R.I.P 2016
The year 2016 brought many greats to their grave. The death of so many beloved celebrities has reminded us of our mortality and age. But it’s also brought many grumpy people out as well, saying things such as “you didn’t even know them personally” or “what about the deaths of the ‘little people.’” I feel like this is something that needs to be touched on.
Sure, most people in the world didn’t know David Bowie, Carrie Fisher, George Michael, Prince, Alan Rickman. That doesn’t make them any less loved. There are some people out there who were strengthened by their music, their performances, their acting, their speeches, their interviews. Something they did, or said, touched lives in ways that you may not ever understand.
Everyone watched and read along as Joey Feek fought and lost her battle with cancer. We could feel the love she had for her family in her final days, thanks to the diligent upkeep by her husband.
We felt like we lost our “cool grandmother” when Doris Roberts was taken from us. And, in the same month, we lost our guitar-toting grandfather in Merle Haggard’s death.
June was a tough month as well, losing The Great Muhammad Ali and MMA fighter Kimbo Slice. It also brought a tragic end to the young lives of Christina Grimmie and Anton Yelchin.
Gene Wilder, Kenny Baker (R2D2), Alexis Arquette, Leonard Cohen, Florence Henderson (Mrs. Brady), just to name a few.
And then we have the month of December for 2016. It seems like this month was hit the hardest before bringing the year to an end, and rising up into 2017. Peter Vaughan from Game of Thrones, Astronaut and former Senator John Glenn, Alan Thicke, Zsa Zsa Garbor, George Michael, Carrie Fisher, Valerie Fairman (for you reality show lovers), Rick Parfitt of Status Quo, and so so many more.
You can look at these names as a whole and probably not feel much, maybe a small butterfly. But if you look at the accomplishments of each person separately, maybe from a different point of view, you might be able to see why someone might be upset about the loss of their great. Maybe it was an actor/actress who played a part that spoke to them so well that they made a change for the better in their own personal lives. Maybe it was the music coming through the speakers that just made them feel what they needed to at a difficult time in their lives. Maybe that person showed them that a goal that seems unobtainable, can be a reality, that they really can shoot for the stars.
I understand that the death of a family member hits incredibly hard for most people. I also understand that not everyone has a family member to look up to, therefore they turn to some sort of celebrity. I just ask that some people remind themselves that their own lives are not a direct match to the lives of others. Let people mourn the difficult losses this year, without trying to bully them into thinking it’s such a terrible thing.
R.I.P to those lost in 2016
