The Oshkosh West Index - Macabre Conjunction of celebrity deaths mark somber summer for American culture

Volume 106, Issue 1

Online Features

Macabre Conjunction of celebrity deaths mark somber summer for American culture

By Morgan Redemann
posted September 29, 2009

Michael Jackson

From The Jackson 5 to a solo career, zombie to smooth criminal, and all forms of facial design, Michael Jackson made that change world-wide, crossing racial barriers and addressing humanity through music. With high hopes for a magnificent revival with his world tour 'This is It!,' scheduled to run from July 8, 2009 through February for a grand total of 50 concerts worldwide, Jackson's sudden death was the 'shocker' of the summer.

"My reaction was, 'wait, what? Are you serious?' But then all of my friends started texting me messages that said 'oh my goodness! Michael Jackson is dead!,' that's when I believed it," said junior Lissy Dewitt.

Jackson's death gave new perspective to the reality of the passage of time.

"You know when you're reaching middle age when the people that you grew up with in your childhood start dying, and to see Michael Jackson die way earlier than he should have made me pause and contemplate," said history teacher Paul Stellpflug.

Jackson's death impacted virtually everyone, especially those who grew up with him. Business education teacher Melodi McGuire admires his supernatural talent.

"I felt bad, I grew up with Michael Jackson, and he was successful beyond belief," she said. "I remember watching a documentary recently, and they said once in a lifetime, you get somebody as a whole package like that, the writing, the singing, the dancing ability. It was like God touched him and he was a golden child in that respect."

Music videos in the '80s got a face-lift with additions such as 'Black and White,' 'Smooth Criminal,' 'Beat It,' and the ever-popular 'Thriller' that inspired the internationally-renowned dance.

"He totally changed pop culture; he made MTV," said biology teacher Sara Dobish. "MTV wouldn't be anything without Michael Jackson; he changed the way music videos were made."

According to Hollywood media, Jackson's doctor has been accused of homicide administration of a combination of anesthetic and sedative drugs. However, these theories remain in question as rumors continue to spew out of magazine pages.

"I think with all the homicide theories, especially when the media tried to say that his doctor did it, they want to point the finger at everyone but the person (Jackson)," said senior Sarah Greenwald. "Who knows what the real story is?"

From rumors about homicide to suicide in addition to national mourning over the idol's death, there has been constant criticism regarding the surplus attention Jackson is receiving. However, AP US History teacher Andrew Britton believes the attention is appropriate.

"Part of the thing with Michael Jackson too, is the circumstances of his death, which makes it news," he said. "I don't think the media made too much of the Michael Jackson thing, I think he was an incredible, talented artist who revolutionized music in many ways. If you look at the full span of his life from The Jackson 5 to what he did in the '80s with the dance moves and everything, he really had a huge impact on music."

Britton also hints that like Elvis, Jackson may soon earn his place in AP U.S. History textbooks and notes for his revolutionary contribution to the music industry.

"His biggest impact was in the 1980's, so maybe in ten years I would include him in-depth," he said. "He is certainly worth mentioning in any history class, just like Elvis."

Farrah Fawcett

It was all about the volume and feathered tresses for the 1970's Charlie's Angels icon, making it the fairest hairstyle of them all. Falling victim to cancer, the blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty Farrah Fawcett passed away on the same day as Jackson.

"Of course I had the Farrah Fawcett 'do,' and I think that [her] poster was on more teenage boys' bedrooms during that time period than any other poster," recalled McGuire. "I think it outsold any other poster, that one with her and that hair-do and her little swimsuit."

Battling cancer since 2006, Fawcett decided to make a documentary of the journey with her diagnosis. However, the star appeared to be ignored by the media in lieu of the Jackson catastrophe. Fawcett's acting career on stage and in film included works such as Extremeties (1986), Logan's Run (1976), Saturn 3 (1980), The Cannonball Run (1981), The Apostle (1997), and Dr. T and the Women (2000). Unfortunately, many of these films were forgotten like she was on the day of the King of Pop's death.

"As I recall, Michael Jackson died right after Farrah Fawcett so there was a lot of people who thought it was too bad for her because of all the Michael Jackson media rampage," said social studies teacher Dan Cholewinski. "The end of her life got drowned out, especially when she was allowing the media to film the last days of her life with cancer."

