On Feb. 8, Anna Nicole Smith, 39, died at a South Florida hospital after being discovered unconscious in her hotel room. And quite frankly, the media has had a lack of reverence for her death. Television coverage of the former Playboy Playmate and Guess model and reality TV star’s death has been insulting and offensive. Smith was known as much for her sometimes-turbulent life off-camera as she was for her tabloid celebrity, which also earned her Hollywood status.
Because of the sometimes chaotic and tabloid life she led, many feel the right or privilege to speak so negatively of her after her death. It is universal knowledge that people make mistakes all throughout life, sometimes very unforgettable ones. It is not that death erases such mistakes or shortcomings, but that it humbles the selfish belief that we are immortal. It spotlights the inevitable truth, that death affects everyone, it does not discriminate, but challenges us to take our life seriously because we never know when our time is up.
Does a person’s reputation while he or she is alive determine how well we will respect that person’s death when he or she dies?
Newscasters and commentators have talked disrespectfully about Smith through out the development of the details about her death. Seemingly, in less than 12 hours after her death, online articles and news stations were pumping out their opinions, speculations and comments about the star. With a ruthless, fiery ambition, they have criticized a dead woman who can no longer be held accountable for her decisions or her judgment.
This article is not to add to the media disrespect and lack of reverence, but to simply shine light on the lack of humanity expressed in the death of someone who was more than just a model and celebrity-she was someone’s mother, sister, daughter and friend.
It is saddening that the highly publicized death of Smith has not regarded any veneration by some of the media. When someone dies, praise is not a requirement, but a gesture indicative of respect is more than humane. The loss of human life should humble spirits, not indulge self-righteous attitudes. People should be mindful of they speak of the dead because one day when they pass, someone may hold a magnifying glass to reflect their life as well.