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Child Item

First celebrity death you remember?

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With the sad passing of Aretha Franklin today, what was the first celebrity death you remember or that affected you?

I have early memories of my mother in tears when John Lennon died.

For me personally, the first that really hit me was Freddie Mercury.

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KilOit

John Candy, was about 10 and remember really loving his films a few years before his death

jmayo

Deleted User wrote: »

Tommy Cooper when I was around 4, he died on live tv

Just like that.

RobertKK wrote: »

Grace Kelly.

I remember the sadness when the news of the tragic car crash and her death dominated headlines when I was a child.

Ahh a good Mayo woman.

Wossack wrote: »

Pales in comparison to lots in here, but Colin McRae's helicopter crash in 2007 stuck with me for some reason. Tragically his 5 y/o son, son's 6 y/o friend, and father were also killed in the incident - just thought it so so cruel for their survivors. Sad thinking about it even now

It was all his fault as well.
And the other family had to engage in a court battle afterwards.

Speaking of Rallying, do you or anyone remember Bertie Fisher, his son and daughter being killed in a helicopter crash?

branie2

The children's writer Roald Dahl

Dakota Dan

Elvis, I can even remember exactly where I was when I heard the news.

xi5yvm0owc1s2b

Water John wrote: »

JFK, his death stunned the world but Ireland in particular. He had visited the country in July previous. Poster Mickeymouse wondered how his mother knew as she had no radio. Everyone knew as word spread everywhere.

Radio was fairly well established in Ireland by the the time JFK died in 1963 and the country's first TV channel, Telefís Éireann, had been launched in 1961. Even if someone didn't have a radio (or "wireless" as they were commonly known) many neighbours would have it, and the news of a major event like a presidential assassination would spread quickly.

Faith+1

John Candy. I was 9 and I remember my dad reading the paper and telling me. Can't believe that was nearly 25 years ago

denismc

Phil Lynott, I can remember it was Saturday night and I had just had my bath when it was announced on the news.

Yer Da sells Avon

jmayo wrote: »

Just like that.

Graces7

King George V1. It was in 1952 and we had a very special long assembly at school and the funeral on the radio. A solemn occasion for us little ones

Wibbs

For me it was DeValera. Hardly a "celebrity" but certainly the first famous person I was aware of dying. 75 IIRC? It was all over the papers, radio and telly at the time. The first entertainment type I recall dying was Elvis. A couple of years later John Lennon's murder stood out as it really hit me more than the previous ones.

Dakota Dan

mikeymouse wrote: »

J.F.K
came home from school, my mother was in bits.
don't know how she found out as we didn't have a wireless

If only she had known about his adulterer womanising ways his picture would have been ripped down from its place beside pope Paul.

Dakota Dan

Wibbs wrote: »

For me it was DeValera. Hardly a "celebrity" but certainly the first famous person I was aware of dying. 75 IIRC? It was all over the papers, radio and telly at the time. The first entertainment type I recall dying was Elvis. A couple of years later John Lennon's murder stood out as it really hit me more than the previous ones.

I remember DeValera also and the state funeral. Back in the days when every Tom, Dick and Harriet couldn't run for president, imagine that fool Sharkey getting a state funeral.

eviltimeban

Phil Lynnott is the first I can remember, purely because he is buried near where I live. I remember the day of the funeral, scores of long haired rockers walking along the road on the way to the graveyard. I didn't really know who he was at the time.

Water John

JFK was put up beside Pope John xxiii.
Yes I do remember his death too, earlier in 1963.

take everything

Freddie Mercury.
Kurt Cobain a bit later on.

BrookieD

Rock Hudson

take everything

Yer Da sells Avon wrote: »

Eamonn Andrews. I was in senior infants and the teacher solemnly announced that he had died the night before. She must have been a fan.

Lol.
Have an image of thirty puzzled, stony-faced infants in response to such news

MikeyTaylor

Diana, Princess of Wales.

pleas advice

KilOit wrote: »

John Candy, was about 10 and remember really loving his films a few years before his death

That came as a big shock to me too, used to love him in films, it was about 10 years after he passed that I heard he was dead...