Peaches Geldof is dead, age 25

[Welsh lad]

Reading some pretty sick internet jokes on the social media and people questioning those who feel sad for Peaches and her family. Peaches may be a celebrity and we don't personally know her but that does not mean we can't show our sympathy and sadness for her family.
It is tragic for anyone to die so young and leave behind their children. Bob has been through enough losing his wife and now daughter at such a young age. He may have split opinion as a person but no one can doubt the money he raised for hundreds of thousands of people suffering in poverty in Africa.

 

[Orang Utan]

no one can doubt the money he raised for hundreds of thousands of people suffering in poverty in Africa.

Oh yes they can

 

[Cheesypoof]

Have you felt the same in the past when you've read about, say, a 16 year old kid dying from a dodgy pill at a rave? Has that prevented you from sleeping too? Or do you think it's the personal reasons you've alluded to?.

I felt strange when Leah Betts died, years ago and the pictures of her in hospital that her parents publicly released disturbed me at the time. ...I think about the death and the way that person died, what caused the death and what they were feeling during the moment of death. It is the process, of being here, and then not here; the brutality and finality of it all. What has upset me most about this death is this: one day you are a 25 year old woman bathing your kids, two weeks later you are under the ground. Like that.

I was also thinking about how she was probably there 24/7 for those kids and now those nippers are crying for her and she is gone. There is a way for those kids to be momentarily distracted, but there is no mother ever again. A child's imperviousness to it all, because of their infancy is all the more tragic. She was probably nursing the younger one, and that child will instinctively wonder where is Mummy? And their two birthdays apparently coming up in April, a cake with a big number 1 on it, a baby blowing out candles, lots of cheering and a vacant space at the table. I dont think she died from a drugs related thing - my guess is a heart attack from bullimia/ dieting. Do these stories of a young person with two children suddenly dying, or bullimia strike a chord with me in my personal life? yes. Would i STILL feel shaken if that weren't a coincidence: absolutely, yes.

 

[Pickman's model]

Oh yes they can

that's your best post this year

 

[Pickman's model]

if i had a pound to donate for every time someone died leaving children behind i'd have given as much away as robert geldof allegedly raised in the 1980s

 

[Doctor Carrot]

I felt strange when Leah Betts died, years ago and the pictures of her in hospital that her parents publicly released disturbed me at the time. ...I think about the death and the way that person died, what caused the death and what they were feeling during the moment of death. It is the process, of being here, and then not here; the brutality and finality of it all. What has upset me most about this death is this: one day you are a 25 year old woman bathing your kids, two weeks later you are under the ground. Like that.

I was also thinking about how she was probably there 24/7 for those kids and now those nippers are crying for her and she is gone. There is a way for those kids to be momentarily distracted, but there is no mother ever again. A child's imperviousness to it all, because of their infancy is all the more tragic. She was probably nursing the younger one, and that child will instinctively wonder where is Mummy? And their two birthdays apparently coming up in April, a cake with a big number 1 on it, a baby blowing out candles, lots of cheering and a vacant space at the table. I was also thinking about her husband in that house, fending for the kids by himself. Being alone in a house after my partner went ahead of their time would really scare me. I dont think she died from a drugs related thing - my guess is a heart attack from bullimia/ dieting. Do these stories of a young person with two children suddenly dying, or bullimia strike a chord with me in my personal life? yes. Would i STILL feel shaken if that werent a coincidence: absolutely, yes.

So is it fair to say that a highly publicised death invokes these feelings? That's quite an in depth thought process you have about it and all undoubtedly true.

I think what I'm getting at is as a culture we brush death under the carpet, we put it away and make it such a grim business. It is of course grim but I think our culture just puts it off and doesn't have any where near enough of an open discussion about it as we do other things. I think it's a shame that it takes such high profile deaths to make us really think about it and that it affects you, and I'm sure others, in the way it has. That's why I think that Louis Theroux documentary last week was so important because it showed the whole process of dying for the person actually dying as well as the people that death affects. That did make me cry but in a good way as well as a sad way. It's a fate that awaits all of us I just think we can do better at confronting it and dealing with it than we do at the moment.

 

[Cheesypoof]

So is it fair to say that a highly publicised death invokes these feelings? That's quite an in depth thought process you have about it and all undoubtedly true.

I think what I'm getting at is as a culture we brush death under the carpet, we put it away and make it such a grim business. It is of course grim but I think our culture just puts it off and doesn't have any where near enough of an open discussion about it as we do other things. I think it's a shame that it takes such high profile deaths to make us really think about it and that it affects you, and I'm sure others, in the way it has. That's why I think that Louis Theroux documentary last week was so important because it showed the whole process of dying for the person actually dying as well as the people that death affects. That did make me cry but in a good way as well as a sad way. It's a fate that awaits all of us I just think we can do better at confronting it and dealing with it than we do at the moment.

I think often of death since an Aunt died in 2010 and that was my first brush with death. I reflected on what happens, especially to the body during putrefaction. This was a confrontation, rather than something negative, as you learn more about what actually happens but nothing will prepare you for the real thing.

Before Christmas i read a book called 'Your loved ones live on within you' for people who were grieving their loved ones. I hadn't lost anyone at the time, but have since. I think often of death - its close to life, and thinking about it is not morbid. Reflecting on death makes you stronger, and more aware of life's preciousness. We should all appreciate that life is SHORT and try to be at peace with ourselves and those around us.

 

[Awesome Wells]

She was so young and seemed a chipper sort. I guess you never really know. So in that sense it is sad.

 

[weltweit]

None of my business, as I have said already, but I would like to know what happened.

