Excuse me for not toeing the line here, but we’re all entitled to an opinion.
A guy died who was an actor. So did many tens of thousands of people on that same day, all over the world. Those people are less worthy though.
The show he was in is a very good show. It helps lots of people & is entertaining. I don’t care for it myself, but it seems to make people happier with themselves & is a refreshing upbeat show in times where things are getting too heavy on TV. I’m no fan, but I can see why people like it, and have no problem with that at all.
Although the cause of death is yet to be officially attributed to anything at this time, it is widely known that he was into substance abuse. Young rich star found dead in a hotel room aged 31…
EDIT: CAUSE OF DEATH NOW RELEASED:
Glee star Cory Monteith died from a heroin and alcohol overdose, the coroner’s office has said.The findings come after a post-mortem examination and toxicological analysis in British Columbia, Canada.
Monteith, 31, was found dead in a Vancouver hotel room on Saturday.
Sadly that wasn’t much of a surprise at all.
He was also a role model for kids, in a show very much aimed to draw in younger audiences. In fact many fans are of a more impressionable, even fragile nature, styling themselves after the characters in the show. Substance abuse doesn’t lend itself well to a worshipped star in a show like this (or any other, let’s face it).
It doesn’t really pull me onside. I’m not buying in. It may be just me, but I reckon many others feel the same way. Could be because I’m a dad & don’t like the idea of people like this being role models.
As it is substance abuse related, there’s such a public history of other stars going the same way on substance abuse, it’s hard to understand why people still do it.
Rich, dumb & under sooo much pressure..?
Sorry, but there are countless people out there under real pressure on a daily basis, from everyday folk to professionals in their own fields. You’re not going to kill people by not acting very well at them (although some ‘actors’ do come close…), and you’re not putting your own life on the line in such a way that a missed dance step or retake is going kill you.
Most people have as much of a connection to him as they do the thousands of kids who starve to death every day, yet I don’t see them being mourned for, for deaths they were born into, yet self abuse is worthy?
Ahhh, some people identify with his character, and that’s who they are mourning. The thing is, he isn’t his character. Look at Jimmy Savile… Fun loving child friendly TV celebrity who was a serial abuser of young kids. On screen & off screen these people are very seldom the same person. It’s why it’s called ‘acting’.
Nope. I really can’t start believing in the hype.
NOTE: I fully appreciate that substance abuse is a very serious issue, and some people who get into it are unfortunate enough to get hooked, or have a compulsive nature and can’t stop. It is very sad when people die this way, but they do generally bring it on themselves.
Sometimespace 
July 14th, 2013 at 11:34 am
The real problem I think is how substance abuse is framed. Religiously inspired groups like AA have created an environment that denies individual responsibility. You can only be cured, according to them, by giving your life to a higher power. By submitting. The individual, apparently, is incapable of self control. The truth is they have a success rate of around 5%. Compared to, for example, a success rate of nearly 60% if your partner pressures you into sobriety.
This disregard for real science is actually incredibly pervasive. Only 16.8% of heavy drinkers actually fit into the medical definition of ‘alcoholic’. The vast majority are actually choosing to get drunk regularly. They can not drink from Monday to Friday. They can drink only at dinner. They are entirely capable of self-control.
July 16th, 2013 at 9:53 pm
I agree with you LB, I can’t stand the modern ‘celebrity role model’ thing and especially where the celebs are drunken, drug taking wasters who have achieved celeb status for nothing more than having a voice like a strangled cat, having excessively large mammaries or being married to a footballer. We do not watch a lot of TV in our house and my children are kept clear of the TV as much as possible. We prefer them to play and use their imagination with board games, Lego and craft stuff.
The excuses they come out with really annoys me as I work in a very high stress job where any mistake can result in me being sacked which would mean losing the house and any form of quality of life we have. I have to get up at 4am to drive to work and don’t get home till 8 or 9pm on a good day. So that is some 6-8 hours driving in addition to 8-10 hours in the office. Sure, I get paid a high salary compared to most but then that high salary comes with extreme pressure to achieve good results and achieve those results time after time.
I work to deadlines that are almost always ‘it was needed last week’ and often I’m tasked with turning around releases in a few days that in any other company would be several months work.
Yes I smoke and I like a few drinks but I’ve not resorted to drugs or beating people up or shoplifting or walking around town legless at midnight. It is time this country recognised that these so called celebs are no better than any other drug addict or social parasite and they should be dealt with severely and publically to send a message to all their ‘fans’ that this is not the way to behave.