Dolly Parton and other celebrity deaths

 

The passing of Dolly Parton on Tuesday was one of those celebrity deaths that hit particularly hard.

I grew up listening to her music and watching her on TV and in the movies. She had that mix of sass and class and a radiant charm that few people possess. She was so intertwined in pop culture that her loss feels like losing a family member. Rarely did a day go by that I didn’t hear a song or see her on TV or in a social media feed.

I think the thing that hurts the most, however, is I never got to see her in person. For decades she was on the top of my list of performers I wanted to see in concert and, if possible, meet in person. It never happened.

Her passing reminded me of all the celebrity deaths that affected me the most. Tops on that list are astronaut Neil Armstrong, country singer Loretta Lynn, actors Clayton Moore and Robin Williams, actress Carrie Fisher, Elvis, and President Ronald Reagan. Like Dolly, they were all celebrities that I admired and wanted to see or meet in person but never did.

There are numerous other celebrity passings that have also hit hard, including Peter Mayhew, Leonard Nimoy, Gil Gerard, Richard Hatch, Robert Urich, John Denver, and Mickey Gilley, to name a few. I can at least take comfort in knowing I have either seen them or met them in person.

We all feel the loss when a celebrity passes away. These are people who have come into our homes through radios or television sets or people we have paid to see in concert or on a movie screen. We have a personal attachment to them, even if we never personally knew them.

The same day Dolly Parton died, we lost actor Tim Curry, but the family withheld the news for a day, presumably out of respect for Dolly. Locally, we recently lost Chuck Norris. It seems celebrities have been dying at a rapid pace this year, but that’s not unexpected. We have more people than ever before who fit the definition of “celebrity.” The more we have, the more we’re going to lose.

Think about it. With the massive increase in mediums, the more celebrities we’re going to have. When I was a kid, celebrities were actors (film and stage), musicians, athletes, authors, and politicians. We only had enough TV stars to fill three or four networks. Musicians vied for airtime on radio, limiting their exposure. There were far fewer sports teams, thus fewer pro athletes.

Now we have more networks and streaming services than you can shake a stick at. There are many more sports teams (and leagues). We have so-called “influencers” on social media. Having more media outlets gives more people the exposure needed to become household names.

A lot of the stars who became famous in the 1950s, ’60s, and ’70s are getting up there in years. Sometimes when a celebrity dies, they have been retired so long we’ve forgotten they were still alive. Take actor Abe Vigoda, who was rumored to have died so many times that when he finally did pass away 10 years ago people were surprised because they thought he was already dead.

Then there are those who die young and unexpectedly, like Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, Robin Williams, Whitney Houston, Heath Ledger, and most recently Hayden Panettiere. Of course, there are those celebrities that we think will never die. As the meme says, we need to start thinking about what kind of world we’re going to leave Willie Nelson and Keith Richards.

The thing is, even when a celebrity dies, they continue to live on in their work. We listen to their music, watch their performances, and appreciate their continued contributions to our culture. Even though I never got to see Dolly Parton in person, she remains present through her songs, films, books, and philanthropy.

And yes, Dolly, even though I never knew you, I will always love you!