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Entertainment November 22, 2016
2016 has seen some of the saddest deaths of cultural icons, including David Bowie, Prince, Alan Rickman, Muhammad Ali and Elie Wiesel. Across the world, these icons have been mourned for who they are and what they contributed to society. As celebrity culture continues to grow, the ones we lose are displayed for both their families and fans.
The death of cultural icons has become a phenomenon and culture of its own, with thousands and even sometimes millions showing up in the streets to say goodbye to the legends who carved a path in society. Here are the biggest celebrity funerals to date.
When the King of Pop died in 2009, the world lost a legend. An estimated 1.6 million people entered a lottery for the chance to win a ticket, one of 17,500, to the music star’s funeral. Tickets were sold on Craigslist and eBay for more than $10,000 and all of the major television networks streamed the event. Los Angeles officials closed streets so that Usher, Mariah Carey and Stevie Wonder could perform.
The Sultan of Swat died in 1948 and nearly 75,000 fans crowded the streets of New York City to send him off. Yankee Stadium was kept open until midnight to accommodate all those who were not able to fit into St. Patrick’s Cathedral. The day of the funeral, rain drenched the city to match the mood of its inhabitants, leading a taxi driver to say, “Even the skies wept for the Babe.”
When Judy Garland passed at the age of 47 in 1969, fans were shocked. Her body was displayed in a glass case for mourners to say their farewells. While the funeral was closed to the press and the public, the guest list included all of the big names from Hollywood, including Lauren Bacall, Mickey Rooney and James Mason.
When the boxing legend passed away in June 2016, thousands gathered in Louisville to mourn his passing. Bill Clinton recalled when Ali lit the Olympic flame in Atlanta and Malcolm X’s daughter Attallah Shabazz spoke about her treasured relationship with Ali after the death of her father. Throughout his career, Ali was an instrumental member of the Civil Rights Movement; those he inspired as an activist came back to say goodbye at his passing.
John Lennon was shot and killed outside of his New York City home in 1980 and while his wife, Yoko Ono, didn’t want a formal memorial service, she called upon Beatles fans to pray for his soul after his death. Across the world fans gathered in public squares to observe a moment of silence. More than 100,000 men and women gathered in Central Park to say goodbye to the rock and roll icon, with mourners playing their favorite Beatles songs and selling merchandise for several hours.
An entire day of mourning was planned when Princess Diana died in a fatal car crash in 1997. To celebrate her life and mourn her death, there was a four-mile funeral procession from Kensington Palace to Westminster Abbey. More than one million people lined the streets to say goodbye to Britain’s princess. Nearly 2,000 people attended the event in person and another two billion watched on television.
Shocking the hip-hop community, the Brooklyn-born rapper Biggie, also known as The Notorious B.I.G., was gunned down in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles in 1997. P. Diddy, Queen Latifah, Mary J. Blige, Run-DMC and Busta Rhymes turned up for the funeral and thousands of fans swarmed the streets of his childhood home.
Known as the Godfather of Soul, James Brown had not one funeral, but three so that the public could adequately mourn his passing. The first was held at Harlem Apollo Theater, where he made his professional debut in 1956 and the last was held in his hometown of Augusta, Georgia. Michael Jackson attended the funeral and called him his greatest inspiration.
