So I woke up this morning to the news that Whitney Houston had died. And the first thing that ran through my head, was that it had to be drugs.
And the exact same thought when Amy Winehouse died. And Michael Jackson... well he was just fucked up from every angle.
And so many more of the greats died at the hands of drugs... Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain (yes it was an alleged "suicide" but under the influence of a lethal dose of heroin), Jim Morrison... Elvis! So many talented souls snatched away by an uncontrollable addiction. Don't get me wrong, it's so sad, it's sad when anyone dies... but part of me always thinks that ultimately it was at their own hands. People know how drugs can take over peoples lives... yet they still let themselves get engulfed by them. And I'm not preaching that no one should ever do drugs, because that would be completely hypocritical of me, but it's when you allow yourself to rely on them... It's never going to end well. You end up just setting yourselves up for self-destruction: no ones invincible, you will always be beaten by them. It just makes me think of all the people that have absolutely no say in the way they die... "real" people, family, family of friends, friends of friends. They didn't have any choice. Their lives were taken away from them without them even knowing. Yet so many people just dice with death on a regular basis. Maybe it's on purpose? Maybe they genuinely want to die. No ones ever going to know.
It's so strange when a celebrity dies anyway. People go into complete mourning for them. I mean, I cried when Michael Jackson died! And I don't even know him... but you grow up with them all over the media, being told every single detail about their lives, their highs, their lows... you may as well be a part of their life. And those celebrities that do have obscene drug addictions... the media practically counts down the days till they die. But when someone you care and love for dies, a whole country... actually, the whole world doesn't bat an eyelid. Of course I'm not saying they should, but it's crushing because in your head, they may have been the most important person in the world. But a celebrity dies and suddenly two minutes later you've got thousands of "RIP" facebook groups, newsfeeds are full of thoughts on the matter, and every newspaper has their face on the front of it.
So people may think I'm an absolute prune for writing all of this, but I can't see how anyone can't agree to be honest. I, and I'm sure most people, have seen the way drugs can ruin someone, and consequently ruin anyone attached to them. And if you're still not convinced, watch Requiem for a dream... that'll put you off drugs for life.
