This year, the world has seen quite a few high profile celebrity deaths.

First was the passing of actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman in February. Then, in August, there was a trio of losses of some of the most talented people in movies and television: comedian Robin Williams, actress Lauren Bacall, and long time voice of Saturday Night Live, Don Pardo. Now, this month, we have lost another funny lady with the passing of Joan Rivers.

Especially with deaths like those of Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Robin Williams – deaths that no one saw coming, and that could have been prevented – there seems to be a natural halt and strong sense of sadness among fans and the Hollywood community.

When a celebrity dies, vigils are held, memorials are made, and the thousands, if not millions, of fans that adored them, pay respects. Why does this happen? Although it is sad to see a person go, especially one still in the prime of their life, or one that loses a battle to any number of illnesses, physical or mental, there is something to be said about a society that will cry over the passing of a single individual whom they have not met.

Some believe our mourning of celebrities to be purely superficial and based on our love of their prior performances, more so than on a love of the person themselves.

“I don’t think we mourn them in the same way their families do,” said graduate psychology student Kay Lanza. “We didn’t know them as people, we knew them as characters. So really, we’re sad that they won’t be bringing any more characters to life, not so much sad for the actors themselves.”

Others believe that celebrities are immortalized by their super-stardom while still alive, and therefore the idea of their death comes as a shock and surprise to the masses. Senior psychology student Emily Blakely seems to believe this.

“People look up to celebrities, and live vicariously through celebrities to the point where the death of someone famous reminds us of our own mortality, and that’s a scary thing,” Blakely said.

It is true, celebrities with their larger-than-life personalities and lifestyles do not seem like the dying type. It’s frightening for some to realize that death is inevitable; it’s also frightening to realize that no amount of money can buy enough happiness or health to keep a celebrity alive, let alone us.