Celebrity
No doubt you’ve heard of the death of John Travolta’s son. I won’t even bother to link to a story, it’s everywhere. You know what I think is so sad, beyond the tragic loss of life? The way this story is played out in the media. All the details are being broadcast, from the desperate father’s plea for his son to wake up, to who is going to do the autopsy. The EMT who responded to the call has done an interview and people are even speculating about whether the boy was allowed anti-seizure meds.
John Travolta is a big star, I know. But can’t we leave these people alone? Is the death of his teenage son newsworthy? Yes. Are all the agonizing details our right to know? Absolutely not.
When Rebecca died, there was a standard investigation. Philip and I gave separate, sworn statements. They came to our home and took pictures. Word spread quickly through our small community. But none of it was published for the world to read and comment and pass judgement on. Things that needed to stay private stayed private.
When a child dies, life is never the same. Even the most ordinary things change, things you wouldn’t even think mattered. I cannot imagine having this played out on a world stage. I guess in some way, being a celebrity at a time like this might bring comfort – knowing that strangers care about you. But there is just not enough money in the world that would make me want to share my grief with the world like that. What the world knows is only what I’ve chosen to share.
I don’t know what my point is exactly. I feel badly for John Travolta and Kelly Preston and their surviving daughter. Such a long road stretches in front of them and the world gets to come along to watch.
