A+musical+matter+of+life+and+death

Hearsum, Paula. “A musical matter of life and death: the morality of mortality and the coverage of Amy Winehouse’s death in the UK press.” //EBSCOhost Online Research// // Databases //. Web. Accessed 27 February 2017.

Using a collection of multiple UK newspaper articles concerning Amy Winehouse’s death due to overdose, Hearsum considers many aspects of the death of a musician. According to Hearsum, three recurring themes are considered after the death of a popular musician: //sex, drugs,// and //rock & roll.// These elements begin to characterize the celebrity, after their death, and create a //new//, narrowed view of who that individual was: “Michael Hutchence (sex), Janis Joplin (drugs), and Kurt Cobain (whose rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle ended with a shotgun suicide.)” The 27 club is an example of how society can create a place of solace for the memories of these “reckless” rock stars, whose young deaths devastated members of society.

The 27 club is a particular topic that I plan to address quite frequently throughout my research. Created by society, this “club” gives the rock star’s fans the opportunity to find happiness, belongingness, and meaning in their sudden death. Musicians specifically are the type of celebrity I plan to do most of my writing on, therefore this article proves to be incredibly significant in my research.