On Being a Celebrity: Till Death Do We Part?

I published a post yesterday about the recent passing of a great artist, Marcel Marceau, Renowned Mime, Dies at 84.

In that post I placed Marceau in the triumvirate of the greatest mimes of the twentieth century, with Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin. Of Chaplin, I wrote:

Charlie Chaplin was the most famous. Indeed, he was the first “celebrity” created by the film industry to achieve truly global fame. I read his autobiography many years ago and recall well his recounting of a train trip from New York to Los Angeles during his first visit to the United States (he began his career in England). As the train arrived in a small town he saw hundreds of people waiting at the station, and was amazed to learn they were there just to see him.

I noted a few hours later that my post had been linked to by Celebrity, a site devoted to the cult of celebrity that has so many followers. Trying to find the link, I examinded its recent links, and found therein such goodies as:

• Britney Spears Custody Restrictions Formally Ordered
• Sabrina Bryan: The (Cheetah) Girl to Beat
• Coco Arquette goes to school
• Jane Seymour – Dancing with the Stars
• Paris Hilton leaving a model agency in Beverly Hills
• Mike Tyson Pleads Guilty to DUI and Drug Posession

I scanned several more pages of equally trivial posts yet could not find mine about Marceau. Then I went over to my Technorati page, Everything in the known universe about The Wayward Word Press and learned the link from Celebrity was:

The Celebrity Death Toll Update wrote an interesting post today on Here’s a quick excerpt Indeed, he was the first “celebrity” created by the film industry to achieve truly global fame. I read his autobiography many years ago and recall well his recounting of a train trip from

It then took only a couple of minutes to find Celebrity’s Death Toll Update, a vivid reminder that celebrities live on even after their deaths; for example, Chaplin died on Christmas Day, 1977, almost thirty years ago.

It makes one wonder if this focus on celebrities, especially in the 24×7 coverage provided about the current crop by so many cable channels, will be the death of us.

If so, least Jon Stewart and his colleagues on The Daily Show will provide the last laugh from beyond the grave.