# Why celebrity deaths hit us so hard

> When public figures die, millions grieve together. Here's what that means for your mental health.
- Title: Why celebrity deaths hit us so hard · TIME | Shortify
- Summary: When public figures die, millions grieve together. Here's what that means for your mental health. Grieving celebrities through shared online spaces is valid…
- Keywords: grief, parasocial relationships, celebrity deaths, mental health, collective mourning, social media, dolly parton, gloria steinem, shared bereavement, emotional processing, celebrity, deaths
- Source: TIME — https://time.com/article/2026/09/18/dolly-parton-gloria-steinem-and-why-grieving-a-celebrity-feels-so-personal
- Author: Lisa McCarty
- Published: 2026-09-18T10:00:04+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: grief, parasocial relationships, celebrity deaths, mental health, collective mourning, social media, dolly parton, gloria steinem, shared bereavement, emotional processing
## We feel close to strangers
Parasocial relationships are one-sided emotional connections with public figures we've never met. When they die, that loss feels deeply personal even though the relationship wasn't reciprocal.

> Relationships don't need to be reciprocal for feelings to be real.
## Grief becomes collective
When a celebrity dies, large groups mourn simultaneously. This shared loss can happen even if you never knew the person, and it's not limited to celebrity deaths. People experienced collective grief after 9/11, Sandy Hook, COVID-19, and natural disasters.
## It can affect your mental health
A 2025 study found that parasocial grief can negatively impact mental health and lead to unhealthy coping mechanisms like substance use. The grief is real, even if the relationship was one-sided.
## Comment sections became memorials
Unlike traditional funerals, shared bereavement lacks built-in rituals. Now people post online and gather in comment sections to mourn together. When Gloria Steinem and Dolly Parton died days apart, these spaces became genuine gathering places where people shared how these women shaped their lives.

> Social media has become a kind of 'modern funeral,' a space where people can come together online.
## Being witnessed helps
Shared grief offers validation that individual grief doesn't. When you mourn alongside others who understand your pain, it feels less isolating. Research on collective effervescence shows this shared emotional activation creates lasting connection and healing.

> Given that human beings are fundamentally wired for connection, this broader sense of communal loss can feel comforting.
## Create a personal ritual
Play their music, read their books, or rewatch favorite videos. Then write down what that person meant to you personally, not what they meant to the world. Share this with someone. A 2026 study found that sharing emotions and rituals offers sense-making, solidarity, and healing.
## Grief has no fixed timeline
There's an outdated idea that grief happens in stages and follows a linear path. In reality, there are no universal stages to healing and no right way to grieve. What works for you might be different from what works for others.

> There are truly no universal stages to heal from loss and no right way to grieve.
## Therapy can help too
Cognitive behavioral therapy provides a safe space to discuss loss over someone you didn't know personally, without shame or judgment. A therapist can help you understand your emotional state and address any prolonged or unresolved grief.
## Key takeaway

Grieving celebrities through shared online spaces is valid and can be healing, especially when you create personal rituals and talk about what they meant to you.