The idealization of three lives cut short : popular reaction to the lives and deaths of John F. Kennedy, John Lennon, and Princess Diana : an honors thesis (HONRS 499)

John F. Kennedy, John Lennon, and Princess Diana all lived within the public sphere, with their actions critqued by the media and the general public alike. Then, their tragic early deaths, in 1963, 1980, and 1997, respectively, brought parallel public reaction: widespread grieving and a sense of regret for lost opportunities. People chose to create saintly images of them and felt cheated of the contributions that these three people could have made to the world. Even as time passes, the public remains respectful of, and interested in the impact that John F. Kennedy, John Lennon, and Princess Diana had on the world.