"It's better to burn out than to fade away". Singer Kurt Cobain's suicide note ended with these words, which today have become synonymous with the rock singer. Cobain's death in 1994 at the age of 27 is as controversial as his life and talent. He is one of several celebrities whose death at a young age has, ironically, become part of his iconic status.
Many do not realise that last sentence was not Cobain's. It was written by Neil Young, and features in the song "Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)", contained on his 1979 album "Rust Never Sleeps". Young is a living legend, but Cobain's use of the words propelled Cobain into the cult of the dead celebrity. We will never know how much more music Cobain could have produced, so we treasure the work he left behind. His suicide adds to the myth of celebrity, and makes his music more meaningful. His lyrics have been endlessly scrutinised and analysed in an effort to try and understand how his mind worked, and why he chose to end his life.
Elvis Presley, the man credited with turning rock n roll music into a global phenomenon was 42 years old when he died, a victim of the potential excesses of the celebrity lifestyle. Elvis's talent was never in doubt, and his music is still popular today. His musical legacy has earned him the moniker "The King".
John Lennon's had just released his first solo album in five years when he was shot dead by an obsessed fan outside his apartment in December. As an example of the deliberate killing of a celebrity it is difficult to equate Lennon death with a career move. There's no doubt as to Lennon's influence upon modern music and culture. He is remembered today as much for his peace activism as he is for his music.
The death earlier this year of Heath Ledger, who was on the verge of producing his best work, has given the actor a similar iconic status to the three musicians. By all account's Ledger's death was a tragic accident. He was 28 years old, and his death has led to speculation about the intensity of the character he portrayed in his last film. His portrayal of The Joker in "The Dark Knight" is deeper and darker than any previous incarnation of the character. We can only imagine how much further his career would have gone, and the kind of characters he might have played.
More than 50 years after the death of James Dean his iconic status is as powerful today as it was the day his Porsche 550 Spyder crashed on the then Route 466. The characters in the three films he made before his death were powerful and almost social miscasts - from the loner in "East of Eden" to the troubled title character in "Rebel Without a Cause" and the sullen farmer in "Giant". Dean was 24 years old when he died, and is the only actor to receive two posthumous Academy Award nominations. According to Forbes Magazine, Dean's estate earns an annual income of $5 million, and his name is still a popular reference in books, films, music and television shows.
Perhaps the celebrity whose death has come to represent the ultimate career move is Marilyn Monroe. Not only is her death the subject of intense speculation about conspiracy theories and urban myth, it also showed the world the most famous woman on the planet was also a human being - flesh and blood. The reality of the girl behind the icon on celluloid and so many posters has been discussed many times since her death in 1962 at just 36 years of age. Her fears, insecurities and lack of confidence are well documented. Her charisma, style and appeal ensures Marilyn Monroe is still an influence upon modern culture, and her appeal shows no signs of diminishing almost 50 years after she died.
In 1968 Andy Warhol predicted that "In the future, everyone will be famous for fifteen minutes." Today we surrounded by reality television shows and tabloid journalism that ensures virtually anyone can be famous, often with little or no obvious talent. Kurt Cobain, Heath Ledger, James Dean and Marilyn Monroe were all talented people who died too young. The work they produced and the legacy they left for us during their brief lives leaves us wondering: what if? What more was waiting to come forward? How much more could they have given the world? The death of each one has ensured their names will live longer than fifteen minutes. Their words and their characters live on, frozen for eternity because of their untimely and often tragic deaths. The cult of celebrity dehumanises people, making them into what we call "icons". That word is a euphemism for a commodity or a product, so respect for life and the person behind the icon is reduced and often disappears.
Which means celebrity death is a career move. But it's of little benefit to the man or woman behind the celebrity.