Have you ever cried over a celebrity or complete strangers death, why?

Mr Rogers. Was like a light went out in the world. Robin Williams came close. Each a symbol of joy and kindness.
- Robin Williams was my first big celebrity cry.

Robin Williams, I legit cried for a day and couldn't think or hear his name for a long time without getting upset again.
Still sad that he's gone.
- It's still hard for me to watch movies he's in. Just reminds me he's no longer around.
  
  I've been able to watch his stand up bits and some interviews, but yeah still can't watch his movies yet. One day soon I'll go on a Robin Williams marathon.

Yes, hardcore for Steve Irwin. His shows taught me what love is, since I never really saw it at home
- Seconded for this. I actually bonded with my partner over our intense idolization of Steve Irwin as kids lol

Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett. Because or seemed like they still had more to contribute
- Iain M. Banks too. ;-; Hydrogen Sonata was so good, and I remember seeing if there was another one in the works but turned out, no. Never will be...
  
  I'll be honest, one of his books was my least favourite I've ever read - Player of Games. I hated it the whole way through, just kept reading because I figured it would get better, and it didn't.
  The Wasp Factory was good though, albeit fucked up.
- I'm reading through Discworld for the first time now. Terry's genius cannot be overstated. Each next book is an absolute revelation (well. Eric was good not maybe not a revelation...). The way the characters grow and become individuals, seemingly with their own real lives. It hurts to know Sir Terry will never be able to tell us more about this fantastical, commentary-laden, hilarious world.
  GNU Sir Terry Pratchett.
- On the subject of authors, Robert Pirsig. His book made a bigger impact on me than any other, and I constantly re-read it anytime I feel lost or depressed or in need of some kind advice. It's the kind of advice I wish my dad had given me. Losing him was like losing the dad I wish I'd had.

Was teary all day at work when Terry Pratchett died
- GNU Terry Pretchett
  
  GNU Terry Pratchett
- I was okay that day, but lost it while reading The Shepherd's Crown.
  
  I was a little sad when I heard about it, as well as bittersweet while reading The Shepherd's crown. Then I closed the book, curled up in bed and wept myself to sleep.
  I've found joy in passing his name on to the next generation.
  Have you read Shaking Hands with Death? It's... cathartic.
- I knew he was gone when I started reading his books, and still I wept for hours when the realisation fully hit me.
  Through Discworld I really felt that he was, somehow, in a way, my friend. And then I finished all the books, remembered he was gone and I mourned him like a dear friend.
- My comment copied from above:
  I'm reading through Discworld for the first time now. Terry's genius cannot be overstated. Each next book is an absolute revelation (well. Eric was good not maybe not a revelation...). The way the characters grow and become individuals, seemingly with their own real lives. It hurts to know Sir Terry will never be able to tell us more about this fantastical, commentary-laden, hilarious world.
  GNU Sir Terry Pratchett

My second year of University a guy fell off the roof and didn't make it. Everyone was sent home while they cleaned everything up. That was the first time I cried for someone I didn't know.

When Akira Toriyama died I had to take some time off in the middle of work and go to the bathroom to cry. I think the reasons are obvious if you know who the man was. Here in Latin America Dragon Ball is almost a religion, you see the Z warriors wherever you look. Akira's pen drew the childhood of millions around the world for several generations, it is difficult to find someone here who has not been marked by his work. Even now my heart still crumples a little at the memory of him.
May you rest in peace, Master. As long as your memory lives on, you will remain immortal.
- You see a lot of "Z warriors" in Russia too, but much less Dragon Ball sadly :(

Steve Irwin was my first, but Chris Cornell and Chester Bennington back to back definitely got me hard. I choked up when LP played numb with nobody at the mic during their remembrence concert
- Yeah, that moment hit hard. I expected someone to come in and sing his part, then... oh. Right. Of course. :(

Anthony Bourdain. Still have a hard time watching his shows. Haven't yet watched the last season of Parts Unknown

Grant Imahara. I don't have to explain myself with this one. He made me childhood and his absolute inventiveness, curiousity and enthousiasm just was so terrific.

Actual cry? No.
But very close. Robin Williams

That toddler that got shot in a road rage incident a while back. I broke down when I read that the child said "Mommy, my tummy hurts" before he died. I think it hit me so hard because I have a little brother who was around that age at the time.
- That is really heart wrenching, oh my god.

I can't remember if I cried when I read about his widowed bride, but something touched me deep inside.
- The day the music died.
  
