When a Celebrity Dies, We Think of Our Death and the Afterlife
Have you wondered what comes next after we die?
Yesterday it was Oscar-winning actor William Hurt. I remember him from movies like Children of the Lesser God, Kiss of the Spider Woman, and Broadcast News. As you get older, you will be surprised by the memory that comes back to you almost spontaneously as soon as you hear of the death of a celebrity.
As soon as I checked what people were saying on Twitter about William Hurt, I noticed that the comments were starting to get ugly.
Does death exonerate you from your past?
William Hurt died at 71. The family said — ‘Hurt died peacefully, among family, of natural causes.’
The truth is we don’t know much about the private lives of celebrities, even the ones who are very public like Kim Kardashian.
The internet acknowledged William Hurt’s impressive portfolio of work, but others also brought up his former connection with actress Marlee Matlin. Matlin’s outstanding performance in “Children of a Lesser God” earned her the distinction of becoming the first deaf actress to win an Oscar. Hurt delivered the prise, but by the time they were in the car together, he had supposedly inquired if she believed she deserved it at all.
According to the Daily Beast, Matlin detailed her experience of abuse with Hurt in her novel, “I’ll Scream Later.” She remembered Hurt coming home intoxicated at 4:30 a.m. and scaring her with his aggressive behaviour.
Still, Marlee Matlin, in an interview, had this to say about him.
“We’ve lost a really great actor and working with him on set in ‘Children of a Lesser God’ will always be something I remember very fondly,” she said. “He taught me a great deal as an actor and he was one-of-a-kind.”
When celebrities die, should we bring back their past or bury their past with them ?
I don’t know William Hurt and will not question his relationship with Marlee. But I can empathize with Marlee and think of Hurt as a great actor at the same time. I can honor the great memories of him in the movies I enjoyed watching when I was younger, and that is how far I would go in remembering him.
Scott Hall
I remembered his face, but not the name. When news about his death was confirmed after being on life support, I read all the tributes his friends and fans were giving him on Twitter.
All I remember is that I would occasionally watch wrestling shows on TV, but if you ask me to name a wrestler, it would be either Hulk Hogan and The Rock.
Scott Hall wasn’t a wrestler. He was a reminder it’s not too late to fix ourselves — Christian D’Andrea
When I read this article from Christian D’Andrea, what he said about Scott Hall struck a chord inside my heart. It is a message for all of us.
It is never too late.
In a video, Scott Hall had this to say about himself.
hardwork pays off dreams come true bad times don’t last but bad guys do
He was the bad guy who did bad things. But, like many of us, he made peace with himself.
Life is full of second chances, and maybe in the end, when we take our last breath, what we will see are flashes of good memories.
Death
I often think of death, as not a day passes by that I don’t think of my mom.
Now that we are moving away from the pandemic , I think of the many people I know who passed away and the celebrities I only know by name who are no longer here.
Yes, death will come to all of us, but a song by Phil Collins tells me that, like love,‘ You can’t hurry death, you just have to wait.’
And then, at last, we shall rest.
So will be for us, for those who did good, and for those who did wrong. The poorer and the richer, the unknown and the celebrity.
