Content Warning: Death, suicide, substance abuse, depression, and cyberbullying are mentioned or discussed.
The sad truth is, people die every second of every day. We go through our lives hoping it won’t be anyone we know or love. Then, the news will spread about a celebrity passing. People run to send their condolences and share their opinions of the late celebrity — even though they didn’t know them. People including fans and the media can get too attached and latch onto the ideas they’ve built of certain celebrities — inside their heads.
Michael Jackson
On June 25, 2009, Michael Joseph Jackson, an American singer-songwriter and dancer known as the “King of Pop,” died of cardiac arrest at just 50 years old. He was found in his home in the Holmby Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles with a lethal combination of sedatives, including propofol, in his system. He was transferred to the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, where mourning fans gathered on the street below. The Los Angeles County coroner ruled Jackson’s death a homicide, and his doctor was later convicted of involuntary manslaughter. The music industry took a huge blow that day, and fans quickly expressed their sorrows and paid tribute to the late singer.
As time passed, people started expressing their opinions of the musician; gossip began to spread surrounding his death, ranging from how he might have cloned himself to how he might have faked his death. Can all of this talk be ruled as respectful? The dead can’t control how they’re viewed — people who are alive can barely control how they’re viewed. Society will always have their opinions, which they will stick to as though their lives depend on them. Still, does that make it okay? Recently, we found out Jackson was $500 million in debt when he passed. We begin to wonder how well we knew these figures. It feels wrong to conspire about people we hardly know, especially after they’re gone. More concerningly, there have been multiple allegations leveled against Jackson alleging child sexual abuse. Something as serious as this merits investigation, and is an example of a valid topic of discussion. Whether Jackson might have cloned himself or faked his death isn’t.
Amy Winehouse
On July 23, 2011, Amy Jade Winehouse, a British singer-songwriter, died of alcohol poisoning at age 27. She became a new member of the “27 Club,” a title used to reference famous people who passed away at 27. She was found in her home in Camden Town, London. The late singer had struggled with drug and mental health issues for a long time before her passing. Fans created a shrine outside of Winehouse’s London home and held candlelight vigils for the late star.
Before her passing, the media treated her terribly, calling her someone ungrateful to be healthy and talented. She was bullied because of her weight, her substance use issues, and her public meltdowns — not taking into account how serious her mental health issues were. After her passing, fans were hopeful she could set an example, showing society that mental health must be taken more seriously in the music industry.
This year, on May 17, 2024, “Back to Black,” a biopic about Winehouse, was released. It faced huge amounts of backlash for the inaccurate depiction of the singer. When will Hollywood stop exploiting the dead for profit and entertainment? The hardships of others shouldn’t be used for our amusement.
Kim Jong-hyun
On Dec. 18, 2017, Kim Jong-hyun, a South Korean singer-songwriter, died of carbon monoxide poisoning at age 27, making him another member of the “27 Club.” The K-pop singer was found in a hotel room with a coal briquette burning on a frying pan, and his death was ruled a suicide. His suicide note detailed how he had been struggling with depression, hinting at the pressures of being famous in South Korea as one of the reasons. South Korea has the highest suicide rates in Asia, according to a 2012 study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.
Kim started training when he was 15, and he debuted in the K-pop boy band, SHINee, when he was 18. From a young age, the K-pop industry, its rules, and its pressures were ingrained in him. It is problematically common in South Korea to train and debut minors. In South Korea, it’s also sadly common for many singers, actors, and celebrities to die from suicide due to the toxicity of idolism in their society.
The death of the singer devastated the K-pop world. Jasmin Aguilar Quintero, a Franklin senior and member of Franklin’s K-pop trading club, says, “It’s a very overwhelming experience to know that an idol [has] passed. We could never have imagined what they had experienced. Suicide [has] taken away beautiful souls like Choi Sulli, Kim Jong-hyun, Goo Hara, [and] Moonbin.” Social media was flooded with fans and others from all over the world sending their condolences to Kim’s friends and family as well as to SHINee. A three-day public memorial service was held and it had many attendees, including his fellow SHINee members, other big-name K-pop stars, other Korean celebrities, and fans of the late star.
The vibe of the industry completely changed. Quintero says, “The death of idols has always shown a tremendous reaction through the media, with sad fans expressing their love, to haters spreading hate.” Every year, on Kim’s birthday or the anniversary of his death, fans will flood his Instagram with comments about how he’s missed, how they hope he’s doing better in heaven, and how he’s an angel. These comments have faced some controversy because Kim was a known atheist, so many fans see calling him an angel and saying that he’s in heaven as disrespectful. I think these fans bring up a good idea of how we should respect the beliefs of celebrities after they’ve passed.
Sulli
On Oct. 14, 2019, South Korean singer and actress Choi Jin Ri, known in the industry as Sulli, died by hanging at age 25. The singer was found in her house, and her death was ruled a suicide. Another death in the K-pop industry further devastated the community.
Sulli was known to be very rebellious. She often spoke out about mental health, cyberbullying, body positivity, and women’s rights — which are very taboo topics in South Korea. Sulli was proud, loud, and wanted to be heard. K-pop idols are expected to maintain a wholesome image and keep quiet about certain topics, so her boldness led to cyberbullying. Friends of the singer said she was depressed before her death. Sulli’s death caused fans to push for more protection for stars in the Korean entertainment industry.
Helen Feng, a Franklin sophomore, says, “This message blew up the whole K-pop [world.] People who [weren’t] Sulli’s fans also felt heartbroken, including me. I think no matter what, it’s better to say less hurtful words to others.” You never know what someone is going through so we should spread more kindness in the world instead of hatred, because once someone is gone, they’re gone forever.
Fans are simply people who are interested in or admire someone or something. We don’t know celebrities, so why do we make assumptions and break apart their lives as though we were close to them? We should respect the art that these celebrities contribute to the world and respect them as people; it’s as simple as that. It’s unnecessary to get so involved in their lives — acting like their close friends or even bullying them. It is not wrong to mourn celebrities, or to celebrate and grieve the impact their art has had on our lives. However, we often project detailed narratives and an aura of familiarity or closeness with celebrities we admire, and it’s important to have boundaries. The reality is that we don’t know celebrities and we probably never will — because as fans, that will never be our role.
