Tim Curry has sadly passed away at aged 80. He was a cinematic legend and undoubtedly most people will know him from his role in the iconic Rocky Horror Picture Show, a movie that shaped generations to come.
During an interview with CBS Sunday Morning to celebrate the film’s 50th anniversary, Tim revealed that he met the Princess Of Wales and her then-husband King Charles after a show he’d performed in at the Royal National Theatre.
While the future king enquired if Tim had been on television, Diana didn’t have to – as she instantly knew him from the 1975 musical movie.
The Clue actor admitted he was surprised the royal would know about the cult classic, telling her: “I don’t suppose you saw it.”
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“Of course I did,” she apparently responded, quipping: “It quite completed my education.”
Tim had previously spoken to the Fresh Air radio show about his royal encounter during an interview from earlier this year.
He explained that Diana had requested to meet him after he performed in a production of Love For Love in Vienna, where she and Charles were guests of honour.
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“She was a very funny girl, and a very beautiful one, and sort of the – a very wicked smile came with that sentence,” he recalled. “She was great fun.”
Tim then revealed that Princess Margaret had also been to see the Rocky Horror theatre show in the early 70s before it was adapted for the big screen, and “had a wonderful time”.
Elsewhere in his CBS interview, Tim said the enduring appeal of the movie musical was that it permits people to “say the stuff they always wanted to say”.
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Tim Curry as Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show
20th Century Fox/Michael White Prods/Kobal/Shutterstock
The Rocky Horror Picture Show first began as a stage musical created by Richard O’Brien. While the theatre show was a word-of-mouth hit, the 1975 film adaptation was met with poor reviews and was a box office bomb.
However, thanks to its cult following and midnight screenings, The Rocky Horror Picture Show has become the longest-running theatrical release in history, with showings happening worldwide for five decades.
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The camp classic is still parodied, revered and homaged to this day, with Sabrina Carpenter being the latest star to give a nod to the film in her Tears music video.
A documentary about The Rocky Horror Show, entitled Strange Journey, premiered at the SXSW festival earlier this year, directed by Richard O’Brien’s son Linus.
Music legend Dolly Parton has died at the age of 80.
A pioneer in the world of country music, Dolly was best known for her cross-generational hits including I Will Always Love You, 9 To 5 and Jolene.
On Tuesday evening, her nephew Bryan Seaver announced the news of the Grammy winner’s death in a video message posted on social media, explaining that this was “something Dolly asked of me years ago, before I fully absorbed it as a future reality”.
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“As her head of security for more than two decades, a role my father Larry held before me, I have imagined the heaviness of this moment, but haven’t truly felt it until now,” he shared.
“Sadness lies with us, not with Dolly,” he continued. “Dolly lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus, surely.”
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Her team later released a lengthier statement, celebrating the accolades she achieved in life.
“Global icon and humanitarian, Dolly Parton, known to the world as a beloved singer, songwriter, philanthropist, actress, playwright and author died peacefully today in Nashville, Tennessee,” they said. “She was 80 years old.
“A rhinestone life that shone bright enough for the world to see, Dolly will forever stand as an inspiration not only through her timeless music and prolific songwriting, but also her wit, warmth, and kindness that made us all feel like family,” the statement continued.
“Dolly Parton’s legacy is one of love, compassion, and resilience. With a seven-decade career, she inspired multiple generations of artists and fans with her music and an unwavering commitment to making the world a better place.
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“Her songs will continue to resonate with people of all ages, and her philanthropic work will have a lasting impact.”
Dolly began her recording career in the late 1960s, releasing her debut album Hello I’m Dolly in 1967, including what would go on to become one of her early signature songs Dumb Blonde, showcasing the artist’s trademark wit with lyrics like: “Just ’cos I’m blonde, don’t think I’m dumb, ’cos this dumb blonde ain’t nobody’s fool.”
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Dolly Parton pictured in 1977
via Associated Press
Over the course of her time in the public eye, she released a staggering 49 albums, most recently 2023’s Rockstar, which preceded her introduction to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.
She was also a 12-time Grammy winner, and performed in Glastonbury’s famous “Legends” slot back in 2014, where the set included her self-penned offerings Baby I’m Burnin’, Why’d You Come in Here Lookin’ Like That, Coat Of Many Colours and Here You Come Again.
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Outside of her music career, Dolly was also an actor, appearing in the likes of Steel Magnolias, The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas, 9 To 5 (for which she wrote the theme song) and the TV series Hannah Montana, sharing the screen with her goddaughter, Miley Cyrus.
Immediately after the news about The Gentlemen’s future, the streaming giant confirmed that it was greenlighting returns for a string of hit shows – including a few updates that fans have waiting a long time for.
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Here’s a quick round-up of all the series that Netflix teased comebacks for as part of Monday’s mass announcement…
House Of Guinness will get a season 2
James Norton, Louis Partridge and Anthony Boyle in House Of Guinness
Steven Knight told Netflix’s Tudum: “It was such a joy to bring the Guinness story to the screen, so I’m beyond thrilled to be continuing the story of one of the world’s greatest dynasties into season two.
