Part 3/10:
This culling of mainstream icons reflects the Internet's fragmentation—where celebrity is niche and segmented—making the death of a figure like Ozzy feel more personal to specific groups than to the entire nation. The fall of legacy media and the rise of individual micro-celebrities mean that while hundreds of names can be added to death lists annually, the collective mourning is less profound than when mass media dominated.
The Death Toll of Cultural Icons
This year has seen the loss of many influential figures across various domains. Names like Malcolm Jamal Warner, George Foreman, Michael Madsen, Michelle Trachtenberg, Wingshouser, Gene Hackman, Irv Gotti, David Lynch, Mark Snow, and others have all departed, each leaving behind a footprint in their respective fields.