VIP RIP
It’s been a grim year for everybody but the Grim Reaper. As we bid farewell to 2016, we ask why it’s been such a bumper year for celebrity deaths…
“Why are so many celebrities dying in 2016?” asked the Daily Mirror, whilst people on Twitter expressed that their tolerance was subsiding, “Enough, 2016!”
Other users of the site posted pictures under the tag line “Me at the beginning of 2016 versus me at the end of 2016” – the first an upbeat image of a character such as Kermit the Frog and the second showing the same figure beaten down by life; a bedraggled mess.
So why has 2016 been such a good year for the Grim Reaper when it comes to celebrities?
Experts have come up with a few reasons. Thanks to the proliferation of media over the past few decades, there are more stars around these days, for one. In the early part of the 20th Century, before television, the only celebrities were film stars. Social media also plays a role. As well as creating new stars, it also means that we hear about celebrity deaths far faster than in the past in addition to providing everyone with a platform to publicly share their grief. Then, there’s the fact that many of those who died in 2016 were baby boomers – people aged between 52 and 70. With so many born into that generation, it makes sense that lots of them went on to become famous.
One numerological theory is that 2016’s bad luck is due to its digits adding up to nine, the number commonly associated with completion and endings.
What is incontrovertible, however, is that 2016 was the year that reminded us that death is inevitable, regardless of how rich and famous they are. It also reminded us of the importance of writing a will. Whilst Alan Rickman left £100,000 to charity, David Bowie similarly planned sensibly, setting out 20 pages of instructions on how his estate should be divided. This included his wish to have his ashes scattered on Bali after a Buddhist ceremony. On the other hand, Prince died intestate, with drama ensuing over his £300m estate as various people claimed to be his blood relatives.
Although more famous faces will stay the course this year, January 2017 is still a good month to reflect on our own mortality and get our estates in order – even if they aren’t of A-list proportions.
Here at Heritage Will Writing we have been helping people write wills since 2005 and we offer all our clients a red carpet service so give us a call now on 02380 879243 or visit our website on heritagewillwriting.co.uk to discuss your needs.