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“I can’t wait to dive deeper into these characters and their complex relationships as they expand the Guinness empire […] there’s so much more to find out about them. We’ll see how they grow up because House Of Guinness is about a family growing up together.
“Even in season one, they change quite a bit. In season two, it will be interesting to see what changes and what stays the same.”
Legends
Tom Burke, Jasmine Blackborow, Steve Coogan, Aml Ameen and Hayley Squires on the set of Legends
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Speculation about whether Legends would get a season two – and how exactly that might work – has been rife ever since the show premiered back in May.
Helmed by The Gold creator Neil Forsyth and led by a sprawling all-star cast that includes Steve Coogan and Tom Burke, the six-part series was a hit with viewers, presenting a dramatic retelling of a real-life British heist that took place in the early 1990s.
Because it was inspired by true events, some wondered exactly how a second season of Legends would work, but Netflix has now revealed that we’re about to find out.
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Neil Forsyth enthused: ““I’m delighted to have the opportunity to tell a new story in the fascinating and unique world that Legends offers, and to show just how dangerous, thrilling, and important their work became in the late 1990s.”
Meanwhile, Netflix has teased that the new episodes will see “the unlikely team” being “drawn back into the world of undercover maneuvering, with the outside world none the wiser”.
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Back in January, Black Mirror creator Charlie Brooker announced that an eighth run of his dystopian technological anthology series was in the works – so it’s not exactly news that it is returning.
However, on Monday, Netflix announced that production is now underway, although they were predictably cryptic when it came to revealing any more.
“Production has already begun. And that’s all we can say,” the wrote in an X post.
He added: “I can confirm that Black Mirror will return, just in time for reality to catch up with it. So, that’s exciting. That chunk of my brain has already been activated and is whirring away.
“It’s a useful thought experiment when approaching a new story. I’ll often think of, ‘Well, what haven’t we done yet, and what tone am I looking for? … Where does this track come on the album, and what musical direction are we going to go into?’. We’ll find out.”
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Being Gordon Ramsay
Gordon Ramsay’s Netflix series is getting a second run
Onto reality and docuseries territory now, with the news that Gordon Ramsay is once again letting Netflix’s cameras back into his life.
The streaming service announced on Monday that production on a second season of Gordon Ramsay had already begun, enthusing: “Unbelievably we’ve been let back inside Gordon’s kitchen *and* home as he attempts to balance ever-expanding business ventures with family life.
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“Good luck, chef!”
At Home With The Furys
At Home With The Furys is getting a third season
The fate of the reality series At Home With The Furys has also been confirmed, with more episodes now in the pipeline.
Netflix revealed that production on the third season is now up and running, teasing: “Follow along as the whole family relocates to the Isle of Man, Venezuela gets married to Noah, and Tyson prepares for a potential blockbuster showdown with Anthony Joshua.”
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F1 fans will no doubt be thrilled to hear that Netflix has given the go-ahead to a ninth season of the behind-the-scenes doc Drive To Survive.
“Now fans will again get the chance to take a peek into what has been happening in the paddock across the 2026 championship, which has already witnessed some big storylines ranging from the emergence of youngest-ever title leader Kimi Antonelli through to an ever-changing pecking order as the development race evolves,” a post on the F1 website read.
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Meanwhile, executive producers James Gay-Rees and Paul Martin said (in unison, we suppose…?) that “this year we’re going to go deeper than ever before into the hidden spaces of this fantastic sport”.
Supacell
Supacell fans’ patience is about to be rewarded
Plenty of shows on this list have tested fans’ patience while they wait for updates – but few have kept viewers hanging quite as long as Supacell.
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The gritty supernatural show premiered in the summer of 2024, with a second run of episodes being confirmed shortly afterwards.
However, two years later, we’re still waiting – although Netflix said on Monday that the show recently “wrapped” its filming.
Creator Rapman wrote on Instagram back in June: “Due to circumstances out of our control we had to pause production for a while. But filming is finally done! I’m currently in the edit getting it ready.”
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“It’s coming and I PROMISE it will be worth the wait,” he added.
The former fiancé of actor Hayden Panettiere has shared a poignant message on what would have been her 37th birthday.
On Friday afternoon, the Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko – the father of Hayden’s 11-year-old daughter, with whom the actor was in an on-off relationship for the better part of a decade – shared a snapshot of the late Scream star on Instagram, thanking those who’ve shown “love and support” in the days since her death.
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“Today is Hayden’s birthday,” he wrote. “Instead of celebrating the way we had planned, today we celebrate her life, her spirit, and the love she brought into this world.
“I want to thank all of Hayden’s fans, friends, and everyone who has reached out for the incredible outpouring of love and support. At a time filled with so much sadness, your kindness has reminded me that there is still so much good in humanity.”
