ZombieKitten said:

All the names posting right now are different from what I'm used to!

Imago said:

welcome to my world

James Brown- I don't remember...

Princess Diana- Watching TV, news came on, I was playing with my kids...after that I was stuck to the TV.

Kurt Cobain - I was at work

John Lennon - I don't remember

Elvis Presley- I believe I was playing outside, when my cousin came up and told me. Her Mom was a HUGE Elvis fan.

Imago said:

Imago said:

James Brown - I can't remember. I'm pretty sure I heard the news from the radio.

Princess Diana - I was at a friend's house and they were channel-hopping with the remote control. I asked them to flick back to CNN (as the word "Diana" had caught my eye) and we watched the news from midnight until dawn. It was strangely affecting and sad - I think the fact that she was chased made it seem more like a murder than an accident.

Kurt Cobain - I can't remember. I do remember when Courtney read-out his suicide note; I was at home, at my parents, eating a sandwich. Did Michael Hutchence die the same year?

John Lennon - This is vivid. I was only eight years old. It was near Christmas. There was a Christmas Tree in the living room. There was a newsflash on the television. I hadn't realised that The Beatles were real up until that point. I'd thought they were cartoon characters like The Archies.

Elvis Presley - Don't remember the exact time - I was five years old. I remember the headlines of the newspapers the next day though. There was a picture of him in his coffin on the front page, with the headline "THE KING IS DEAD". Even though I was only five, I knew whom Elvis was - I'm unsure why.

I also remember Freddie Mercury, Karen Carpenter and Andy Warhol dying.

Imago said:

I hope the news breaking made you stop and not.....

sextonseven said:

JB - I was finishing opening up my Christmas gifts when I checked Yahoo News and that was the first thing I saw was "James Brown dead", I cried and told my mother and had her watch CNN reporting it. He was one of the few celebrities I cried for (Luther being the other one).

Princess Di - I was at my bed going to sleep when I turned the channel and saw reports of Diana's car crash, it wasn't a while before they confirmed she was dead the next morning.

Kurt Cobain - I heard about his news on MTV after returning back from a school trip and I got the Entertainment Weekly magazine with him on the cover.

I wasn't around when John & Elvis died.

sextonseven said:

Imago said:

James Brown...I had walked into my living room and turned on the television and just froze in disbelief

Princess Diana...I was at work and a coworker was hysterical and told me before she went for a walk


....Michael....my 15 year old ran in and told me while I was at the computer and I just couldn't believe it...and I kept checking online hoping that something will flash on my screen that says it was a hoax

Princess Di - Watching Face/Off. Remember coming out of the cinema and people were mulling around with sad looks on their faces. We said "what, did you just watch Anaconda?" and they went "no, Princess Diana was killed in a car crash"

Others I either wasn't born for or have no clue, although I know I didn't realize Kurt Cobain died until about 1996. I was never really a fan and he wasn't that popular where I was living. I think we got more news about Tupac when he died. Kind of weird.

What about when Rock Hudson and Freddie Mercury and Pedro Zamora died? Or don't aids victims count?

James Brown - I was with my mother, in her car. Heard it on the radio.

Princess Diana - I was watching Saturday Night Live with my sister, when they interrupted it with the news of the crash. When we were watching the news in the morning, we learned that she died. I remember 'cause it was my sister's 10th birthday

Kurt Cobain - I heard about it while watching MTV News.

John Lennon - I wasn't alive when it happened.

Elvis Presley - I wasn't alive when it happened.

James Brown- Don't remember

Princess Diana- In Great Lakes, IL We'd been over at our neighbor's house at a bbq. Heard the news as we got home/neighbors came over and told us.

Kurt Cobain- At home watching tv.

John Lennon- At home watching tv.

Elvis Presley- I was about 9. I was watching tv after school. I remember thinking this news would make my mom really sad.

As for Michael Jackson, I was at work and on the computer here on the org in a thread that said he had CPR done to him and was not responding. It was in that thread that I saw updates from orgers every few minutes on the status until they finally were saying he was dead. It wasn't long before they started saying he was dead either. It was only about 30 minutes, if that long.

When Elvis died, I was a child and was outside playing. When I came back inside, the TV was on and my grandmother was watching coverage of his death.

As for the others, I heard the news on the TV as I was flipping through the channels.
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[Edited 6/29/09 9:07am]

[b]James Brown: Composing some new music, turned on the tube and tried my best 2 find the details 2 his death.

Princess Diana: Ignored

Kurt Cobain: Ignored

John Lennon: practing 4 a play.

Elvis Presley: outside playing about 100 yards from the house. I ran into the house, jumped in front of the tube, and cryed like a baby.

Graycap23 said:

You were writin' on Christmas mawnin?

James Brown

Princess Diana

Kurt Cobain

John Lennon

Elvis Presley
I wasn't born for none than James B.
I was at home watching tv and it came on the news.

The only one I remember was James Brown because I was home for Christmas and I checked my email and read the headline. Then I watched some tributes on television.

Princess Diana.. I just sorta remember her funeral broadcast.

Kurt I don't think I heard on time.

I remember the moments I heard about 2pac and Biggie's though!

James Brown - Found out while watching CNN. TV hadn't on for more than five minutes when I saw the report. That put a huge damper on the day.

Princess Diana - I was in Santa Cruz for a weekend at the boardwalk with friends. We had just arrived at the motel and turned on the tv when it was reported that she was in a car accident. We left for dinner and we returned thats when we found out she had passed. We were shocked and saddened by that.

