Dead Celebrities

So, Amy Winehouse is dead.

Hold on, let me rephrase that, I don’t think it really came out how I meant that.

Amy Winehouse is dead. So?

That’s the only word that keeps running through my mind – so. Was this a surprise to anyone? I see the news outlets, and especially the music sector, treating this as a great tragedy. I hear odes to her talent and people spewing about how sad it is. Let’s face the truth.

Number one: she had one catchy tune, that in all honesty got overplayed, which everyone knew was a call for help. Or rather was a call that she needed help, but didn’t actually want it. Quickly, name another song she had. Buzzzzzz – too slow! So where was this great talent that she had? I mean, that hairdo may have possessed a great deal of flair, but then every woman in the sixties should have been as famous.

Number two: she, for all intents and purpose, committed suicide. She was an alcoholic and drug abuser who drank and injected/smoked herself to death. The only difference between her and the common junkie lying in the gutter was that someone claimed she had talent and gave her a record deal.

What is it with people embracing the so called talent of celebrities who off themselves? There has to come a time when we say enough. Enough of people with too much money who don’t know what to do with it except put it up their nose/in their veins/down their gullet.

Now don’t get me wrong, I understand the loss of a talent, and how it can be wasted, but maybe we should focus our attention on those who deserve it. While I am not going to waste space with a list of dead celebrities and who we should and should not mourn, I am going to point out that there are others who are headed down the same path. For all the Lindsey/Paris/Charlies out there, you can find a dozen more. Bring up any of their names and people will have more disparaging remarks about them than Bin Laden in his prime. But as soon as one dies, which we all know is on the horizon, the papers and news programs will be bemoaning the loss of a talented young actor/actress/pseudo-celebrity with so much going for them. When does the switch happen and why?

I don’t have an answer for all this, but I do know where my sympathies should go and who they should not be wasted on. So enough with all the misplaced condolences already. Save them for someone who deserves them.