*This is a commentary from guest writer Kelly C. on the passing of legendary Batman actor Adam West*
So, Adam West died a couple of
weeks ago. I cried when I initially read the news, and I cried again every time
I saw another article about it, or every time a friend texted to ask how I was
doing. (What can I say, my love of Adam West and affirmation of him as the one
true Batman is fairly well known.) Basically, I cried a lot, and I felt
ridiculous for doing so. I mean, why should it matter to me, really? Which led
me to wonder, why do we get so upset about the deaths of celebrities anyway?
The vast majority of us can’t claim to have known them as actual humans beings,
we only know them as an image, usually one they have created. Even celebrities
that are very open with the public have at least some part of their life that
remains behind closed doors. I can say that I had the pleasure of meeting Adam
West at a comic-con once, along with countless other fans that weekend. That
doesn’t mean that I can claim that he was a friend, or an acquaintance, or even
a friend of a friend of a friend. So why do I care?
The answer, I think is simple. I
don’t feel like I’m blowing the lid off of any huge secret by writing about it,
it’s just something I realized during my day-long Batman marathon. We don’t
mourn a celebrity because of who they were. We mourn them because of who they
were to us. We’re sad because we remember how they made us feel or what they
meant to us. Maybe we even saw a little of ourselves in them or vice versa. And
when they’re gone, that’s gone.
Take Carrie Fisher as an example.
When she died last year, it was a blow to fans everywhere. And there are a
thousand reasons why. Her very open struggles and advocacy for mental health
made her a relatable figure for innumerable people. But she’s best known, of
course, as Leia. What she accomplished in Star Wars was to give a face to a
role that represented strength and independence while still being feminine. She
taught women over the past 40 years that a princess doesn’t have to relegate
herself to being a damsel in distress, that instead a princess can take matters
into her own hands and shape her own future. It was a defining role that showed
that a female can do or be anything. People remembered her for those
achievements and the fact that she empowered multiple generations, not so much
for who she was in day to day life. With any kind of fandom, that’s how it is.
So after all that, why am I sad
about Adam West? Well, here’s what he meant to me. I remember watching Batman
with my uncles during the summer months in New York
I have plenty of memories and all the places
they take me back to, but their creator is gone. And for that reason, I cried. It’s
been a couple of weeks, but if you’ll excuse me, I need to go watch more Batman
now.
