It's actually quite normal to mourn the death of someone you've never met, according to Dr. Christina Geiselhart.
"With celebrities in particular, if it's music or if it's movies, usually we are tying those experiences to pivotal moments in our lives or experiences we shared with others," she said. "So, when that is severed or when that is taken away, we can feel a big loss."
Geiselhart is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) at Thriveworks in Hoffman Estates. She said for many people, this recent string of celebrity deaths, including Dolly Parton, Tim Curry and Hayden Panettiere, hit particularly close to home.
"I think that there has been a lot of people reminiscing more because these celebrities have been in their lives for many, many years, and maybe even part of important moments for them," she said.
She said this type of grief, sometimes referred to as "parasocial grief," is not something people should be ashamed of feeling.
In fact, she said talking about those feelings with others could actually be helpful.
"I think that our ability to come together and support each other in a way that's healing during grief is really important," she said. "I think reminding each other not to judge each other. There are going to be people that really struggle with these losses, and that's okay that they're going through what they need to go through in their process."
