“Final results of actor’s autopsy rule death an accident”, Haley Blum, USA Today, 3/1. Once again, for reasons unknown to me, we are urged to feel especially sad when a famous person dies.

The irony in a celebrity’s drug death never occurs to the media. The entertainment industry for decades has given a wink and a nod to drug and alcohol use and abuse in their movies and music. The Hollywood types in fact ridicule “old-fashioned” morality and virtues that might help keep people alive.

People like Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, and the cast of SNL get rich promoting how “cool” drug use is. Then, when their life is about to self-destruct, the resources and support network of the rich kick in and pull their bacon out of the fire. Meanwhile, their fan base, who bought the bill of goods, go on to unstopped destruction. Never do these rehabilitated celebs apologize for what they promoted and glamorized. Never do they go on anti-drug campaigns. Never do they do community service to right their wrongs. Nope. They just hold a big show funeral and the crap continues.