I Don't Get it

[Colleen27]

We mourn people who affect us. That's just kind of how it works. He affected millions with his music. I absolutely understand why people are upset. And people DO honor the fallen in the military/police who have died in the line of duty/etc. But people have the right to be sad over what makes them sad.

By the way, Prince did way more than just "sing a song".

Exactly. I keep reading these comparisons to first responders, but their "audience", the number of people whose lives were touched by any one first responder, is just do much smaller. I've seen a number of very moving local tributes to individual police, fire, or military deaths, but none of them were known nationwide so of course they were mourned on a smaller scale.

Besides that, the very nature of art is emotional. Music forges an emotional connection with listeners, even if they've never met the performer or seen him live, and grieving an artist's death is a reflection of that connection, not a statement on the artist's worth as an individual. Prince's death made me sad - I don't feel old enough for so many of the musicians that provided the soundtrack of my youth to be gone. Bowie's hit me much harder. Not because he was a better person or better artist, but because I have a stronger connection to his music than to Prince's.

 

[Missy1961]

I really don't get the mourning for Prince he was a singer, he killed himself by taking pills and yet people are so upset over his death. I don't get the IDOL worship for singers and actors. I would rather honor the Military and all first responders who are killed because of the Job they do not because they Sang a song. I guess I am just disgusted by the hero worship for these people who get a 4 or 5 page thread and a post on a Cop who was murdered in the line of Duty gets maybe a page or 2 response. It really makes me question some people's values and morals.

We all grieve differently, and it has nothing to do with our values and morals. No-one has the right to tell others who they should and should not grieve. And the length of a thread does not imply anything. I've seen nonsense threads go on for weeks and weeks, and a serious discussion dies in an afternoon. It means nothing.

And people can (and do) mourn for more than one person at a time. Just because they didn't post about it doesn't mean they don't.

 

[asta]

The media coverage has been extensive. I think it might have something to do with a death being totally unexpected and the age of his fans coming from a more media driven time. We have recently lost Glen Frey and Merle Haggard to much less media fanfare. Their music means much more to me but their deaths were not unexpected.

 

[superme80]

The media coverage has been extensive. I think it might have something to do with a death being totally unexpected and the age of his fans coming from a more media driven time. We have recently lost Glen Frey and Merle Haggard to much less media fanfare. Their music means much more to me but their deaths were not unexpected.

While it was less media fanfare, my facebook was blown up with news of their deaths. A lot of my friends and family grew up on their music. For me Alan Rickman's death affected me more than I thought it would. For a lot of us younger generation, seeing the loss of childhood icons is hard to take. yes death is a part of life, but knowing they will never share their talent with the world is a hard pill to swallow.

 

[lynxstch]

Since the autopsy was done yesterday, and results won't be available for at least a few weeks, where is this coming from that he died from a drug overdose?

 

[spacemountainmom]

Exactly. I keep reading these comparisons to first responders, but their "audience", the number of people whose lives were touched by any one first responder, is just do much smaller. I've seen a number of very moving local tributes to individual police, fire, or military deaths, but none of them were known nationwide so of course they were mourned on a smaller scale.

Besides that, the very nature of art is emotional. Music forges an emotional connection with listeners, even if they've never met the performer or seen him live, and grieving an artist's death is a reflection of that connection, not a statement on the artist's worth as an individual. Prince's death made me sad - I don't feel old enough for so many of the musicians that provided the soundtrack of my youth to be gone. Bowie's hit me much harder. Not because he was a better person or better artist, but because I have a stronger connection to his music than to Prince's.

Thank you Colleen for saying this so eloquently. I must admit that my world was rocked by the death of Prince. I was also Minneapolis born and raised in the Twin Cities. Prince hit it big when I was a young teen. My older cousin hung out at First Avenue at the time and introduced me to the whole Minneapolis sound. She actually was there during the filming of Purple Rain. Prince wrote and performed awesome funky music that you could dance to. Prince pretty much ruled the soundtrack of my youth. I have many memories that are intricately woven into his songs. Let's not forget how mesmerizing the man was. He oozed raw sexuality, but at the same time you wanted to wrap him in your arms and mother him. Those eyes were about as amazing as they come.

Prince was so cool that even my mom liked him and when my kids came along, they enjoyed his music as well. My daughter was devastated that he passed on her birthday. I am a mere 10 years younger than he was so his death makes me stare my own mortality in the face.

I am sad. I do feel like I lost something important in my life. I haven't gone out to Paisley Park or First Avenue to be with the throngs of mourners; that isn't my style. I do understand that others need to feel like they are part of it. I don't judge them and hope no one is judging me.

 

[fly girl]

 

[kimblebee]

Since the autopsy was done yesterday, and results won't be available for at least a few weeks, where is this coming from that he died from a drug overdose?

