Reactions from celebrities across the country to the tragic death of John F. Kennedy Jr. and his wife Carolyn Bessette Kennedy in a plane crash off Martha's Vineyard ranged from shock, to heartfelt grief, to ambivalence. Some said the incident was no more important than the passing of anyone else they did not know and chided the amount of attention it was given by the media. Still, others were flooded with memories of previous Kennedy tragedies and remarked that the loss of John Jr. was a loss for the country. You know, the ones where they detail the whole tragic history of the entire family, and I slowly realized what this loss represents to America. Its like our generations assassination, the loss of promise, and it also opens all of the old JFK wounds that so many people have.
All life is precious and all deaths are tragic.
I really didn't have much of a reaction other than disgust with the news media for exploiting the incident continually for about a week, even when there was no new information to report. My first reaction was not about John Kennedy or his wife but about the great loss the U.S. suffered when Bobby Kennedy was killed. It is not fair for the families and participants of such events, and I feel in a way resentful of having voyeurism forced upon me, doubly so because of the 'looking at the car wreck on the side of the highway' type of curiosity it provokes in me. And at the same time my heart went out to Caroline, as I thought about the fact that she no longer has a father, mother or a brother. Sam This is a very sensitive question that has gotten me into a lot of trouble with a lot of people.