Why does the recent death of Natasha Richardson strike a chord with me? I don't mean to be callous, but she is not the first famous person to die young and tragically during my lifetime. I did not know her personally, never met her, ( I did see some of her films though) and she did not know me either, so why does it bother me more than just as a passing news story? I think the answer is twofold.
First of all, she is a mother and wife who was just out for a day of fun with her kids, doing something innocuous and (relatively) safe that any one of us could do on a day off. Whatever her professional life, it is the activity that really drives this one home, it could have been anyone I know, and that makes it even more horrible. People should not die from that. It is a horrible and tragic way to go, and drives home the fragility of life like nothing else.
The second reason is she was about my age. The age thing is something that I also felt with the demise of two other public figures, Princess Diana and John Kennedy Jr.. I grew up at the same time as these people. They were young when I was, and got older as I did. Although they led completely different lives in a public forum, some of the issues were the same and life changing, such as marriage, law school, children, and everything that life entails.
Furthermore, although all three were a few years older than me, they defined my generation in a way that a 20 or 60 year old does not. So the fact that they are from my generation, and very often at the same point in their lives ( with children, aging issues, etc.) make a connection to them somewhat stronger, and has a bigger impact on me when I hear such terrible news.
So I will take this tragic event, and try to learn from it, by being closer to the ones I love, to appreciate them and life in general, and thank G-d every day that I am alive.
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