Dead Celebrities Society

Sometimes I only get the chance to blog once a week. And since I can't always get up the motivation to think of a topic, it's nice to have other friends to blog with so we can take turns. I enjoy being challenged to write about stuff that might not normally come to mind and also reading everyone else's thoughts on the same topic. Blog Project 3.0 has been going on for about a year now, even though one of the group members changed after a few months. I love blogging with this group and I hope we can continue to inspire each other.

This week Moma Rock chose the topic: Robin William's death has shocked the world. It made me wonder: What celebrity deaths have you found most shocking, and why?

First, read what everyone else had to share on this topic:
Darwin Shrugged
Froggie
Moma Rock

First of all, I want to share my thoughts about Robin Williams. They're not on his death or how it happened, as I have no idea what he was thinking or feeling. I've seen him in many different movies and he's always been a source of incredible talent. I loved him best as Genie, Mrs. Doubtfire, Patch Adams, and John Keating (Dead Poet's Society). He was also really funny as the doctor in Nine Months. And I forgot that he had a small role in To Wong Foo... I even saw some roles he was in movies that weren't as well-known, such as The Final Cut and House of D. The most recent movie I saw him in was The Angriest Man in Brooklyn. Maybe that's why I wasn't so shocked about his death. His character in the movie is told that he's dying within a short period of time. I probably associated it with real life or something.
Side note: Just from looking him up on IMDB, I found out that his birthday is right after mine.

There are other celebrities that have died too soon or their deaths just came out of left field:

Actors:

Cory Monteith: Since he was in rehab and seemed to be doing better, I didn't see this coming at all.

John Ritter: I remember it was after the first anniversary of 9/11 and I was driving to work when I heard the sad news on the radio. John was so funny on Three's Company and seemed like a cool guy in general (he wasn't always after attention from the media).

Brittany Murphy: I loved her in Clueless and she was great in some other movies, as well. She definitely went down in her prime.

Chris Farley: I was working at a resident facility for adults with developmental disabilities when I saw on a TV that Chris Farley had died. I was totally shocked. One of my friends who worked there with me was also a fan of his and I ran over and told him right away. He was really upset.

Phil Hartman: He was a great comedic talent and it was truly disturbing what happened to him. I'll always remember him as Frank Sinatra.

Singers:

Whitney Houston: I used to be obsessed with her music. I'd listen to her cassette every day (the one with "How Will I Know") and memorize all the songs. I even saw her in concert when I was 10. She was great in The Bodyguard, as well. I didn't give her much thought after that, but was still shocked to hear about her death.

Michael Jackson: I wrote a tribute to him a while ago. In any case, I remember going to a county fair and then having dinner afterward. My mom called as we were sitting down at the restaurant and she told me the news. I can't believe it's been five years. I definitely did not see his death coming.

Michael Johns: He was one of my favorite American Idol contestants in 2008 and I was sad to see him get sent home so soon. I didn't give him much thought after that, however, so this news blindsided me.

Kurt Cobain: I listened to Nirvana all the time in high school and still listen to the Nevermind album nowadays. Kurt had a soulful voice and I definitely was affected when I found out that he killed himself.

Writers:

Nora Ephron: I didn't know she was in her early 70s and sick when she died. All I know now for sure is that she's a great writer and director. Her talent lives on thanks in part to The Mindy Project and Linda Yellin's novel, What Nora Knew.

Billie Letts: I was totally sad to read about her death in a recent issue of Entertainment Weekly. Even though she was in her mid-70s, I always imagined her as much younger. I knew she had stopped writing novels and I kept hoping for more. She's responsible for my favorite movie of all time, as she wrote Where the Heart is as a novel first. The novels she has written since then have all been fabulous, as well.

*****

On a lighter note, I'm impressed that Betty White is the last "Golden Girl" standing. Even in her 90s, she's as feisty as ever. I keep hoping she's immortal because I know the world will be grieving big time when it's her turn to join Blanche, Dorothy, and Sophia, even if it's by natural causes. However, I can totally see her living into her 100s.

Which celebrity deaths shocked YOU the most?