Why Losing a Celebrity Idol Can Feel Like Losing a Loved One
Mental health experts say that it’s normal to grieve celebrity losses and we shouldn’t feel bad about it. This happens because they’ve had such a huge, positive impact on our lives in every aspect. This pain we feel can be very close to the kind we feel when losing someone we love.
Bright Side will now explain the reasons why losing a celebrity can feel a lot like losing a loved one.
We know a lot about them.
We may not know them personally but we know a lot about them. We know who they’re friends with, who they’ve dated in the past, facts about their personal lives, and even what they like to do. These are all things that we would know about a friend.
We feel connected to them.
They’re our idols and we feel inspired by them which makes us feel close and connected with them. We know the things we have in common and they helped us know how to deal with certain situations. We’ve aspired to be like them and losing them feels like a big deal.
We’ve celebrated victories “together.”
Although we never met them personally, we’ve celebrated their victories with them from afar. We would always root for them and now there won’t be anything to root for.
We may be losing a part of our past and younger years.
They may never know it, but they helped you a lot when you were younger through their music, movies, etc. Losing them means losing a part of our past and an important part of us from when we were young. Without them evening knowing it, they were "there" when we needed them most.
We can relate to how they passed away.
When they pass away, it makes us understand that they're humans just like us. They can die suddenly or from things we or a close friend could possibly die from.
They won't be there anymore.
The fact that they will never bring new joy to our lives is frustrating. There will be no new music, no movies they'll star in, or games we'll watch them play in.
There are pictures of them everywhere.
After their death, their pictures will be everywhere, especially in social media, magazines, and newspapers. There's no way to avoid this and we'll share the grief with our friends and family as if it was a close friend we all lost.
Do you tend to grieve when the world loses a celebrity? Or do you think people overreact?
Preview photo credit Patch Adams / Blue Wolf
