So today while i was on the subway on my way to my uncles,i was reading this article about Whitney's legacy after her death. Please i am letting you know that some of the parts covered under this article is a bit offensive/harsh, but the reason i am making this thread is to primarily discuss about
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What happens after a famous person dies?
Quote:
The legacy of Whitney Houston
As the singer is laid to rest, experts ponder her legacy and what it means for her music
As Whitney Houston’s funeral took place this past Saturday, the tragedy of her death is still fresh in our minds. However, Houston, like Michael Jackson, may have a legacy that can outlive our collective memory of her somewhat tainted past.
But that doesn’t happen on its own. There are professionals who specialize in the act of “sanitizing” the image of a deceased celebrity. “The estates of dead celebrities these days are so savvy and there’s a handful of people that manage it in Hollywood,” explains Jo Piazza, author of Celebrity Inc. How Famous People Make Money. “Whitney’s estate will likely sign on with one of them because they know what to do to kind of sanitize a celebrity who has died in an unsavory way. They’re also bulldogs to make sure that the image is not used in a way that is one, not profitable for them and two, will continue to damage the brand in perpetuity.”
Piazza notes that Michael Jackson’s estate used the same experts that had worked on Elvis Presley’s estate after he died. Many may forget that Presley also died young and, on the toilet. But Jackson and Presley at the top two dead celebrity earners. Why? Because they present branding that allows new generations to become fans and then, consumers.
“Michael Jackson’s estate benefited from the fact that Conrad Murray was convicted,” she says. “That kind of clears his name and de-stigmatizes him going forward. The way Whitney Houston died, that’s not a family-friendly way to die. And if you die in an un-family friendly way, similar to Amy Winehouse, it’s hard for parents to encourage that next generation of consumers to sign on to this brand.”
Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley’s respective Cirque du Soleil shows, in addition to Presley’s Graceland, not only generate big money for their estates, but indoctrinate new generations as fans of their music.
But can Houston manage to overcome the same sort of branding crisis? Piazza doesn’t think so. “I don’t think that her brand was as strong as Jackson and Presley’s,” she says. “I don’t think that she had a strong enough catalogue in one genre to be able to do anything in perpetuity.”
Piazza also notes that because Houston did not write her songs, she also stands to make less money from her catalogue going forward.
Dorothy Pomerantz is an entertainment journalist for Forbes Magazine and compiles the annual list of top-earning dead celebrities. She takes a more hopeful perspective on the future of Houston’s legacy.
“Yes, the way Whitney Houston died was incredibly sad, but what’s going to matter is how her heirs and her estate managers handle her name going forward,” Pomerantz says. “There’s no reason that something similar [to the success of Presley and Jackson] couldn’t happen with Whitney Houston after her estate and her name have had room to separate from the way she died. Five years from now, will Whitney be remembered for her grace and for her songs? Or will she be remembered for dying from whatever comes out in the autopsy? It takes PR and smart planning and smart work. There’s potential there.”
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Source:
http://www.metronews.ca/toronto/scen...hitney-houston
So have you ever thought about the legacy that goes on after the death of a famous person? I mean we all talk about "she/he is a legend/icon", but did you think about branding,goodwill along the line and how it's going to play about? I mean i personally considered that Whitney's legacy will be strong,but some of the issues raised here is certainly making me doubt things.