Advertising Artists

As much as avid television watchers hate interruptions, the commercial and advertising industry lost two of the most unique as well as most obnoxious figures. Late-night tacos and trusty trinkets lost their intrigue with the deaths of advertising icons Billy Mays and Gidget, the Taco-Bell Chihuahua.

"I remember, years ago when that dog was on the commercials all the time, saying 'drop the chalupa,'" said Stellpflug. "One year, my class before lunch hour would pack up early and that was my key phrase to stop them from packing up and they would laugh. It was a running joke."

From Mighty Mendit to OxiClean, Mays has convinced millions using his infamous yelling strategy to sell everything from dent repair tools to general purpose cleaners since 1993. The infomercial idol was silenced on June 28, 2009 turning the cultured volume down a few notches. However, the roaring man's legacy lives on through his biography Billy Mays Here for OxiClean published in July 2009.

"I was always waiting for the OxiClean commercials," said Greenwald. "He was his own icon because as soon as we heard 'OxiClean' we immediately thought of that big ol' beard and that obnoxious yell, but it worked."

Edward Kennedy

Among accidents and assassinations, the Kennedy family has been struck by tragedy again. Eunice Kennedy Shriver, mother-in-law to California Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger and founder of the Special Olympics in 1962 passed away on August 11, 2009, about two weeks before the death of Edward Kennedy, her brother. The Democratic sister and brother left a legacy in politics.

"Edward Kennedy has been a leader of the liberal wing of the Democratic party for years and he has been a major spokesperson for liberalism. The thing with Edward Kennedy is he was never ashamed to be a liberal. So many liberals get attacked for being 'big government and big spending,' but with Edward Kennedy, even if you didn't agree with him, you knew where he stood," Cholewinski said.

For Cholewinski, the Kennedy family will always be connected to memories of his youth.

"Senator Kennedy was kind of a hero of mine, my father passed away back when I was in high school, and I remember reading books about John F. Kennedy and how he was assassinated. I played very close attention to the campaign of Robert and, of course, he was assassinated when I was a junior in high school," he said. "Eventually Ted Kennedy took up the torch for the family, and I was hoping that he would run for president and he did. I was a little surprised that he lost, but he was probably perceived as a little too liberal at the time."

Despite not becoming president, the youngest brother still enacted change.

"The other thing that is impressive with Edward Kennedy is that he was able to compromise with Republicans. He was someone who was actually able to compromise," Cholewinski said.

The 1969 Chappaquiddick scandal quickly brought Kennedy into the national spotlight, and hurt his status.

"I remember him giving a speech to the nation after that happened with a neck brace on, but nobody quite believed him; he kind of just lost it all," Cholewinksi said, "but some believe he may have been the greatest of the Kennedy brothers because of his impact on national laws, some 300 laws he passed."

Walter Cronkite

Ironically, the media also suffered a loss during the cursèd summer. CBS News anchorman Walter Cronkite passed away at the age of 92. Known for his unbiased delivery of news, Cronkite was admired by thousands of viewers, journalists, and politicians alike as he covered the most controversial of topics from World War II to the Vietnam War.

"Walter Cronkite was by far my favorite journalist and news anchor when I was growing up," said Britton. "I remember watching the CBS news after coming home from junior high and high school. He always ended with 'That's the way it is.'"

From 1939 to 1981 in the world of news, that's the way it was. According to CBS News, a poll in 1972 determined that Cronkite was 'the most trusted man of America,' exceeding Congress and even the president.

"Walter Cronkite epitomized news reporting on TV; he didn't give his own version," said Cholewinski. "There was one broadcast when he gave his opinion in terms of the Vietnam War and that was kind of startling but compared to today's media, it's kind of hard to find the center of the road. He was the reporter's reporter."

Patrick Swayze

Swiveling his hips and grooving to the beat, Patrick Swayze made his Hollywood breakthrough in 1987, wooing teenage girls across America with his famous final dance scene with co-star Jennifer Grey in Dirty Dancing.

"With cancer, there's not much you can do. It was kind of a death sentence. From what I've read from the Hollywood community, he was a really nice guy," said Greenwald. "A lot of people seemed to like him and he did some pretty big movies."

