Celebrity Death

As I mourn the passing of my dad, I get interviewed on celebrity death. The end of life in both cases is an unknown terrain in my academic world. It is an accidental area that marks an extension of my research on celebrity activism. My interview in VICE magazine, quotation in Preen magazine, and conversations with journalists has developed an understanding of what it means to die in fame. Those who are interested in psychology and celebrity culture can be part of my latest conversation with journalist, writer and content editor of Yahoo, Raechal Shewfelt (below).

Raechal Shewfelt: Why does a celebrity death affect us, even if we only know them through their art? Is it healthy for us to be emotional about it?

Samita Nandy: Yes and no. On one hand, fans reflect and reinforce the emotional need to grieve and mourn the loss of any person. In highly industrialized societies, attempts to restore human emotions during periods of loss are healing. On the other hand, as I mentioned in my VICE magazine interview, mourning fans are able to shift actual financial, legal or emotional responsibilities involved in the bereavement journey of losing loved ones. The celebrity, then, becomes another cultural artifact to consume for gratification. While pleasure can be a life force to cope with perceived loss, shifts from ethical responses and responsibilities can be detrimental to emotional and communal growth.

Raechal Shewfelt: What is the psychological reason we reach for an artist’s work when he or she dies?

Samita Nandy: A celebrity constructs his / her persona as a brand – a commodifed version of self – to sell creative / art work. As Centre for Media and Celebrity Studies (CMCS) board member Dr Hilary Wheaton and I would say, the exchange-value of a celebrity’s artwork is based on natural traits attributed to a celebrity persona. The immortality of fame can be qualitatively measured by the intangible value of a commodified self as expressed by the artwork that remains after a celebrity’s death. The psychological reason for reaching out for an artist’s work is a form of grief management – fans reflect upon mortality, attempt to negotiate tensions, and mitigate effects of loss involved in mortal lives. In reaching out for famous artwork, fans attempt to restore the value of mortal self lost in the course of death. For fans, this material and emotional effort can be partially healing and reverses thought patterns toward their own mortality.

Raechal Shewfelt: Have fans always mourned celebrity deaths by looking back at their work? How is it different today than in the past? (I would think that we have more access than ever before to their older works, thanks to the internet.)

Samita Nandy: Yes, most fans have mourned celebrity deaths by looking back at their past work as expressions of immortality. The difference today is usage of digital tools to remix and / or reproduce artwork and, in the process, develop virtual intimacy with the celebrity. In general, the drive to take a photo or interact with a celebrity has always held cultural capital. The value of the celebrity, or any famous asset for that matter, is perceived to be transferred to those who brush against them. They share equally valuable spaces, even if they are culturally imagined. The increased para-social interaction that fans can have with celebrities, even after their death, not only gives hope for immortality but also a rise in their own perceived cultural capital.

What are your views?

Have a memorable end to March & join my conversations with readers – more coming up this Spring.

Samita