Grief is the new black...

I didn’t intend to be writing about Jade Goody again, especially not in the same week. But I felt the need to comment on some people’s reaction to her passing.
First up to bat is Katie Price, a woman who could give a flesh-eating disease lessons on how to be a parasite. No doubt unhappy that Jade’s front-page death-throes relegated her from the cover of OK magazine for a month, she’s doing some very public grieving for her brave friend. No doubt keen to stake her claim as ‘our girl’ in the magazine, Katie has spoken out about creating some kind of legacy for Jade, in honour of her brave battle and the work she did raising awareness of cancer.
It seems that everyone is too polite to bring up the articles Katie wrote (well, spoke into a dictaphone) condemning Jade as a vile racist bully. Or the ones attacking Jade for making her cancer so public. Because if anyone knows about the line of taste that separates one’s public and private life, it’s The Artist Formerly Known as Jordan.

HolyMoly also shared with readers a stunningly awful tribute penned (or finger-painted) by Big Brother winner Craig Philips. In it, he expressed his sadness at Jade’s tragedy, and shared his hopes that other ‘females and males’ (who’s he missing out here – SheMales?) will be more aware of cancer and ‘other life threatening diseases that have proven to strike anybody at any time’. Craig’s right – Jade’s public battle with cancer has made me more aware of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Tularemia and Bubonic Plague. So thanks for that. But there’s another purpose behind Craig’s kind, if rather mangled, words of comfort. He also kindly reminds us that he’ll be talking about Jade more in his forthcoming autobiography. Someone, hold my place in the queue at Borders.

Finally, Russell Brand has also been at it, although he actually wrote a thoughtful and considered piece on his blog, based on a genuine affection for Jade. In fact, the only bit that threw me was his words of warning about how he hopes that ‘that the people who aspired to be like Jade observe the price she paid’. But it wasn’t fame that gave her terminal cancer. It was a bunch of aggressive cells in her cervix. Let’s keep some perspective shall we?