Unfortunately, when someone is famous, many times I think the funeral becomes a time of craziness for the people who really knew the deceased person as a close friend or family member. Thus is the case this past week with the events surrounding Michael Jackson’s death, days leading up to his funeral and his memorial, which was held in the same arena where the LA Lakers play ball in order to accommodate 20,000 of Jackson’s “closest” “friends.”
When James Brown died, his body was taken to the Apollo Theater in New York for a memorial, then to the James Brown Arena in Augusta, Ga., before being transported to South Carolina for a private memorial open to only family and close friends. Even Michael Jackson made an appearance at one of the memorial services for the “Godfather of Soul.”
I understand fans’ desires and needs to mourn the loss of someone they admired and respected. When Princess Diana died, I think nearly the whole world mourned in some way.
And while the public mourns the famous deceased person who lived a public life in the public’s eye, the families still need to have their private time to mourn in their own way. They need their space, their time to say good-bye, their time to remember the person in the close and personal way they knew them, away from fans, away from the public, away from the paparazzi.
The loss of Michael Jackson, Ed McMahon and Farrah Fawcett in one week was a great hit to the entertainment world. It is understandable that all of us want to mourn and remember those who made an impact on our lives through music and television.
But please remember that just as we miss our own loved ones when they die, these people had lives and families away from the spotlight who also are mourning and need their space. Let’s respect them and give them time to remember their departed family members.
Wendy Byerly Wood is the associate editor for The Mount Airy News. She can be reached at wbyerly-wood@mtairynews.com or 719-1923.
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