It's what TMZ is reporting so I assume it's what the OP is using as their 'credible' source.

 

[kuhltiffany]

Prince wasn't just about being a musician. He encouraged and supported those that think/act/look outside of societies boxes. He challenged typical gender expectations and helped people see that it was ok to be different…

 

[sk!mom]

I really don't get the mourning for Prince he was a singer, he killed himself by taking pills and yet people are so upset over his death. I don't get the IDOL worship for singers and actors. I would rather honor the Military and all first responders who are killed because of the Job they do not because they Sang a song. I guess I am just disgusted by the hero worship for these people who get a 4 or 5 page thread and a post on a Cop who was murdered in the line of Duty gets maybe a page or 2 response. It really makes me question some people's values and morals.

I don't get why anyone would question another's grief. Music plays a big part in making us who we are and artists are a part of that. I don't get why so many bring up your argument. Just because we grieve one thing doesn't mean that we do not grieve another. Military loses, first responders, cops are valued but completely unrelated to the loss that you are relating them to.

How dare anyone judge how or for whom others grieve.

Amen! Grief is personal.

 

[Goofy_Disney_Dad]

 

[lynxstch]

It's what TMZ is reporting so I assume it's what the OP is using as their 'credible' source.

thanks, TMZ wouldn't be my first 'credible source' to go to for news, but to each their own

 

[HM]

Is was assuming his death was complications from the flu. That happens.

 

[Skywalker]

Well, I don't get that you don't get it lol. Even if somone didn't know Prince personally, they knew of him, knew his music, maybe understood and empathazised with his music let's say, or even just enjoyed it. You get a sense of comfort and familiarity to an extent that the loss of that person does affect you emotionally, leaves a void whatever. That aspect of familiarity is at play in a lot of personal feelings. It's like why you are probably more emotionally affected by things that happen close to you, then things that happen a world away. Or why the death of my dog affected me on an emotional level far more than the death of hundreds of people in another country (just being honest here). It's not like I think his life had more value than any of those people. It's just that, I am going to MISS him. Many thousands or millions of people will "miss" the presence of Prince in the world, many thousands or milllions will miss other icons or celebrities for their own reasons. I can't believe you are finding fault with mourning a person's loss. If you think people's death should be judged based on their job occupation, maybe it is your morals that are at question.

 

[gwynne]

I don't understand why some folks need to make negative comments about deceased people they obviously have zero respect for.

 

[MagicaDeSpell]

I'm not a Prince fan, my favorite song of his was one he wrote and Sinead O'Connor performed, but he seemed like a decent human being and the fact that the people who knew and worked with him clearly loved him speaks to me about his character.

TMZ has NOT said that he died of an overdose, they claimed that the unscheduled plane landing a week or so ago was due to an overdose on Percocet. It has been no secret that he's been wasting away and on pain meds, which could be due to the bad hip he couldn't replace (he's a Jehovah's Witness and it could have required a transfusion), complications of his lifelong seizure condition, or any number of other conditions like cancer. I've seen people who were in enough chronic pain that they lived at risk of an overdose, it's not something I would judge them for.

 

[BrinkofSunshine]

The media coverage has been extensive. I think it might have something to do with a death being totally unexpected and the age of his fans coming from a more media driven time. We have recently lost Glen Frey and Merle Haggard to much less media fanfare. Their music means much more to me but their deaths were not unexpected.

I think it's just that Prince is more famous and had a larger impact on pop culture.

 

[usd2bmd]

I really don't get the mourning for Prince he was a singer, he killed himself by taking pills and yet people are so upset over his death. I don't get the IDOL worship for singers and actors. I would rather honor the Military and all first responders who are killed because of the Job they do not because they Sang a song. I guess I am just disgusted by the hero worship for these people who get a 4 or 5 page thread and a post on a Cop who was murdered in the line of Duty gets maybe a page or 2 response. It really makes me question some people's values and morals.

I'm sorry that you question others values and morals. First it was ruled not a suicide and I believe that the toxicology reports won't be back for weeks. He was an incredibly gifted musician and his music was a very large part of my high school years. It got me through some very tough times. But you don't know me and your thoughts on my morals and values don't really matter much to me.

Everyone is affected differently by by things that happen and I was personally affected by his life so (IMO) it's only natural that i would be affected by his death.

 

[Planogirl]

I don't get why people question why others care about someone or something.

 

[cabanafrau]

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that more people are bound to notice and acknowledge the death of high profile people, simply because they are known to many more people. It's not a value judgment. I shudder to think of the type of person who thinks they're morally correct enough to think it is.

I wonder, if he had died due to cancer or heart disease after many years of heavy smoking, would it be acceptable to mourn him? Where does that fall in the morals clause?