Let Peaches rest in peace

We’ve all seen it before: when someone famous dies, it’s all over the tabloid press and social media, everyone saying how “tragic” it is. What’s “tragic” is that the media have no regard for the grieving process of the family and friends.

There is much more concern with making headlines than anyone’s feelings. During Easter, I watched a programme called “50 Most Shocking Moments in Pop”. Number one, of course, was the murder of John Lennon. Lennon’s manager said that on the day Lennon was killed, he got a phone call at 3am from the American press, asking for a quote concerning how he felt about the shooting… Lennon’s manager wasn’t even aware yet that he was dead. It’s worrying that the press know about celebrity deaths before their loved ones do.

The recent passing of Peaches Geldof has certainly got more than it’s fair share of media attention. One of the most shocking is the Daily Star’s “concern… that burglars might take the opportunity of breaking into the house if they know it’s unoccupied.” Well, thanks for your concern, Daily Star, but don’t you think the fact that you’ve published the location of Geldof’s house as well as a photograph of said property is somehow more of a concern? Other tabloid articles about Geldof’s death have speculated about her use of “attachment parenting”, whether she was trying to create the family atmosphere she “never had”, and how she was idolised by pro-anorexia communities. None of these are relevant to her passing, yet the tabloids are making these tenuous connections so that they can publish yet another front-page piece.

The recent passing of Peaches Geldof has certainly got more than it’s fair share of media attention.

In the case of many celebrity deaths, there are headlines suggesting the cause of death may have been a drug overdose, even before the coroner’s report is published. The death of Amy Winehouse in 2011 is a perfect example. There were numerous derogatory articles and tweets suggesting she died from a drugs overdose. She didn’t. She died from alcohol poisoning – alcohol being a legal, freely available substance. Sadly, quite often celebrities do die as a result of taking illegal drugs. We live in a world where the paparazzi harass them daily, writing abysmal, unsourced articles about whether they’ve put on weight, whether they’re good parents, who they’re sleeping with…

In a world where a person cannot go anywhere without being accused and scrutinised, is it any wonder that so many celebrities turn to drugs and alcohol to escape?

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Header Photo: flickr/mike_lambert

Body Photo: flickr/beaconradio