  Oh, my, my, this here Anakin guy, may be Vader some day later, now he's just a small fry. He left his home and- shit, wrong song.

A man only dies when he is forgotten.
Technoblade never dies.

Not usually, but Chris Cornell hit me hard. I had no connection other than loving his music and everything he did for Seattle musicians in the late 80s and early 90s, but I still think about it.
- I was working as a Wilderness Ranger in north Georgia USA when he died, and there was a place folks were building a shrine to him.

George Carlin was the only one I ever felt attached enough to, to have really felt a sense of loss by his passing.

Chester Bennington made me sad.

Alan Turing, they did him him real fucking dirty for way too fucking long

Kentarou Miura. Berserk is my favorite manga, I discovered it while going through a really tough time, and it helped me a lot. I read it a couple times over and over, and I impatiently waited for new chapters.
A couple years later, Miura-sensei died of heart issues, aged 54. Felt like a slap on the face, after all those jokes about how he was never going to finish Berserk because he was playing too much idol master. I still cry about it from time to time, when I have a bad day.
Rest in peace.
- luckily a close friend of his has taken up the mantle, and they have a team of artists that miura trained to replicate his art style.

David Bowie. He was such a cultural touchstone that influenced so much artistry on top of being a brilliant artist himself. I lived in New York City when he died and the stoop of his apartment turned into a makeshift memorial with countless people contributing objects that held significance to their relationship with him. I was so overwhelmed to see it that I cried.

Technoblade.
I’d watched him with my kids for years. He’s an amazing player and a really smart guy. I got my kid a leather bound copy of “The Art of War” because of the Potato Wars. Our shared love of video games, especially Minecraft, kept me involved with them during a pretty bad divorce.
So when they came to me, tears in their eyes, I wept as well. Because he was a connection to my children. And I wept for Technodad, as any other father would.
Congrats on 20 mill, Techno. May you never die.
- even just remembering this makes me cry again without fail

Robin Williams. I grew up knowing his more kid-friendly side as the voice of Genie and Batty Koda, his role in Jumanji, etc. Then growing up saw him in films like What Dreams May Come, Patch Adams, Mrs. Doubtfire. When I heard the news he not only died, but by suicide because the man suffered from a severe mental illness it really cut me to the core. It was like losing a favorite silly uncle. I still haven't been able to bring myself to watch any of his movies as I fear it will make me emotionally unstable again. Every year since it seems like I find out more about how much of an amazing character he was, and I'm glad he left a legacy, but god damn does it suck.

No, but the closest I've ever gotten to it was Steve Irwin. I had the pleasure of meeting him a few times and he was just the most genuine, caring guy you could ever meet. His entire being was dedicated to making the world a better place.

Robin Williams and Steve Irwin hit me the hardest for sure
- Robin Williams for me, too. I've often used comedy as a coping mechanism for depression, so I always looked up to comedians who spoke openly about their mental struggles. His death hit me really hard, because I thought to myself "if he - with his wealth and fame and success and adoration and near-infinite support system - couldn't make it, then what hope do I have with none of that?" That news really made me spiral for a bit.
  I later learned about the Lewy body dementia diagnosis, and that definitely changed things for me.

I cried for Ronnie James Dio I wanted to meet him so hard. Fuck cancer...
- This is one of mine. So glad I was able to see him perform! Very unexpected.
  
  I live in South America sadly I never had the chance.

Totalbiscuit / John Bain. He died twice, physically in 2018 then most of his legacy in the following years.

No never but I know when Jackie Chan passes away I'm going to be really hurt.
Man was my hero growing up with his movies and doing his own stunts.

I don’t even like his music all that much, but Avicii. Learning of the circumstances- he knew his mental health was not in a place where he could tour. He told his managers. They said “lol, sorry, tix are sold, no backing out now.” He died on the tour.
His music is so hopeful and encouraging and beautiful, it breaks my heart when any of his songs come on.

Adam Yauch.
Was sad for weeks and took me years to even listen to Beastie Boys again without getting weepy. Here was a guy that was a standard issue kid, making obnoxious music for laughs and fun, that showed the world how to really grow up and mature. We were supposed to get a couple more decades of his creativity and unstoppable kindness before it got taken from us.
I will forever miss MCA

I was watching American Manhunt: Osama Bin Laden the other day and the details about 9/11 really got me emotional. The suddenness and intensity of the attack, the efforts of first responders and government agencies, and the heroism of the passengers of flight 93 affected me very deeply.
I remember seeing another video once of firefighters hearing the sound of people jumping from the towers and crashing into the roof of the building they were in. Absolutely unimaginable how that day must have felt to the people that were there...

