Originally Posted by
RanRan79
Sup, if I'm understanding you correctly, you're talking about a public memorial for Florence, yes? In that case, I think you're a bit too early for that to really be a thing, like Michael Jackson. I know celebrity funerals were sometimes open to the public back in the day, but it was probably rare for there to be a specific ceremony for fans. And lets be real, Florence had spent the last several years in almost obscurity until the story broke of her troubles. And while many people were rooting for her, it wasn't like this was Elvis. It's not like Florence died while a member of the Supremes. And again, this was 1976, things were done a bit different then than it would be today.
But again, you are diminishing the humanity of Florence's friends and family to satisfy the desires of fans. I just don't understand the rationale. Grief is often private. The funeral wasn't closed to the public. I think Flo's family did enough for the fans to not only allow them to attend the funeral but also allow them to view Flo's body at the funeral home. At what point do the Ballards, Chapmans, Diana and Mary, and the other people who knew and loved Florence beyond her skill as a vocalist and her recorded work and public performances be allowed to deal with that grief without the burden of worrying about satisfying those who only knew Flo as a member of the Supremes? I don't think that's fair, whether it be Flo or anyone else.
I didn't think the Jacksons owed us fans anything when MJ died, nor the Houstons when Whitney passed, nor the Franklins when Aretha went home. I'm glad they did, of course. For me these people were like family because of the joy they brought me throughout my life. But whatever grief I felt for the deceased didn't compare to the nightmare their loved ones were living and I didn't have the right to ask or demand a public anything, none of us did.
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