Heartbeat

What fan culture and mourning can teach us about grief

Cynthia Lodite 22nd November, 2025 07:04 AM

When a beloved celebrity dies, the outpouring of emotion from fans often takes over social media feeds, headlines, and even public spaces.

From candlelit vigils to heartfelt tributes online, fan culture provides a collective space to grieve people we may have never met, yet deeply felt connected to.

This kind of mourning, often dismissed as excessive or performative, can actually teach us profound lessons about the nature of grief, community, and the human need for shared meaning. In understanding fan-driven mourning, we open a window into how people process loss in the modern age.

In research by Susan Cadell, who is a professor of social work at the University of Waterloo, and Stephanie Levac, who is a research coordinator at the School of Social Work, University of Waterloo, both identified lessons to learn from fans grieving celebrity deaths.

The duo explained lessons to learn from grief and how grief is something that is rarely taught to communities.

Grief literacy

“How to deal with grief is something that is rarely taught to us. Grief literacy, a concept coined by author Rachelle Bensoussan, aims to normalise grief, as it is an experience that will touch everyone at some point in life.”

“Grief literacy aims to enhance our understanding and recognition of grief of all kinds in order to better support it in ourselves and others,” they explained.

They went on explaining how relationships between celebrities and fans are often seen as one-sided parasocial relationships that fans invest energy and time into.

“However, social media platforms and specifically live-streaming features change the nature of parasocial relationships. These technologies grant fans access into the personal homes and lives of celebrities and allow celebrities to engage with fans in real time,” they added.

Meanwhile, in Kenya, it is common for fans to gather when a celebrity dies.

On the other end, the researchers explained some findings: that people often talk about the isolation that comes when grieving, and they think they should not talk about someone who has died because they might upset the grieving person.

“In our research on grief, people often talk about the isolation that comes when grieving. People often think they should not talk about someone who has died because they might upset the grieving person.”

“We hear time and time again that grievers are thinking of the person who died and want to talk about them. So gathering in small or large groups and talking about grief can be beneficial,” read the research findings.