Wladimir continued: “If you’re reading this, I ask just one thing: even if only for a moment, think about LOVE. Reach out to a friend. Forgive someone. Be kind. Love is a superpower. Use it.”
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“Happy birthday, Hayden,” he concluded. “You are loved, you are missed, and you will never be forgotten.”
“The announcement of Hayden’s tragic death saddens me deeply. She left this world far too soon,” he lamented. “Hayden was, although no longer my partner, an important part of my life and the mother of our daughter, Kaya.
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“She built an incredible career through immense talent, while also facing the darker sides of a very demanding industry. Nothing will erase the times we shared or the place she had in our lives.”
“To our daughter Kaya, I will always speak of her mother with respect and make sure she remembers the person she was,” he continued.
“I extend my deepest condolences to Hayden’s parents, her friends, and her fans, who are also grieving today. Young and talented people like Hayden should not leave this world so soon.”
This included opening up about her past struggles with abuse, addiction and her mental health.
An investigation into the circumstances surrounding Hayden’s death is ongoing, with an autopsy report indicating earlier this week that there had been “no signs” of any physical trauma.
DJ and radio presenter Trevor Nelson has disclosed that he has been diagnosed with a brain tumour.
Back in June, Trevor announced he would be taking a step back from his work commitments on Radio 2 and Radio 1Xtra on medical grounds.
“After a routine check-up I was advised to have some follow up tests. As a result, I will be taking some further time off,” he said at the time. “As I’m sure you can appreciate with health issues, it’s important to deal with facts and not speculate.
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“So I’m concentrating on getting better, being back to 100% me and to getting back behind the mic and the decks.”
On Thursday afternoon, Trevor shared a video on Instagram, explaining that he’d spent the last month at home recovering from brain surgery.
“A lot of you may have seen the post that I put up at the start of summer saying that I was stepping back from all my work commitments due to illness,” he began. “There’s been a lot of speculation as to what’s wrong with me, I know that much – my phone’s blown up 20 times over with people asking what’s wrong with me.
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“Due to the love and positive vibes thousands of you have literally been sending me, I felt that I should at least tell you what was wrong with me, and what happened to me.”
He continued: “I’m not going to go into it all now, and I will probably deep dive into it at a later date, so you can hear the whole crazy story. But I’ll tell you this, I was minding my own business, and then it was discovered that I had a brain tumour.
“As you can imagine, I was shocked, in fact, my world was turned upside down. It was a shock to myself, my close family and friends, and you can imagine, quite literally, my head was all over the place.
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“I knew I had to stop work because I couldn’t be that guy on the radio, knowing I had that going on. So affirmative action had to be taken, I was given my choices of what I could do, and a few weeks later, I had a very serious surgery. Thankfully, it went incredibly well, and in the last month, I’ve been at home, recuperating, resting and recovering, and getting some post-op treatment as well.”
Trevor insisted: “I can only tell you the truth, and the truth is, I feel great right now. I feel ready to come back, I feel energised, I feel almost back to myself. Yes, I’ve had a really serious situation, but I’ve come out the other side at this point. I feel great, I feel raring to go, and I feel in good health.
“I’m playing golf, I’m doing a bit of gym, I’m doing all the things that I normally used to do, bar being on the radio and doing gigs – so let’s get that straight, and let’s get that back to normal as soon as possible. So please, don’t worry about me. I’m on the mend, I really am.”
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Trevor is currently a weekend presenter on Radio 2, and hosted a Sunday morning show on 1Xtra until his recent health issues.
Radio 2’s official Instagram account shared a message under Trevor’s post, which read: “Sending you so much love Trevor! Can’t wait to have you back.”
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His former BBC colleague Clara Amfo said: “Thank God for your brilliant surgeons, you’re meant to be here UT! Love you.”
“So good to see your face Trevor and learn that you’re doing well. Huge healing love to you wonderful man,” wrote Zoe Ball, while Jack Saunders also commented: “So glad you’re feeling better [and] more like yourself mate. We need you. Sending all the love and can’t wait to have you back doing what you do best!”
A documentary questioning whether attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a genuine condition or a social construct has aired on Channel 4 – and it’s proven predictably divisive.
The show, titled The Great ADHD Myth?, has prompted a wave of responses online from doctors, charities and people with the disorder who are concerned it will contribute to stigma surrounding the condition.
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A reactionary survey by the charity ADHD UK in the wake of the documentary revealed that (at the time of writing), of 1,566 people who watched the show, 92% believe it has increased stigma surrounding ADHD, while 93% do not believe the show was fair in its representation of the condition.
ADHD UK’s CEO and co-founder, Henry Shelford, told HuffPost UK: “We are shocked by this programme. The fact it got commissioned at all speaks to the stigma around ADHD – a stigma that is now likely to get worse because of this show.”
