Warming Up

Monday 29th December 2003

Yesterday Alan Bates, today Bob Monkhouse. I always feel a bit sorry for celebrities who die during the last week of the year. Fair enough, they've made it to Christmas and had their pressies and everything (although they've scarcely been given an opportunity to enjoy them), but by leaving things so late they miss out on the Review of the Year round up of who has passed away this year.
It may be a small disappointment to them, but I usually read those lists in the papers and realise I had missed one or two of the deaths (due to holidays or whatever) or had forgotten that on particular celeb had passed away. And if you're famous, it must be comforting to know that your passing was important enough to make it into a significant event of the year.
So to miss out on this list is a small kick in the teeth. It's probably not as bad as the actual dying, but it must be galling to die knowing that if you'd just held out another three or four days then people would be thinking of you again in a year's time.
And a lot of people are away over Christmas and so might well miss the news. And with no review of the year coming to remind them, they might live the rest of their lives assuming that you are still alive (and just not getting any work).
Perhaps every ten years we could have a newspaper reminder of all the people who've died in the last week of the year for the previous decade. Just so they get their fair amount of recognition and clear up any confusion over whether they are still alive or not.
To avoid anyone waiting too long for this accolade I suggest the list is published in January.