What dies when famous people die?

The past days have been really sad here, in the most southern country in the world. Last Friday, a plane with 21 passengers aboard went from the continent to an island. When they tried to land, something happened, and the plane crashed in the sea. 21 people missing.

And you know why they were trying to get to Juan Fernández island? 

Because they were in a social campaign to rebuild Chile after the 2010 earthquake. They had been there before and the small population living there was grateful. Some of the passengers were part of the Air Force, some of them were part of the Ministry of Culture, some of them were part of a social movement dedicated to rebuild the country, and some of them were part of a popular TV morning show.

By now, they have found 14 victims. Some of them were not even the complete bodies. The accident was too violent, the plane was smashed to smithereens.

One of the most famous passengers, 44 years old TV show presenter, Felipe Camiroaga was identified yesterday (I think he looked a bit like Clark Gable). TV viewers have felt his death in a very deep way, like he was a relative or something.  Hundreds of people have visited the TV station building and lit candles, left flowers and letters. I've seen women and men crying for him: for more than 20 years Felipe was part of their lives, bringing good vibes, humor and a natural presence to their daily routines.

That's the power of TV and cinema.

In the way I see things, when you die, your existence just stops. No more emotions, no more worries, no more happiness, no more sadness, no more nothing. So, the people that stays is really crying for something they have lost. For something they're missing. For something they fear. A sense of impotence and injustice is also there.

And when famous people perish, you also feel that death is something real, that it can reach everybody, no matter how ubiquitous the screens seem to make them.

This accident has made me think in Carole Lombard's death, who died in a mission, fighting for her beliefs and what she thought it was correct and right. Death was waiting for her too, in the heights, in the mountains. 

When famous people die, a bit of hope dies with them. But we, the survivors, can extend their existence with the memory. And, in the end, famous people are lucky: the screens help us to make them somehow immortal.

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PS: In the last show Felipe did, a few hours before his death, he interviewed Nick Vujicic, an Australian guy that was born without arms and legs and now he travels the world giving a message of hope. You can watch the interview here: part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4.