The charity had previously penned an open letter to Channel 4 urging it to make a series of changes to the documentary before its release, including a review of the title and for the broadcaster to “make clear on screen where contributors’ views sit relative to mainstream clinical consensus”.
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What was Channel 4’s ADHD documentary about?
The documentary followed NHS psychiatrist and Daily Mail columnist, Dr Max Pemberton, as he spoke to medical experts who questioned the conventional narrative around ADHD.
One such expert, Dr Iona Heath, the former president of the Royal College of General Practitioners, said: “It’s certainly not a medical condition as far as I’m concerned.” Another child psychiatrist said: “In 100 years’ time people are going to wonder, ‘How could we be so gullible?’”
The show posed a number of questions including whether ADHD is a disorder or social construct, how it should be treated (including whether diet and lifestyle changes could help), whether medication is the right approach and who benefits from increasing diagnoses.
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Dr Pemberton – who remains certain he doesn’t have ADHD – underwent a private assessment (costing £1,200) and was diagnosed with combined ADHD and a prescription for medication.
The documentary also followed a family who wanted to see whether holistic lifestyle changes could eliminate their 10-year-old son’s use of ADHD medication. The pills “take my fun-ness away”, he said, however the programme noted at the end he did go back on them.
ADHD UK’s survey found 80% of those surveyed said it wasn’t “responsible” for a broadcaster to film a 10-year-old stopping his ADHD medication for television.
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In response, Channel 4 told HuffPost UK: “The welfare of the boy and his family were of paramount importance both before, during and after the production process. An independent doctor, his GP, and a health and safety company were consulted.
“Advice was also taken from three independent psychiatrists on the medication break. This programme was produced in compliance with the Ofcom Broadcasting Code.”
The Times’ review of the show called its arguments “convincing, or at least the start of a necessary discussion”, although they did note “there was no real counter-argument offered to the idea of ADHD as a ‘myth’”.
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Meanwhile the Guardian said Dr Pemberton “answers his questions convincingly”, highlighting the remedies proposed at the end, such as changing diet, screen and activity levels first, adapting schools to children’s needs, and making medication the last resort “seem neither radical nor uncompassionate”.
Both publications gave the doc four stars.
The show sparked backlash from people with ADHD
The NHS says ADHD is a “complex neurodevelopmental disorder, which starts in childhood and often persists into adulthood” and “is associated with significant impairment”. It’s also recognised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
It is marked by a persistent pattern (at least six months) of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that has a direct negative impact in more than one setting – ie. home, school, work – on academic, occupational, or social functioning.
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Shelford, who has ADHD, said the latest Channel 4 documentary “is a travesty in its missed opportunity to help slay myths around ADHD; instead, it has added to them”.
He said ADHD “can be extraordinarily tough” and pointed to UCL-led research which showed UK adults with diagnosed ADHD have a shorter life expectancy. There was a reduction in life expectancy for men with diagnosed ADHD of between 4.5 and nine years, and between 6.5 and 11 years for women.
“Our failure to support people with ADHD should be a national scandal – instead we’re getting TV shows undermining the disorder,” he said.
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“We have already complained to Ofcom and will be following up with a more detailed complaint.” The charity has also encouraged others to make complaints to the regulator.
“We are worried that this will cost lives by putting people in need off getting an ADHD assessment and from getting support,” added Shelford.
Others were quick to share their thoughts on the controversial documentary on social media after it aired.
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Clinical psychologist Dr Emily Compton-Smith wrote on Instagram: “We should absolutely be able to discuss diagnosis, and where things could be improved.”
That said, she was “troubled” by “how one-sided the programme felt,” she continued, adding that “what felt missing … was the voice of the people actually living it”.
She also aired concerns that “many people will watch it and come away more sceptical of ADHD, while people with ADHD will once again be left feeling like they need to justify themselves”.
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Adam Dance, the Liberal Democrat MP for Yeovil, who also has ADHD, shared a cross-party letter which he’d sent to Channel 4, saying he is “deeply concerned by the framing and language used to promote the documentary and by the potential consequences for people with ADHD and their families”.
I’ve led a cross-party letter from the APPG for ADHD on @Channel4‘s “The Great ADHD Myth?” As someone with ADHD & dyslexia, this matters to me. ADHD is a recognised neurodevelopmental disorder — Channel 4 must get the evidence right. Full letter: https://t.co/NPEiEJqjds
An extremely biased documentary, all the doctors & psychiatrists used clearly all share the same views. Also doing an experiment on one persons experience isn’t a very accurate experiment. Channel 4, do better and try living one day with ADHD, you’ll soon realise it’s not a myth https://t.co/1on043AF2G
Not this show essentially now telling people that if they make changes to their life they can change their brain and get rid of ADHD. What kind of dangerous and ABLEIST ‘journalism’ is this? @Channel4pic.twitter.com/3H4MB1LtG3
Meanwhile others praised the show as “fantastic” and “inspirational”.
