Coping with death is never easy. At one point in our lives, everyone will experience losing someone close to them. A person who has lost a loved one will often feel sad and may face depression. This is inevitable.

These past few years seem to have held a substantial amount of celebrity deaths. Many of these celebrities were people that you and I looked up to. While they may not all have been great role models throughout their lives, no one is perfect.

In February 2012, world-renowned singer Whitney Houston passed away. Although I did not necessarily see her as a role model, I have fond memories of hearing her music growing up.

When she passed, the news did not shock me. I thought, “Oh, it’s just another celebrity drug overdose,” not thinking that she is someone’s loved one, mother, daughter, or friend. After her death, the Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said, “Her music inspired millions and the power of her voice was hard to match in its depth and crystalline beauty.” Just reading this quote makes me realize how much she touched people with her music.

Another celebrity who was widely loved around the world was Michael Jackson. He died in 2009, and I can remember the place I was when I found out the news. One of my good friends fell on her knees and starting crying. She felt so much for this man even though she had never met him. This astounded me, until I found out his music is what helped her cope with a death that happened in her family.

To this day you see magazines with Michael Jackson’s face on them, whether from his younger years in the Jackson 5, to his last days, people still loved him. There have been people who have not accepted his death so easily, and coming up with conspiracy theories about how he still lives on. This may be their own way of coping with his death.

Robin Williams was a beloved American actor who passed away in 2014. His death was so shocking that even President Obama remarked, “He was one of a kind. He arrived in our lives as an alien – but he ended up touching every element of the human spirit.”

During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Williams had an addiction to cocaine. He was a casual friend of John Belushi, and the sudden death of Belushi, along with the birth of his son Zak, prompted him to quit drugs and alcohol. Williams turned to exercise and cycling to help alleviate his depression shortly after Belushi’s death.

His depression continued until he had committed suicide at the age of 63 in August 2014. He starred in numerous films, including “Good Morning Vietnam,” “Good Will Hunting,” and “Aladdin.” These movies will continue to be classics and future generations will live on watching these amazing films.

The most recent celebrity death that has touched many, especially Minnesotans, is Prince. The Minnesota native died in his home in Chanhassen on April 21st, 2016. Countries all over the world showed sadness with the color purple. For many, he was also much more than a singer, he was an icon that showed the power of gender fluidity.

He was known for frequently dressing up in women’s clothing when he performed. He held many different sexual/gender identities across his career, which showed his desire to be recognized as a music artist before anything else.

When Prince decided to change his name to a symbol in 1993 he chose it since it united the male and female sex symbols. This not only made his identity an inherently androgynous one, but also made us see beyond him, beyond his name. Prince was an indefinable figure of culture and music.

Although all of these celebrities led very different lives this does not change the fact that many people loved them. If there is anything I have learned over the years it is that we all have people we look up to.

People will have differences of opinion but somehow death brings us together. You realize that other things that happened do not matter anymore; all that matters is that you have someone to mourn with. These are just some of the many beloved celebrities that people have grown to love and look up upon.

Respect the dead and try to understand that everyone mourns differently, so be supportive of those around you.