Fames and Misfortune....

It always saddens me when talented people die tragically. In recent times, the likes of Amy Winehouse, Michael Jackson and - now - Whitney Houston have died the victims of tragic paths their lives have taken.

Is the price people pay for fame and fortune worth it? Is putting yourself in the spotlight worth risking everything?

Many cynics will say artists know what they are getting into when they choose to be in a profession that ultimately thrusts them into spotlight.

In some retrospects actors, musicians and even writers know there is going to be the chance they will rise to a fame beyond their own expectations. They're aware with fame and fortune there's going to be some invasion of privacy but just how much are they prepared for.

Can anyone ever be really prepared for the constant gossip fodder or the aggression of some of the Paparazzi (not just in Hollywood or the UK but all over the world).

They know hot gossip sells - the raunchier, the better. They're aware of all of this, but the reality is many of those who start out in the industry do what they do because of the love of it not because of how famous they will become. I'm not saying there are those out there who will not seek fame and fortune just for the sake of being famous.
What I'm saying is I don't believe anyone can ever prepare themselves mentally for the price fame brings them.

Anyone who takes a tentative step into the artistic arena knows the risks, but I don't believe anyone can ever prepare themselves mentally for the price fame brings them. They may tell themselves that they're ready for it, but unless they have a glass ball that can tell them what their future holds, there is no way they can really be completely prepared.

Writers, in some retrospects, are lucky. We can hide behind pseudonyms. We don't necessarily have to change our lives too much - unless you're J.K Rowling. We're allowed to have talent and most the time we're allowed to remain in the background.

Few gossip magazines want to write about who writers are dating (Unless of course we're dating Ryan Gosling or Reynolds then we're definitely in the spotlight and scrutinized like an ant underneath a magnifying glass). They don't care what we wear, what we eat or how many kilos we put on.

There are writers who have just as many personal demons (See Ernest Hemingway and Sylvia Plath), as the likes of Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston or Amy Winehouse. The difference is their public identity will not be dragged through the mud and will not become a source of entertainment because it will sell magazines.

It saddened me hearing the news of Whitney Houston's death. Not only because it was a shock and she was a talented vocalist and musician, but because the first thing I thought was the media will bring forth all her past indiscretions, all the bad choices she made and her cocaine addiction.

I just hope people look past all of that and remember her for what she was once was - a woman with an amazing vocal range and a shining star.