Robin Williams.
That man was a staple of my childhood, and him passing felt like the final nail in the coffin to where my childhood ended.

Not cried, but I felt shaken and sad when Iain Banks died. His writing isn't important to me the way a few other authors are, but I read his stuff at a very specific time in my life. I think his death got me thinking about my own mortality.
I didn't find out about Toren Smith's death until a few years ago. It's sad that he died so young. I felt the same way when Nigel Findley died.
Both of them created worlds that I ran TTRPGs in. I think that makes me feel a weird connection with them. They didn't know that I exist, but I still built on what they gave me, and that makes me feel a kinship (and admiration) for them.

Whitney

Leonard Nimoy was a pretty tough celebrity death for me. It was like losing a super cool uncle, a person who'd been in my life for my whole life, but hadn't seen in a long while, was dead.

No I haven’t
- Keeping my reply of emphatic no here to not clutter up the thread. The closest I ever came was raising a fictional toast when Brian Jacques passed. I downloaded a copy of the recipe book he had written and made some of the otter's hot soup.
  I do find it interesting that no one in the thread who answered yes is really trying to explain why they cried. Sure, saying that you cared about their work means that you thought they were important, but how is that enough to cause you to cry? It seems like we'd have to drill down into the idea of parasocial relationships and examine how much these folks have built up the idea that the person they cried over was actually a part of their life.

Yeah the first time was in 2009 after the German goalie Robert Enke had committed suicide. That one hit me mostly because of his wife. She made a very emotional public statement right after.
Second time, also 2009 a month after the first, was Brittany Murphy. Just came out of nowhere and she was still so young.
Then again in 2021 when Sean Lock passed. Still not fully over it if I'm being honest. That man is irreplaceable.
Edit: I forgor but just remembered another one. Carrie Fisher in 2016. Idk why her in parcicular but it was untimely and I always liked her.

So I started to listen to the Beatles in the 2010s without really knowing anything about them. After I was through most of their discography I read that Lennon was assassinated, and my heart sank.
Yer blues is my go-to song when I'm really down

The two that come to mind are George Harrison and Tom Magliozzi.

When Carrie Fisher died, I was very sad and for the next week I found myself rolling back a few tears every now and then. I was a SW fan from a young age and she was always like the sister I never had.

I'm not even really sure why but for some reason, Alan Rickman hit me pretty hard.
- I had to read too far for this.
  Yeah I think it was just the sort of huge mass way the HP community reacted, it was very wholesome. All Rickman ever wanted to be was an actor and he made it late in life then died.
  A huge part of Facebook was covered with:

Yeah. While I rarely work on the road these days I am a critical care paramedic by trade.
....and tbh, I did cry about some patients. ....the old nana who accidentally set herself ablaze a day before Christmas. ... The young lad who died a very gruesome death despite the efforts of over 50 rescuers. ... The 1 year old who died because the psychotic dad had stuffed his crib with blankets. (And dad was "clear" in the head when we arrived....imagine the pain he felt) ... And over the same dad when he hanged himself 6 months later.
There are a few more,worse ones, that I don't want to think back to

Freddie Mercury.
Diana Spencer.
Robin Williams.

Carrie Fisher really hit me hard. I don't know why. I guess she's always just has a soft spot in my heart.

Robin Williams, Norm Macdonald, and if David Attenborough ever dies, that's pretty much all the light gone out of my life.

No. I didn't know them and have had too many friends and family members die to care that much about a celebrity.

Kevin Conroy died in 2022. I'm not over it.

Sure. Sometimes things touch your soul when you're open to it or vulnerable.

Nah, fuck em rich narcissistic bastards
But if it has to be someone, I'd probably pay respects to Carl Sagan when he died if I was alive then.

Marie Fredriksson of Roxette, especially with the circumstance of her illness.
It was just a kind of perfect music.

I did when Mac Miller ODed, actually. Another friend of mine had also ODed somewhat recently and I was a huge fan of Mac's music.

Roberto Gómez Bolaños, El Chavo and Chapolin are a big deal here in Brazil and crossed 2 generations, we spent our entire childhood watching both of them everyday on tv, his death was huge blow.

I didn't cry, but was pretty sad when Mitch Hedberg passed. And earlier, when I learned my childhood fave Harry Chaplin had been gone for a few years.

Nope. I have never cried over a celebrity or a stranger. It's strange to see so many people who have. Isn't that a parasocial connection? The person you cried for never even knew you existed. You're hurting for no good reason.