really featured in the media for years) but as he died on Friday and it was reported on the BBC website on the same day, the bit about 'he hadn't just died' doesn't fit.
Yes indeed, micro-celebs choking it would not have been worthy of public mention thirty years ago. They are not dying off en masse. It is just that any obscure character actor who had a minor role in some drama series in the 1970s or a cartoonist who drew for one Disney animation feature now gets absurdly high media coverage.
My parents generation would not have considered footballers for example or chefs to be celebrities, let alone a random collection of attention-seekers on MIC, TOWIE, GS, I'm a Celeb to be famous in any way.
Based on the first bits I'd guess at Lord Snowdon (aged 86 and hadn't really featured in the media for years) but as he died on Friday and it was reported on the BBC website on the same day, the bit about 'he hadn't just died' doesn't fit.
No, I've heard of Lord Snowden at least. Whoever it was, I had to read it to find out. I might be getting the age mixed up with Lord Snowden though. Suffice to say it was an OAP.
It cant be just a coincidence that so many Celebrities passed away this year. And these people are the greats in acting and music. There has never been a year like this before. Why was this year the one year where so many greats passed away
Some it was just age...
The natural cause. Others lifestyles and drug damage.
It was the fact some of our actors and musicians were the top ones so to speak,
It has been a time when we have noticed more than any our younger actors and musicians passed. May they rest in peace now away from harm.
I've just found out that the actor Steven Hill was among those who died in 2016. That one seems to have passed me by at the time as I couldn't remember seeing/hearing a report about it.
Facebook is the cause. Celebrities love to be the centre of attention. It is their raison-detre. Facebook and social media has not become very popular with older people. The celebs join Facebook and Twitter but get very few followers and this break their heart. They then lose the will to live.
Comments
What about Gene Wilder, Caroline Aherne, Victoria Wood and numerous others? It's been a devastating year for celebrity deaths. Your plane crash scenario makes no sense whatsoever.
A lot of people that a lot of peopled loved died last year and that's it.
It's just a fact.
Blimey! At what point did I say that only those celebs I mentioned died in 2016?
If you don't understand how several notable events or deaths happening within a few days of each other makes them more memorable to the wider public, I won't waste my time, or your time, trying to explain it.
I thought the point of the thread was that more celebrities (or in the OP's opinion, more celebrities) had died in 2016?
Or are people arguing that people don't die now too?
Victoria Wood, Caroline Aherne, Gene Wilder, Terry Wogan, Paul Daniels, Alan Rickman, Debbie Reynolds.
Did they abuse their bodies?
No - but plenty of others did.
Plus people get old and die - it's no mystery.
Random statistical fluctuations in the rate of celebrity deaths mean absolutely nothing.
In the end we all take a nice long dirt nap - even those of us who have lived a very spartan and healthy existence.
Ah okay. Well it's good that you got to reaffirm your stance on drug use. ^_^
I'm not sure why you replied to my post.
It has no relevance to what I posted.
It would have had more relevance as a single post as opposed to trying to contravene the fact that I feel that at an extreme amount of relevant people were taken from us this last year.
It's also a weird one because you'd have to define what constitutes a celebrity.
I mean, how well known does someone have to be before they're a celebrity, like how many people have to know who they are? It's a bit of a grey area.
Could well be. One year I noticed lots of people around that had new babies, yet the following year I saw hardly any. Kinda spooky.
I think cultural waves could play a part, if that's not a horribly drippy term.
Say we have a particularly nice summer, people are in high spirits, tons of people getting frisky, cue loads of April/ May babies the following year
Then there's the reverse of that, bad year- people feeling gloomy. Like I said, not saying it's the reason for celebrity deaths, but the mind is a powerful thing, especially when it comes to frailty and illness.
Of course, there are some illnesses that can take people no matter what eventually, but mentally giving up, maybe not looking after yourself because of what is happening in the public Zeitgeist, I'd at least throw it out there as a possibility.
There was somebody that died the other day but I can't for the life of me remember who it was, and it was 'breaking news' on the BBC website - like a little pop-up at the bottom of the page. The guy was in his late 80's IIRC, hadn't been in the media for years, and he hadn't just died, the BBC had just found out and were making it public.
I mean, when did an old man who died a few days ago of old age, or age-related illness, become 'breaking news', just because he made a visible contribution to society or culture? A person's achievements should be lauded at their funeral, obviously, but I fail to see how an obituary is considered the kind of thing that needs immediate global publication. It's weird. Someone should tell the press it's weird.
I've noticed that too. Someone who is a very minor celeb dies, it tends to make news, obviously some people will have heard of them, but they are hardly household names, at least, not any more. It is a weird fixation, but then the news picks and chooses what it reports based on perceived public interest and their own agendas. I agree though, it seems perverse at times.
I once saw an animated population pyramid - I think it was the US population for the past few decades - with each frame of the animation showing a complete population pyramid for each year, and there were clear population ripples from the baby boom onwards.
[Edit] ...Here's one. Admittedly they're not easy to follow, but the topmost spikes represent people conceived after WWI and the spikes lower down represent those conceived after WWII. Not exactly just a particularly nice summer, but you get the idea.
Based on the first bits I'd guess at Lord Snowdon (aged 86 and hadn't really featured in the media for years) but as he died on Friday and it was reported on the BBC website on the same day, the bit about 'he hadn't just died' doesn't fit.
My parents generation would not have considered footballers for example or chefs to be celebrities, let alone a random collection of attention-seekers on MIC, TOWIE, GS, I'm a Celeb to be famous in any way.
Taylor and Burton these non-entities are not.
No, I've heard of Lord Snowden at least. Whoever it was, I had to read it to find out. I might be getting the age mixed up with Lord Snowden though. Suffice to say it was an OAP.
Some it was just age...
The natural cause. Others lifestyles and drug damage.
It was the fact some of our actors and musicians were the top ones so to speak,
It has been a time when we have noticed more than any our younger actors and musicians passed. May they rest in peace now away from harm.
Why can so few people spell "Snowdon"?
Why did no one remember the Mind The Gap man?