Whitney Houston is dead!

[33girl]

Originally Posted by Kevin

I don't really get the time and attention devoted to celebrity. Can someone tell me why anyone really GAS about who is or isn't allowed to come to the funeral of a dead person who was [really] good at singing? What is your emotional connection to this person who you saw on TV and heard recordings of and never met or knew beyond what you read in the tabloids?

That's easy. Her songs (one in particular) were playing at memorable times of my life. They probably added to the memorable-ness of it. It makes me sad that a person who contributed to my life, even in a very peripheral way, even though she didn't know that she did it, is gone.

The fact that you even referenced Steve Jobs apparently means he played some similar part in your life.

If you don't understand that I don't know what else I can tell you.

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by 33girl

The fact that you even referenced Steve Jobs apparently means he played some similar part in your life.

I wasn't particularly affected by Jobs. I was just throwing out an example of someone who had an ongoing contribution to society and was felled by an illness which wasn't preventable (whereas addiction is very preventable and treatable). Jobs' contribution to society was measurably more than Houston's, but my Apple stock has continued to be a great investment, so his death wasn't a big deal after all.

If you don't understand that I don't know what else I can tell you.

Yeah, I don't get it.

[knight_shadow]

Originally Posted by 33girl

That's easy. Her songs (one in particular) were playing at memorable times of my life. They probably added to the memorable-ness of it. It makes me sad that a person who contributed to my life, even in a very peripheral way, even though she didn't know that she did it, is gone.

The fact that you even referenced Steve Jobs apparently means he played some similar part in your life.

If you don't understand that I don't know what else I can tell you.

Yep.

Singers usually provide the soundtracks to folks' lives (ex. I love XYZ because she was on the radio when I had my first kiss). Of course, this is going to cause people to get attached to them.

If (general) YOU don't have a connection to the artists, that's fine, but we can't discount their contributions to entertainment. The Beatles were before my time, so while I wouldn't flip tables and take off of work when McCartney passes away, I'll understand if others are upset.

I was also thinking about something else recently. I'm 27, so MJ and Whitney (among others) have been constants in my life (as long as I can remember, MJ and Whitney have been around). With their deaths, it's making me feel like I'm "closer to death" (if that makes sense), which is a bit of a downer.

[christiangirl]

Originally Posted by knight_shadow

I was also thinking about something else recently. I'm 27, so MJ and Whitney (among others) have been constants in my life (as long as I can remember, MJ and Whitney have been around). With their deaths, it's making me feel like I'm "closer to death" (if that makes sense), which is a bit of a downer.

Ditto. Seeing people who have been "present" my ENTIRE life die trips me out. I remember watching the world premiere of the "Remember the Time" video when I was 7. To think that MJ is no longer living (even though he died younger than most) is a huge reminder of how much of my life has passed and how much older I am. Time is precious and that loss made me more aware of how fast it's going. In that vein, it's also trippy seeing people close to my parents' age or younger die. It makes me more aware that my time with them is limited as well.

When I think of Whitney, I remember watching The Preacher's Wife with my mom, dancing to her music with my friends, etc. So it does feel a little bit like a personal loss because Whitney was "there" in those intimate moments.

[KSig RC]

Originally Posted by knight_shadow

Yep.

Singers usually provide the soundtracks to folks' lives (ex. I love XYZ because she was on the radio when I had my first kiss). Of course, this is going to cause people to get attached to them.

If (general) YOU don't have a connection to the artists, that's fine, but we can't discount their contributions to entertainment. The Beatles were before my time, so while I wouldn't flip tables and take off of work when McCartney passes away, I'll understand if others are upset.

I understand this on a general level ... but the song still exists, and all that, you know?

I was also thinking about something else recently. I'm 27, so MJ and Whitney (among others) have been constants in my life (as long as I can remember, MJ and Whitney have been around). With their deaths, it's making me feel like I'm "closer to death" (if that makes sense), which is a bit of a downer.

This is a very good point, as it's essentially the dissonance I was talking about - and it's a mechanism we all share. We just have different manners of expression.

[aggieAXO]

Originally Posted by 33girl

That's easy. Her songs (one in particular) were playing at memorable times of my life. They probably added to the memorable-ness of it. It makes me sad that a person who contributed to my life, even in a very peripheral way, even though she didn't know that she did it, is gone.

The fact that you even referenced Steve Jobs apparently means he played some similar part in your life.

If you don't understand that I don't know what else I can tell you.

Yes to this! Music plays a big part in my life-especially music from my youth and Whitney was a part of that genre. I found out a few minutes before I turned 40 last Saturday and a part of my childhood died with her. I am so sad.

[steveg]

How many times we have seen a great talent flame out?

Fame=money=stress=drugs=death?

It is so sad that these talents are lost to us.
Whitney was a talent beyond beleif.

Her rendition of The Star Spangled Banner will never be found any better.

RIP you great lovely person.