 

[yardbird]

When the woman (girl to me) I love died she was 62 and beautiful.
I think of her every day, the thought of her going when she was Peaches age I can't bear to think about.

 

[weltweit]

When the woman (girl to me) I love died she was 62 and beautiful.
I think of her every day, the thought of her going when she was Peaches age I can't bare to think about.

I agree, it is a very tragic event for many people ..

 

[Batboy]

My missus had a very vague connection to her and has received a couple of texts from people 'thinking of you'. It appears that people want to be connected to celebrity and grief and celeb grief even more.

Some people get off on grief per se it doesn't have to be a celebrity, I have a guy who works for us who seems to go to a funeral every week. His son is an undertaker and he keeps a load of his sons business cards on him. It's quite bizarre. On one occasion he gave a card to my business partner in connection with his Gran, she was at the time still alive, but very ill....

On another occasion One of our employees died and we all went to the funeral and I'm sure I saw the undertakers dad in the front seat eating popcorn.

Grief can be addictive.

 

[UrbaneFox]

My friend was really pissed off when a near stranger turned up at her mother's funeral and sobbed noisily throughout.

 

[Pickman's model]

My friend was really pissed off when a near stranger turned up at her mother's funeral and sobbed noisily throughout.

a near stranger to her or a near stranger to her mother?

 

[Idris2002]

a near stranger to her or a near stranger to her mother?

Why not both?

 

[Pickman's model]

Why not both?

why not indeed? but i wondered if it was not both.

 

[yardbird]

I went to John Peel's funeral despite the fact that he was only an acquaintance, not a friend.
I'm glad I did.

 

[ViolentPanda]

Have you felt the same in the past when you've read about, say, a 16 year old kid dying from a dodgy pill at a rave? Has that prevented you from sleeping too? Or do you think it's the personal reasons you've alluded to? Not criticising you just wondering why this particular death has affected you this much?

I had a mate who died during one of the "bad smack" epidemics here in the south in the '80s (too pure compared to what he was used to jacking), and I still get the same feelings of horror when I hear about similar happening, even now. That's not horror at his death, because he was very obviously on the road to Hell, but horror at leaving his girlfriend and kid behind, alone in the world. I think that's why I still feel disturbed by similar reportage 30-odd years later - that more kids and partners are being bereaved, and going through who-knows-what.

I guess I just find it interesting how we read about unspeakable horrors in the news on a daily basis, the bomb in Pakistan today for example, and just carry on eating while we're reading it or whatever but the death of a public figure in what are probably far less horrific circumstances affects some people so much. I myself even said 'oh shit Peaches Geldoff died!' and 'that's sad' when I read it but I had no reaction whatsoever to reading about the bomb in Pakistan today.

IMO most people can't really relate to a bomb anywhere, let alone halfway around the world. For most people, the most they experience about bombs is what they see on TV, mediated by journos and/or film-makers - they don't experience the reality of it.
With people dying for what appears to be no reason, I think we're all a bit closer to it - we all know someone who died before their time, for whatever reason, leaving their family behind. We ralate to it "better" because it's more real - more immediate - to us.

 

[UrbaneFox]

a near stranger to her or a near stranger to her mother?

They cross examined her after the funeral, and it was both. I wondered if she had had a clandestine lesbian affair with Anna's mum for years, and felt unable to openly express her love and grief.

Anna failed to ask if that was the case, and I suspect she she was more like Batboy's employee.

 

[girasol]

Interesting turn of events, from DM, sorry, allegedly Peaches' diet used to be so unhealthy, her blood pressure was no good, her doctor told her so. she then started extreme dieting ... To be healthy. So there's another, pretty plausible theory.

 

[Pickman's model]

Interesting turn of events, from DM, sorry, allegedky Peaches diet used to be so unhealthy, her blood pressure was no good, she then started extreme dieting ... To be healthy. So there's another, pretty plausible theory.

but it's from the dm which undermines it somewhat

 

[girasol]

but it's from the dm which undermines it somewhat

Yup

 

[UrbaneFox]

I went to John Peel's funeral despite the fact that he was only an acquaintanc e, not a friend.
I'm glad I did.

I'm planning to bust my way into Clive James's funeral, whenever that may be. He looked done for on Newsnight last night, so I shall get in touch with my friend who once worked on Saturday Night Clive and see what he can do.

 

[spanglechick]

I'm planning to bust my way into Clive James's funeral, whenever that may be. He looked done for on Newsnight last night, so I shall get in touch with my friend who once worked on Saturday Night Clive and see what he can do.

why?

 

[Pickman's model]

I'm planning to bust my way into Clive James's funeral, whenever that may be. He looked done for on Newsnight last night, so I shall get in touch with my friend who once worked on Saturday Night Clive and see what he can do.

you want your friend to kill clive james?

 

[UrbaneFox]

why?

Just for the hell of it.

 

[SaskiaJayne]

Nobody needs to be invited to a funeral, a death is announced along with time & place of funeral & anybody who wants to go can do that. Relatives of the deceased won't know all the deceased friends or aquaintances/work colleauges, so usual form is to announce death in local paper along with funeral time/place

 

[goldenecitrone]

I remember a Victoria Coren article about a group of funeral freeloaders who were turning up at funerals around London. Strange people.

 

[Orang Utan]

I remember a Victoria Coren article about a group of funeral freeloaders who were turning up at funerals around London. Strange people.

The Jolley Gang.
One of them choked to death on a canapé.
Ha!

 

[madamv]

Big, celeb, paparazzi laden funerals have guest lists. Mostly for respect of the chief mourners.