I know many people will find this documentary difficult to stomach, especially if being ADHD is central to one’s identity. But there’s no evidence ADHD is rooted in biological dysfunction. It’s rather a phrase describing some behaviours. It’s not a thing👇https://t.co/y4UL4JgbiT
I actually think #TheGreatADHDMyth was inspirational. How have we allowed Big Pharma, careless GP’s, snake oil salesmen with their absurd tests/pacifying drugs to impact tens of thousands of children and adults with a ‘neuro developmental’ diagnosis/condition/label? I am not an…
One in five (20%) people who watched the show and responded to ADHD UK’s survey said the programme had caused them ‘severe’ distress, with 38% saying it caused ‘significant’ distress.
When a famous person dies unexpectedly, people who enjoyed their work often feel the loss deeply. The news of Hayden Panettiere’s death at 36 has particularly hit manymillennials who grew up watching her performances in a way that can be hard to articulate.
Therapists and mental health experts say that reaction is completely understandable, and it says something meaningful about the generation that grew up with her.
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“I hear this from clients all the time – that there is this confusion about why they’re crying over someone they’ve never even met,” Gina Moffa, a grief therapist and author of Moving On Doesn’t Mean Letting Go: A Modern Guide to Navigating Loss, told HuffPost.
“We have all felt it at some point with a favourite public figure. And what I say is this: Your brain doesn’t actually care whether the relationship was mutual. It bonds with what’s familiar, what’s constant, what’s shown up for you again and again, even if that showing up only ever went one direction over a TV screen or a radio.”
The clinical term that helps explain what many people are feeling right now is a parasocial relationship – a one-sided bond that the brain forms with a public figure through repeated exposure. But experts say the term doesn’t entirely capture what these connections actually feel like from the inside.
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“If someone’s voice or presence has been an important or meaningful part of your life for years, through your breakups, your late nights trying to fall asleep, your growing up, your body doesn’t check whether they knew your name or were an actual part of your life in any reciprocal way,” Moffa said. “It only registers that this was steady, this was meaningful to me, and now it’s gone.”
“Our brains process the familiar faces and voices of celebrities we come to know and love the same way they process real friends because we see them on our screens, often daily, in our own homes,” she said.
“This is partly rooted in mirror neurons, which fire when we observe someone else’s emotions and allow us to internally mimic or feel connected to what we see as we may be experiencing many of the same emotions and events in our own lives,” she continued.
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“When we watch a celebrity on TV, these mirror neurons let us resonate with their emotions, creating a bridge of identification.”
That’s why your brain doesn’t need a two-way relationship to form a meaningful attachment. Spending formative years with a pop culture figure creates a sense of familiarity, which can foster a genuine sense of companionship.
“Whether it is music, movies, sports, television or social media, we can feel like our paths have mirrored the path of the celebrity and we have ‘grown up with them’ or they represent a particular moment or time in our lives,” said Dr. Jessi Gold, a psychiatrist and chief wellness officer at the University of Tennessee System.
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“I think about this like, ‘Oh, that movie meant so much to me when…’ and we have feelings that associate with that movie, that time, that character, and those translate to the human who portrayed them.”
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As we age as millennials, the death of celebrities shakes us out of our egocentric internal teenage feeling and forces us into the fragile reality that our own mortality is real.
– Tychelle Graham-Moskowitz, therapist
So when that celebrity dies, you might feel grief over who they were to you or that time in your life. For nostalgia-driven millennials, it can be a powerful gut punch.
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“I do believe there is a special relationship with millennial grief of celebrities,” Moffa said. “With my millennial clients, what I notice is that the grief they experience is not really just about the person, but also about the version of themselves that existed the last time they watched them and how they felt about their own life and themselves in the world.
“These weren’t just actors and actresses – they were sitting on the couch with us as kids, shaping what we thought friendship or relationships or love looked like. So when they’re gone, part of what’s actually being mourned is that chapter of your life feeling unreachable in a new way.”
Because Panettiere was a child actor as well, many millennials literally grew up alongside her and feel her death in a deeply personal way.
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“As we age as millennials, the death of celebrities shakes us out of our egocentric internal teenage feeling and forces us into the fragile reality that our own mortality is real,” Graham-Moskowitz said.
Public figures remind us of the passage of time and our own place within it.
“When a person who represented those memories or versions of ourselves dies, it can feel like a piece of history lost, or it can make us confront our own age more and the idea that we are getting older, our friends are getting older, and we will have more loss as a result,” Gold said. “Death reminds us that time has passed – even if part of us still feels like we were watching them on TV yesterday.”
Jon Kopaloff via Getty Images
Hayden Panettiere died on Aug. 16, just days before what would have been her 37th birthday.
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Panettiere and other former child actors who have recently passed away – like Michelle Trachtenberg and Daveigh Chase – served as role models and influential peers in a sense.
