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When fans won’t let go, but your body can’t carry you anymore
Famous people can’t seem to unshackle themselves from their public persona, but this is not of their own doing. It’s how the fans can’t fully accept that these bigger-than-life personalities are actually normal human beings.
A photo mash of Hugh Masekela, Lira and Michael Schumacher. Pictures: Instagram / hughmasekela / miss_lira / michaelschumacher
Scepticism gripped me when I saw Jamie Foxx’s statement on Instagram this morning about him being stable following weeks in hospital, due to medical complications. “Appreciate all the love!!!” he wrote on Instagram. “Feeling blessed,” the multitalented artist shared with his 16, 2 million followers.
I’m not convinced Foxx wrote that or that he’s aware of it. The sceptic in me believes the Foxx family sent out the statement to allay the fears of his global fans. Why is it hard for fans to accept that their favourite famous people won’t always live up to the public figures they’ve built over a number of years?
Below is a list of some public figures that have gone through some health difficulties but somehow, their fans still wanted a piece of them, regardless of the severity of their condition. While others manged to slowly drift away from public eye, others were seemingly coerced into staying in the limelight.
Nelson Mandela
I won’t forget seeing our former president being paraded on the last night of the 2010 FIFA World Cup on that freezing evening in July. I understand the world was eager to see Madiba in the flesh, but for goodness sake, who wants to see a 91-year-old awkwardly waving at about 85 000 cheering spectators.
The old man should’ve enjoyed the final between Spain and the Netherlands in the comfort of his home. But I’m sure Sepp Blatter and his cronies thought, ‘you only live once, Madiba’.
NOW READ: Anger as Mandela statue closed to public on Freedom Day
Michael Schumacher
The sports icon and Ferrari legend crashed during a ski trip in Switzerland a decade ago (yes, it’s been that long) and sustained a traumatic brain injury.
Recently, a weekly German publication, Die Aktuelle, ran an ‘interview’ with Schumacher which was generated by artificial intelligence.
At the end of the article, the magazine revealed that they used an AI chatbot, reported to be Character.ai, to generate the answers.
Such is the desperation to hear from the seven-time F1 Champion that a story has to be made up. Die Aktuelle fired editor-in-chief Anne Hoffmann and issued an apology to Schumacher’s family.
The family has been very careful with what they share about Michael. In accepting the State Prize of North-Rhine-Westphalia last year, the driver’s wife Corinna said: “We try to carry on a family as Michael liked it and still does.
“And we are getting on with our lives. ‘Private is private’, as he always said. It is very important to me that he can continue to enjoy his private life as much as possible. Michael always protected us, and now we are protecting Michael.”
ALSO READ: Schumacher family to take legal action over fake AI quotes in ‘interview’
Hugh Masekela
The culture icon was more hands-on and direct about his public appearances after being diagnosed with cancer. In 2017 Masekela announced that he would be cancelling all his public appearances to focus on his fight against the disease.
Speaking to 702 host Azania Mosaka in 2017, the musician said “the most difficult thing is the people who want to come to see me. You know when people hear you’re sick, they all want to come to see you and they think that it’ll make you feel better”.
“And someone to pray for you, I said ‘pray where you are’,” the witty artist said.
Unlike Schumacher whose family shields from the public eye and Mandela being too old, Masekela was able to remove himself from prying eyes of fans.
ALSO READ: Bra Hugh – a lover of life, music, women and heritage
Lira
When the news broke out last year that the songstress had suffered a stroke while performing in Germany, which left her with limited ability to communicate, her team released a statement to explain why she won’t be seen publicly. This is similar to how Schumacher’s family shielded him from the unnecessary public appearances.
Together with her team, the singer from Benoni seems to have manged whatever that gets put out. On the third month since her stroke last year, she updated fans on Instagram saying, “I’ve made such awesome progress- I’m proud of myself and I give thanks to God. Your prayers have been massively appreciated. I can talk now, although I need a little patience. I can read and I can write”.
NOW READ: ‘It took me 2 hours to find my hotel’ – Lira shares intimate details about her stroke
Johnny Clegg
The man affectionately known as the White Zulu, Johnny Clegg was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2015 and went through rigorous treatment that included two six-month sessions of chemotherapy and an operation that he said had “reconfigured my tubing”, in an interview.
During his treatment, Clegg obviously couldn’t perform and stayed away from the public eye. But in 2017, he had a Final Journey tour in which he graced the stage for the last time, in various parts of the world.
He really didn’t need to, but Clegg described the tour as an “autobiographical show”. Honouring these performances was clearly something in his heart and those around him helped him achieve it, in the healthiest way possible.
ALSO READ: IN PICS: Memorial service of legendary Johnny Clegg brings SA to tears
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