After the death of beloved actress Catherine O’Hara this past January, fans were quick to spread the news on social media, posting clips and memories about her prolific career. Gen-Z continues to be affected through strong emotional attachments, stemming from the parasocial relationship they develop online.
Parasocial relationships are one-sided emotional connections with individuals that people do not know personally. Jack Lasby, a writer from EBSCO Information Services, said parasocial interaction forms from “an imaginary interaction with a media figure that occurs during a discreet situation in which one is engaging with some form of media.”
The digital era has tied celebrities to the lives of ordinary individuals, with fans grieving more immensely due to their emotional connection.
“Some people feel like they have a stronger connection to celebrities than they do, and that definitely makes it more of an emotional thing when someone does pass away,” said Anna Fringuelli, a junior majoring in economics. “I fear for when Taylor Swift passes away because people think she’s their best friend.”
Social media has also created fandom culture, which are communities built around a specific celebrity or group. A notable example is the 2010s boy band One Direction, which took advantage of early social media by posting on YouTube and gained publicity after its formation on the seventh season of “The X Factor (UK).”
Millions of fans from around the globe idolized the boy band; however, the band members broke up in 2016 to follow their own solo careers. The fandom was devastated due to their separation and further devastated when member Liam Payne died in October 2024.
“I think that sometimes people view pop stars or singers, almost like religious figures in a way. It’s sort of like a cult that forms around them,” said Morgan Langley, a visiting student from the Georgia Institute of Technology. “I feel like it definitely touches way more people nowadays that we have social media.”
The death of a celebrity is posted online almost instantaneously, with social media users spreading the news faster than ever before. Rapid communication also causes fans to have constant reminders of the death of celebrities online, deepening their grief.
Lila Alonso, a freshman majoring in apparel and textiles, said that when she saw that “Grey’s Anatomy” actor Eric Dane died on Feb. 15, she immediately sent an Instagram post to her friends because she knew he meant a lot to them.
Many fans grow attached to celebrities due to their significance in their childhoods. The celebrity is not always what people are attached to; sometimes, fans identify with the character they portray.
“When Matthew Perry died, that was really sad because, as a kid, I always had a connection with ‘Friends,’ and he was always my favorite character,” Langley said. “I feel like we kind of mourn their character more than we maybe mourn who they actually were because we don’t know who they were.”
Gen Z continues to be impacted by celebrity deaths due to social media, with the emotional connection intensifying from the parasocial relationship developed through a screen. Supporters grieve communally online, showing how the celebrity impacted them personally and as a community.
“It’s kind of weird to be all of a sudden a part of everyone’s grieving process,” Langley said. “They’re posting their grief, which is just kind of like, you never thought you would be a part of that person’s grief. I feel like that’s maybe something not expected.”