Although admired for his amazing dancing abilities, Swayze also starred in several non-dancing films, many that were unfortunately flops. After appearing in Dirty Dancing, his biggest films included Road House in 1989 and Ghost in 1990.

"I loved Ghost. I've never looked at pottery the same, that was probably my favorite movie of his, even though he didn't dance in that one," said McGuire.

Swayze appeared to be of a different mold from the typical Hollywood natives. With connections to the Hollywood community, McGuire explains the response to the tragic loss of the beloved performer and individual.

"My daughter was a dancer and loved Dirty Dancing and all of those dance movies," she said. "She works out in Hollywood and said Patrick Swayze was a huge loss. He knew he was dying, because with pancreatic cancer, you can't do much about it. But what a life."

Media Frenzy

The strange timing of celebrity deaths was too much for the public and media to resist. After Michael Jackson's death, Hollywood's middle-age generation began to collapse, several victims of cancer, drug abuse, or natural causes. However, conspiracy theories from Michael Jackson faking his own death to the government killing off celebrities to distract the media in order to pass the health care bill have been bombarding blogs for the past four months. According to Greenwald's conspiracy theory, rumor has it that two other musical stars could have been involved in Jackson's murder.

"If there was a conspiracy, I would say that it was either Janet Jackson or Paul McCartney," she said. "Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney were friends, and in the '90s they were supposed to do a commercial together. Suddenly Michael signed a contract without Paul knowing, and essentially bought all the rights to The Beatles songs. It's a pretty messy business; you can't trust anyone."

Dobish observes the American society's overly-emotional response to these deaths, possibly a response of aspiration to one day rub elbows with the Meryl Streeps and Carey Grants of Hollywood and call the hills their home.

"I think our society has an odd obsession of death with famous people because we feel emotional about it, even though we don't know these people," she said. "But because of our media and how we see everything on TV, it just makes the whole country feel closer to the celebrities and makes us want to be a part of their lives."

English teacher Brian Phelps adds that Hollywood appears to be a figment of society's imagination, exaggerated and materialistic. He also points to Jackson's funeral as the prime example of irony, fueling the public and media frenzy.

"The fact that they sold tickets to Michael Jackson's funeral that people were scrounging up on ticket master, that's says something about what happens," he said. "I feel like it's demeaning to the people beyond the celebrity who has passed away, who don't have any personal life anymore. Even their funeral is a media extravaganza."

Junior Steven Schauz agrees that modern day America doesn't seem to care about technological advances and cures to cancer; instead, they want to know about who's dating whom and who is currently in rehab, the bulk of Hollywood tabloids.

"Priorities are a little messed up; I mean, it doesn't seem important to know that Brad and Angelina adopted another son from South Africa," he said. "There are other things in the world that are more important; they're not the top stories. Things like Nobel Prizes, that should be important, are kind of cast out of the media mainstream."

Hollywood basks in a constant light from the infamous paparazzi, plastering magazines such as Enquirer and People with celebrities in their most brilliant moments of scandal and humiliation.

"They all claim they hate the paparazzi, but they keep doing things to get the media's attention," said Greenwald.

Phelps explains that celebrity obsession has rendered their passing into an inhuman observation. "We don't see them as real people anymore to the point that their deaths are media tools rather than sad losses," he said.

McGuire also sees the negative aspect of life of the rich and famous, from Graceland to Neverland, drowning in debt, alcohol, and drugs.

"The lesson to all of us, particularly students, is that seeking money will never be fulfilling, because these stars like Michael Jackson had everything," she said. "Now, he will make more in death than he ever made living. That's what happened to Elvis."

With a nation shedding tears over the King of Pop's golden casket, the value and purpose of celebrity life is brought into question.

"It does make you think about your own mortality," said Cholewinski. "It's a message to cherish the people you are with because you never know, whether you are young or old. The biggest question now is what the purpose of our lives is. I hope that's what people are thinking about."

They may top the charts with hit music singles, have millions of dollars, three mansions, and own a personal island, but celebrities cannot top eventual death.

"Sometimes our society is a little too obsessed with fame," said Schauz. "They're humans, just like the rest of us."

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