Remembering MJ: Snakkle Commemorates 13 Celebrities Gone Too Soon
“Goodbye, England’s Rose,” sang Elton John at the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, while the world watched with tears and empathy. On August 31, 1997, we lost the People’s Princess in a tragic, paparazzi-fueled car chase through the streets of Paris. Fate has taken a number of other much-missed public figures before their time; now we’re celebrating the life of England’s Rose and 12 other celebrities lost to tragedy. By Katherine ButlerShy Lady Diana Spencer became a worldwide sensation when she married His Royal Highness Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, in 1981. Soon a devoted mother to Prince William and Prince Harry, Diana was thrown into a whirlwind of headlines detailing her marital drama, fashion escapades, and more. But Diana also dedicated much of her short life to helping the disadvantaged, including working with the homeless, elderly, and HIV-positive. She was posthumously granted the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997 for her campaign to ban international land mines. Certainly Elton John’s words proved prophetic on that sad day so long ago. “Your candle burned out long before your legend ever will,” sang the longtime friend of the Princess. And—as 15 years have shown—he was right.