It’s one of those things you know happens, but so long as you don’t actually see the behind the scenes of it, it’s fine. Yes, the pre-made obituaries for celebrities are just one of many macabre facts of life. But that’s the reason certain publications (ahem, People) should be more careful about jumping the gun on expecting a famous person, like Kirk Douglas, to die. Not dead
Embarrassing for all involved, even Kirk Douglas, who probably feels like he’s being gently pushed off earth’s plane, perhaps there is something to be said for actually waiting for a person to die before gearing up their remembrance for publication. After all, is it really that difficult to type up an article about a person’s life? No. It’s called journalism. Kirk Douglas in Ace in the Hole
Presuming Douglas makes it to December 9th, his 98th birthday, the legendary actor will be the last of a bygone era–that of Golden Age Hollywood, when the movies were still rife with glamour, but still seemed to have an underlying grit (see: Douglas in Ace in the Hole, one of the best movies about journalism ever made, and obviously a film the writers at People should consider watching). In spite of the creep factor of People accidentally running Douglas’ obit, it will at least give the actor/writer (he has a forthcoming book of poetry coming out, in addition to the many other memoirs he’s written in the past) plenty of fuel to prove them wrong for awhile by continuing to live.
