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[av_heading heading=’What being a fan is really about’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY ANGELICA LOUISE PFLEIDER
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Sunday, January 22, 2017
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LAST NIGHT while I was surfing the channels on TV, I was able to catch Walk the Line. It’s the true story of singer Johnny Cash.
What struck me most about his story was the part when he was at the lowest point of his life and became a drug addict. He would even be high during shows and would mess up his songs. He would have died if it wasn’t for June Carter (whom he later on married) and her family and friends who did an extreme intervention on him.
Earlier this morning, I was able to watch Amy, a documentary about the British singer Amy Winehouse. I realized while I was watching the documentary that many of the things she went through were similar to Johnny. She got hooked on drugs, alcohol and barely ate anything.
The pressure of being a celebrity got to her. Tragically, after several sessions of rehab and fluctuating moments between sobriety and addiction, she died of alcohol poisoning on July 12, 2011.
I noticed these things started happening to them when they became super celebrities. Johnny used to be happily married to his first wife and Amy was clean and in a happy relationship with Blake Fielder-Civil.
It was only after Johnny shot to fame and became one of the top artists during his time did he start sleeping with his fans and taking drugs. Amy tried cocaine one time during one of her tours and that hooked her for life.
Everybody thinks the life of a celebrity is like a fairytale. All glitz, glamour and people who love you. But the reason why so many celebrities end up having vices and doing the most horrible things to their bodies is because of being a celebrity. They have no more privacy; every move they make is being watched and judged by the general public.
When Amy was at her lowest point and what she needed was help, what did she get? She got insulted and was made fun of by the media. I think that pushed her even deeper into the abyss she was falling into.
People expect celebrities to get used to this since it is part of the job. But at the end of the day they are still human beings. They have moments of weakness, they feel sad, they feel pressured, and no matter how famous they are they will always need the support of the people around them. Even up to now, the people who get bashed the most are celebrities who commit mistakes which is, by the way, human.
Celebrities are the most vulnerable because their lives are open books. It is sad because the reason they became celebrities in the first place is because they just want to share their art and talent to the general public.
I think what you can learn from the life stories of these two celebrities is that anybody exposed to the evil side of something can always be tempted to fall for it. What every person needs is a strong group of moral supporters who can help them get through the dark times. Fans have responsibilities, too, and if you are a true fan of a celebrity, the least you can do is offer your support for that person in any little way if you hear that such person is going through a hard time./PN
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