Kurt Cobain - Hmmm...I don't remember where I was but I think when I found out how he died, I wasn't surprised.

John Lennon - I was 8 and didn't know who he was. I don't think I even heard the news.

Elvis Presley - I was 5 and didn't know of him then.


The first celeb death that struck me was Marvin Gaye. I was 12 yrs old and starting to connect with what was happening outside of my world.

Another celeb death I do remember well was Tupac. I was walking down Stockton St in SF and I was listening to my walkman and it was announced on KMEL. For some reason that always stood out.

Cinnie said:

Let's hear it!

I may have just been watching TV the following afternoon when I heard about Biggie. The moment isn't so clear like when I heard about the other celebs in the first post.

2pac I don't remember at all.

James Brown At my parents. My brother told me by asking me if I know what gig James Brown was doing today. He told me he was playing Jesus' bday party.

Princess Diana I was living with a friend of mine on the East Coast of Canada. I think I heard on the news.

Kurt Cobain Don't remember

John Lennon Too young to remember

Elvis Presley Too young to remember

sextonseven said:

I was driving, the only one on the freeway as usual during the holidays, going to the next group of family members.


That was '97, right? I don't know; I was 15 then, and can't remember hearing it for the first time.


I was about 12 when this happened and wasn't affected by it.


Wasn't around for either of these losses.


Chris Farley was a rough one for me. I was in my friend's bedroom when her mom came in to tell me as she knew I loved him. As for Michael, I was in Microbiology lecture when that same friend texted me. I got the second text during lab and had to wait eight hours until I could even talk to anyone about it. It was impossible to concentrate and I just hope my bacteria culture grew properly over the weekend because I can't even remember preparing the smear.

sextonseven said:

I was alive for all of their passings...but none of them made that big of an impression on me at their demise for me to recall the place I was when I heard of it.....

I had a baysitter when I was young who was a HUGE Elvis fan...she cried for days when he died, so I sort of remember that...but I was like 7 or something...

sextonseven said:[quote]I would think almost everyone will remember where they were and what they were doing when they found out Michael Jackson died this week. Do you remember where you were and what you were doing when you heard these famous people passed away?

James Brown [b]at home watching tv

Princess Diana at the supermarket, they announced it on the over head speaker

Kurt Cobain at home

John Lennon i was too young to remember it

Elvis Presley[/b]wasn't born yet

i heard about MJ's death while at a b-day party for my son at a chuck e. cheese type of place, a guy ran through saying he had just heard on the radio that MJ died...i didn't believe it, i thought it was just a rumor or bad joke!
[Edited 6/29/09 10:33am]

I take that back....

Princess Diana... I was at home...warm night out...I remember them breaking in to normal viewing for the news of the crash...I remember them saying something about colapsed lung or lungs and me looking to my wife saying she's not gonna make it...the exact same thing I said to her when I heard Tupac had his lung colapse after surgery...that is a hard thing to survive...

James Brown-Opening gifts, turning on the TV. Stopping then and thinking "damn..." with a real stern look on my face.

Princess Diana-I was watching Saturday Night Live when they interrupted the show. It went right to NBC news and to the scene of that awful accident. I can remember feeling breathless and trying to tell my grandmother what happened. I was fascinated with the Princess.

Kurt Cobain-I really can't remember. I was a kid. I really didn't find out until much later. I knew who he was but I didn't know he was dead for a long time. I think I blocked it out of my memories.

John Lennon-Wasn't alive yet

Elvis Presley-Wasn't alive then

MJ-I was changing the channels randomly to Channel 2 (which is CBS for me in Chicago) and noticed they had interrupted the news or whatever. When I read the headline, I was floored. I couldn't move. I was shocked. I kept wondering "died how?" I thought he was healthy and really didn't think clearly about how frail he was or what drugs were in his system. Or how his skin looked or a few other factors. I ignored that only thinking of his dancing and how he still seemed able to do this and that. I was really hoping it was an error. It reminded me of the time I was hearing about Anna Nicole Smith's death. I was seated in a similar position going thru the channels. Nevertheless, it was a very VERY sad moment...

I don't remember any of them, but I will always remember what I was doing when MJ died.

I remember very well what I was doing when Tupac was killed. I was working in a convenience store and one of my co-workers, who I didn't like anyway, was a big Tupac fan. This crazy bitch used to brag on how she only likes real men and how she loves a thug but then she would come to work crying because her boyfriend beat her up and I would tell her that I didn't want to hear it because she wanted a thug and that's what thugs do, they're trash and they're violent. Anyway, for months before Tupac was killed, any time I would say anything she didn't like about Tupac, she would say things like..."well, he's a lot better than Prince and at least Tupac is a real man" to which I would reply "Tupac is thug trash that can't play one musical instrument and his shit is as slow as fucking classical music, he ain't even worthy to wipe Prince's ass".

Anyway, the night Tupac was killed, we were working and we heard the news on the radio. I immediately said..."oh well, that trash lived by the sword and he died by it". Normally I show respect for the recently departed but not in the case of a thug. That bitch went beserk and I just simply told her..."Bitch don't get mad at me, he just died in the very fashion that he immitated and looked up to". Then she got mad and wanted to say something about Prince so I just simply said to her...."Unless Prince gets a deadly allergic reaction to a makeup brush or accidently stabs himself with one of his high heels, his ass will be around for a long time".

About two weeks later, I was working in the store by myself and two guys dressed in typical thug shit hop clothing came in and robbed me. "California Love" was playing on the radio underneath the counter and it just felt so appropriate.