It is not often that I feel the need to blog on people’s passing but the news today of the death of Cory Monteith has created in me a need to comment, firstly, on the tragedy of his passing and secondly, on the speed at which such news spreads in the age of social media and how this affects us.

Cory was a relative unknown when he came to the public eye through the television show ‘Glee’.  His character was the quarterback who joined the glee club and showed that, despite differences in social status, it was possible to be friends with people outside of your usual high school clique,

He had his personal demons and was frank about how he had risen above the indiscretions of his youth and was attempting to overcome his substance dependence.  His recent stint in rehab was much publicised and he seemed to have sorted his life out with a wedding planned in a few weeks. He also has three projects in post-production so his career was on a positive trajectory.

Now he is gone.  While the circumstances around his death are, as yet, still unclear, suffice it to say that, tragically, another talented young man has left us. In his passing there has been an enormous outpouring of grief on the various social media platforms. His fans, his friends and his cast-mates are united in their grief and sense of loss.  –

Which leads to my second point – the speed with which news such as this spreads is frightening.  This young man’s body was discovered at midday Saturday (Vancouver Local Time) which is around 7.30p.m. GMT. The British Columbia officials confirmed his death after they had confirmed his identity and notified his immediate family.  This meant that the confirmation hit social media at around 7.30a.m. GMT.  So 12 hours after the discovery of his body the whole world had access to the news.

For some of his cast-mates and friends, social media may have been how they hear the news,  Loss is difficult to cope with at any time but I can’t think of anything worse than hearing news like this about someone you were close to or loved through a tweet or a status update,  This is the downside of social media and the speed of information dissemination through the internet.

However, the community of Glee cast and fans have taken to social media to share their grief and their memories. Such platforms as Twitter and Facebook are providing an outlet for these emotions in a way that would not have been possible in the past.  Unfortunately, there have also been negative and vitriolic comments made against some of the celebrities who have posted their thoughts on his passing and this is another negative aspect of social media forums: the internet trolls are also a cyber-bullying presence. I feel that showing such spiteful responses to others’ sense of loss is cruel, immature and unwarranted.

People are sad. Let them mourn.  Don’t make it harder for them to deal with their loss.

Cherish those around you; you can never be sure how long you will have them.