“Celebrities who were present during your developmental years become part of your internal reference system,” said Chloë Bean, a licensed marriage and family therapist.
“They model resilience, sexuality, independence and aspirational qualities when you’re just starting to figure out who you are. You looked up to them in your youth for guidance and self-direction. So you’re grieving that chapter, your childhood, and the part of you that felt so connected to them.”
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She also pointed to the role cable TV played in cementing these bonds as well.
“For many millennials, the TV was the babysitter and an escape,” Bean said. “These actresses felt like friends because they were in your home multiple nights a week, sometimes for years. You weren’t just watching them on the screen, the experience felt like you lived and grew up alongside them. Millennials compare themselves to millennial celebrities in a way that no other generation has before. We aged with them, watching them getting married, struggling, hitting their 30s and 40s.”
Other technological advancements further deepened the connection and the sense of certain celebrities as a constant, stable presence in life.
“Millennials were the first generation to have access to the internet in our homes as a regular occurrence, so not only did we see our favourite celebrities in movies, on television, in magazines and so on, but we got a chance to search more about them on the internet and eventually in the palms of our hands,” Graham-Moskowitz noted.
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It’s safe to assume Gen Z may feel celebrity losses even more intensely due to their lifelong parasocial access as well.
“The loss of a celebrity can also be a grief trigger to other grief – other relationships we’ve lost or represent a loss of time, innocence and childhood, or even symbolise our own death or mortality,” Gold said. “And, the communal reaction on social media can also amplify the expression of it all. The grief is usually about more than just the person.”
Therapists pointed to another profound dimension in grieving Panettiere’s death.
“With Hayden specifically, I think what made this loss land so [personal] for so many people is that she wasn’t just a face we grew up watching – she used her platform to speak openly about postpartum depression and trauma and battles with drug use, at a time when very few public figures are willing to say those things out loud and be this vulnerable,” Moffa explained.
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Indeed, Panettiere’s recent memoir and interviews added to the depth of connection.
“Unlike many celebrities who have struggled with mental health or substance abuse, Hayden was extraordinarily open about her experiences, and that kind of vulnerability results in followers truly rooting for her and wanting her to overcome these obstacles, which makes her loss even more devastating,” said licensed marriage and family therapist Becky Stuempfig.
“When someone visible says ‘me too,’ it gives people permission to stop hiding their own pain,” Moffa added. “She didn’t just play characters we loved; she showed up as herself, in her own struggle, and that kind of honesty tells people watching from their own dark moments that they’re not alone in the struggle. That can be a whole other part of the grief experience we don’t talk enough about.”
Bean captured what makes this grief so uniquely hard to put into words.
“The millennial generation will feel every celebrity passing because we grew up believing we knew them,” she said. “Social media provides intimacy and daily access, but growing up watching these actresses on shows created a fantasy that felt real. We’re grieving them like we’d grieve a friend who turned out to be a stranger, someone we only knew from one direction. That’s where the grief hits hardest, and it’s what makes it so difficult to articulate.”
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She didn’t just play characters we loved; she showed up as herself, in her own struggle.
– Gina Moffa, grief therapist and author
If you’re feeling blindsided by how much a celebrity death is affecting you, therapists have some guidance.
“Don’t let anyone talk you out of feeling the shock and grief, because the relationship wasn’t ‘real’ in any traditional sense, or because they were ‘just a celebrity,’” Moffa said.
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“Grief doesn’t require reciprocity to be legitimate. It only requires attachment and meaning. If someone shaped who you became, at any age, or time in your life, in any way, that grief deserves the same gentleness you’d give any other loss.”
She emphasised that you don’t need permission to feel deep sadness and loss.
“When a death is sudden and shocking, the unanswered questions and uncertainty about the death being accidental or intentional [exacerbate] the complicated nature of the grief process,” Stuempfig said. “This is very different than an anticipated dying process from a medical illness or ageing. Our brains and bodies have a harder time processing emotions when there are unanswered questions.”
Talk about those feelings with a trusted friend or family member, ideally even someone who was also a fan or can help identify these emotions.
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“The concept of ‘name it to tame it’ can be helpful with grief as it is critically important to identify the various feelings that arise so they can be validated,” Stuempfig said.
Be mindful of social media consumption, too.
“You don’t need to read every tribute, every post, and every statement if you feel impacted,” Gold said. “You can still care about an event or person and their death, and detach and take time away from the news, if needed. You also should not feel like you have to post or comment if you don’t know what to say. You can take time to figure out your feelings about something or grieve alone, that is OK, too. You don’t have to say something to show you care.”
Remember that grief, as painful as it can be, may also be a source of social connection.
“As we mourn the deaths of our favourite celebrities, know that we collectively mourn together, much like to do when we mourn in our own family members,” Graham-Moskowitz said. “The connected space that the internet creates can bring us a sense of comfort and togetherness, where we feel seen. This can be helpful. Also, go call a friend!”
