Literature+Review,+Celebrity+Deaths

Jun e 25, 2009, February 11,2012, August 11, 2014, and October 12, 2016 were, unfortunately, the final days of the remarkable Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Robin Williams, and Tommy For d- j ust a few of the world’s most preeminent celebrities. Throughout the course of their lives, celebrities, such as those previously mentioned, are spoiled by the worship and obsession that they receive from their fans. Being stopped for autographs, having their fashion mimicked, and selling out concerts are just some of the basic luxuries that celebrities are awarded by the individuals t hat  admire them most. But, what happens when these celebrities pass away and are no longer able to physicall y perform? In what ways are their audiences and admirers affected by their deaths?  With the use of four scholarly articles, I was able to conduct research that did, in fact, cure my curiosity.  Like the deaths of common folk, many celebrity deaths are induced by health associated matters, as discussed in Elizabeth Cohen’s and Cynthia Hoffner’s, "Finding meaning in a celebrity’s death: The relationship between parasocial attachment, grief, and sharing educational health information related to Robin Williams on social network sites” . The article further explained the various positive effects that stem from the promotion of celebrity health events on social networks, which coincided with part of the ideas discussed in Ross Petty’s and Denver D’rozario’s, "The Use of Dead Celebrities in Advertising and Marketing: Balancing Interests in the Right of Publicity”. When celebrities pass, they often become the faces of various promotional exercises designed to provide their fans with a final positive image of the deceased public figure. It is almost as if they gain popularity once they have passed just due to the fact that their fans are grieving and in need of a final memoir of their beloved personage. Although we are all created as equals at birth, individuals often perceive and understand celebrities to be of standards or qualities that “average” human beings have no comparison to. In the article, “Conceptualization and measurement of celebrity worship”, Lynn Mccutcheon discusses the concept of celebrity worship. The articles mentioned in the previous paragraph provided insight to the activities that can take place as a result of grief and/or greed following the death of a celebrity, and, with the help of the research compiled in Mccutcheon’s article, the logic behind the grief and greed can be better understood. Once celebrity worship measurements and activities that take place following the death of a celebrity are understood, the focus of research could be put on consumers, specifically. Scott Radford and Peter Bloch justified that celebrities, once dead, prompt fans to want to purchase any item that may serve as a reminder of the celebrity’s work while he/she was alive in their article, "Consumers’ online responses to the death of a celebrity”. As mentioned in Mccutcheon’s article, celebrities are often viewed by the public as gods of some sort. This, in fact, explains why it is that after a celebrity dies, his/her fans rely on their products to serve as souvenirs or memoirs of their legacy. The online consumption explained in Radford’s article is similar to the conventions discussed in D’rozario’s, "The Use of Dead Celebrities in Advertising and Marketing: Balancing Interests in the Right of Publicity”. We, as human beings, often overlook the extreme manners in which we respond to the deaths of celebrities in regards to post-mortal consumption and promotion. Even though it may appear to be a simple issue, there is much concern lying deep within the reactions of the public to the death of a celebrity. For some time now, I have been fascinated by the way in which individuals react to the deaths of celebrities. After reading the articles mentioned above, I now have a much better understanding as to the hype following the death of a celebrity. My own research will support and fit into the research that h as been conducted at earlier times because my ideas and concerns are mutual to those of the authors who wrote these articles. I believe that celebrity worship is at an all-time high, which is not a good look for American society. I hope to further my knowledge related to this topic, and hopefully, conduct enough research to be able to develop a stronger urge to consider and argue views on the topic that may oppose my own. These articles will undoubtedly assist me in furthering my academic credit respecting the effects that celebrity deaths have on individuals in society.

Works Cited

Cohen, Elizabeth L., and Cynthia Hoffner. "Finding meaning in a celebrity’s death: The relationship between parasocial attachment, grief, and sharing educational health information related to Robin Williams on social network sites." Computers in Human Behavior 65 (2016): 643-50. Web.

Radford, Scott K., and Peter H. Bloch. "Consumers’ online responses to the death of a celebrity." Marketing Letters 24.1 (2012): 43-55. Web. 27 Feb. 2017.

Petty, Ross D., and Denver D'rozario. "The Use of Dead Celebrities in Advertising and Marketing: Balancing Interests in the Right of Publicity." Journal of Advertising 38.4 (2009): 37-49. Web. 27 Feb. 2017.

Mccutcheon, Lynn E., Rense Lange, and James Houran. "Conceptualization and measurement of celebrity worship." British Journal of Psychology 93.1 (2002): 67-87. Web. 27 Feb. 2017.