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And when these experiences bring up heavier feelings around your own mental health, Gold encouraged reaching out.
“If any of these deaths make you think more about your own mental health, I hope you reach out and ask for help,” she said. “There are hotlines, local therapists and everything in between. You can also start with a trusted family member or friend. Just start somewhere.”
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Help and support:
Mind, open Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm on 0300 123 3393.
Samaritans offers a listening service which is open 24 hours a day, on 116 123 (UK and ROI – this number is FREE to call and will not appear on your phone bill).
CALM (the Campaign Against Living Miserably) offer a helpline open 5pm-midnight, 365 days a year, on 0800 58 58 58, and a webchat service.
The Mix is a free support service for people under 25. Call 0808 808 4994 or email help@themix.org.uk
Rethink Mental Illness offers practical help through its advice line which can be reached on 0808 801 0525 (Monday to Friday 10am-4pm). More info can be found on rethink.org.
“At this time, Perez remains hospitalised and is receiving the medical care he needs. His treatment is continuing in an inpatient setting under the care of a dedicated team of medical and mental health professionals.”
They also shared that Perez’s team will begin updating his celebrity blog from this week onwards while he continues his recovery.
“For now, Perez’s health remains the priority as his team keeps the site active and moving forward,” they added.
The former Celebrity Big Brother housemate – whose legal name is Mario Lavandeira – was subsequently taken to a nearby hospital for medical attention.
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“Perez’s condition remains serious but stable,” his family said last week. “He experienced significant blood loss and sustained additional injuries that will require surgery in the coming days.
“His treatment and recovery will be a long process. We are grateful that Perez was able to spend time with his mother and sister yesterday.
“As our family remains focused on Perez’s treatment and recovery, we also need the space and privacy to care for everyone affected by this situation.”
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Before that, the family had said their “highest priority” was helping Perez’s children – aged 13, 11 and eight – “begin to heal from what they experienced” following the episode.
They noted that his children, niece and sister had all been at Perez’s home before the livestream got underway, but “immediately fled to protect the children from witnessing any further trauma” when it “became clear that Perez was experiencing a severe mental health crisis and harming himself”.
When I was 17 years old, I wrote Elliott Smith a fan letter.
It was the year 2000, and I was a high school senior in Dallas. I had never written a fan letter to anyone, but I felt connected to Elliott, despite the fact that we didn’t really have that much in common.
He was, after all, a man in his 30s who had tattoos and wore an assortment of black band tees, while I was a teenage girl who shopped at Abercrombie & Fitch. He sang about drinking and drugs; I hadn’t even tried my first beer.
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He had the aura of a defiant nonconformist, while I was a pleaser and overachiever, writing for the school paper, singing in the choir, and joining an endless stream of extracurriculars and clubs to pad my college applications.
But Elliott seemed like the quiet type, and so was I, with high social anxiety and low self-esteem. He seemed like an outcast, and I often felt out of place and lonely in the Texas suburb where I grew up, even with family and friends around me.
He seemed sad; I was a bit sad too.
But what really mesmerised me most about Elliott was his vulnerability. He laid himself so bare in his music, and when I listened to his songs, it felt like reading a diary. It wasn’t just the lyrics – it was his soft singing style, his careful finger-picking, the way he layered vocal tracks so tenderly. I felt like I knew him, like I was a friend he trusted with his secrets.
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I wanted to reach out to Elliott to thank him, and convey how important his music was to me. I found an address for his record label, Kill Rock Stars, in the liner notes of one of his CDs, and I mailed the letter. And then I waited.
Months passed, and no response. Maybe I sent it to the wrong address, I thought. I never really expected to hear back, but I did wonder if he even got it.
Graduation came and went. I headed off to college. Elliott didn’t release any new albums.
And in 2003, he died violently and tragically at the age of 34.
The subject line read “Fwd: Elliott Smith biography.” My former boss had passed along a message that was sent to my old work email – the one associated with my maiden name, which no one had called me in years. It was 2023, and I had recently turned 40.
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The email was from a writer named Jamie Fisher, who said she was working on a biography about Elliott Smith.
“I’m wondering if you’re the same Kirby Van Amburgh who wrote a fan letter to him around 2000,” she wrote. “His family still has the letter, and I was wondering whether you got a response.”
I sucked in my breath. This means Elliott got my letter! I thought. He must have read it, right? And if he kept it, maybe it meant something to him.
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I responded to Jamie immediately. Even though I hadn’t gotten anything from Elliott, she still wanted to talk to me, so we set up a time to chat on the phone the next week.
Before our phone call, Jamie also sent me a photo of my letter to Elliott. It was handwritten on notebook paper, both sides. In the letter, I wrote that I was a 17-year-old girl who had bought all of his CDs.
I think your music is really addictive. It’s so original and creative. I’ve never heard anything like it.
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I shared that I liked to play the piano and guitar and sing. I told him that he was an inspiration to me, that listening to his music encouraged me to create my own style.
I try to write my own songs and make them as unique and personal to me as your work is to you.
But I didn’t want to be a musician as a career, I said.
I want to be a writer.
I praised him some more and said that even if my letter never reached him, it was OK.
You are worth the time it took to write this, and you’ll keep kicking ass.
I told him he was incredible and thanked him. I signed it with a “Sincerely.”
If Elliott did in fact read the letter, I could see why he kept it. I’m sure it was refreshing to get something so wholesome.
C Brandon via Getty Images
Elliott Smith.
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In the days that followed, I went up into the attic and pulled out my old high school diaries, skimming the pages for mentions of Elliott. I had written about him several times: I journalled about buying my first Elliott Smith CD and hearing the spidery notes of Speed Trials trickling through the speakers of my Magnavox boombox. And I wrote about my letter, saying, “I hope he gets it. I hope he likes it!”
When we finally got on the phone, Jamie asked if I had continued with my writing or music, and I told her about my winding career path: I was a teacher for several years, then worked at a nonprofit for the next decade. I had dabbled in freelance writing here and there, but it never went anywhere. At one point, I wrote a novel for kids, but it was never published.
I told her I had recently transitioned to a job as a writer for a market research company, which I really enjoyed because I got to write every day, albeit in a different way than I envisioned when I was 17.
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I talked about my songwriting and how I was in a musical duo with my friend Todd in the early aughts. We put out an EP, some singles, and even a couple of music videos, filmed in Todd’s backyard. It was all just for fun, but it was also a bit stressful sharing my songs and putting myself on display like that.
I explained that creative writing – both on paper and in music – was emotionally difficult for me. Unlike writing for business, when I wrote anything personal, I felt an intense fear of being exposed. I put so much of myself in my fiction, essays, poems and songs. I was terrified of releasing them for public consumption because any rejection of my creative work felt like a rejection of me as a person. Perhaps that’s why I was so in awe of Elliott: he shared so much of himself in his art, in a way that I never quite could.
After a while, Jamie paused and said that she didn’t reach out to me just because of the book. There was another reason.
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“Elliott wrote you a response.”
I literally burst into tears.
He did? I choked out. Jamie started crying too.
She said that Elliott’s letter was in the box with my letter. She didn’t know why he never sent it. Maybe he didn’t have a stamp and then forgot about it. At any rate, it was there, waiting to be found.
Jamie read the letter to me over the phone.
Dear Kirby, I read your letter and it made me happy – thanks.
Elliott wished me success with my writing, whatever success meant to me personally. He talked about his love of reading and recommended an author he was really into at the moment, Mikhail Bulgakov. He shared that he sometimes secretly wished he was a writer instead of a musician, as his music so often diverged from mainstream tastes.
He thanked me for adding a little brightness to his day.
I’m glad you see creativity in yourself, the world needs as much of it as it can get, so go out and kick ass!
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He signed it with a heart.
Photo Courtesy Of Kirby Rock
The author with her husband and daughter (2025).
After my call with Jamie, I felt a surge of inspiration. Since having my daughter three years earlier, I had stopped going to my writing group, and I hadn’t written a song or even played my instruments in a long time. But now I felt the urge to return to my writing and music, even if for no other purpose than bringing me joy.
In the months that followed, I brought my guitar down from the attic. I played Old MacDonald Had A Farm for my daughter over and over, building the calluses back up on my fingers. I wrote her an original song about handwashing, Scrubbly Bubs and Bubs and Scrubs (which was well received). Last year, along with my husband and two other dads, I played a three-song acoustic set of Raffi covers for our kids’ class at school. It was thrilling to see them laughing and clapping and dancing, a crowd of generous and adoring fans.
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I rejoined my writing group. I wrote a little book about potty training for my daughter (which was less well received). I revisited a short story about alien abduction that I had initially drafted and abandoned several years earlier. I wrote a bad poem about the lizards on my back porch. I wrote this essay. Now I write and write and continue to write.
After I told one friend about Jamie’s call, he asked if I was upset that I never got the letter when I was a teen. I said no. Strangely, I was almost thankful that Elliott never sent the letter. It felt like his words were meant for me at age 40, not age 17. I received his encouragement when I really needed it – not when I was already full of excitement and hope and possibility, but later in life, when I needed to be reminded of the spark inside of me.
I wrote to Elliott years ago to thank him. And in a way, I wrote this to thank him again.
“Nobody Broke Your Heart, an intimate biography of Elliott Smith by Jamie Fisher, will be released by Penguin Random House on Aug. 25.
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Yes, on Friday evening, the Official Charts Company revealed that Love Sensation had entered at number eight, marking Madonna’s highest-charting single since Celebration in 2009.
More than a decade ago, Kylie opened up to HuffPost UK about her hopes to team up with Madonna one day, enthusing: “That would be incredible! It’s like maybe the world would stop mid orbit! Yeah, it would be incredible.”
