Debbie Reynolds, from her debut to her tragic end, was a star.
So often when a star passes, those grieving their loss are forced to contend with the Facebook and Twitter posts that go up about how “trivial” it is to mourn an actor/singer/in 2016’s case, legends’ deaths, when there are bad things going on in the world every day and we don’t all collectively stop and take notice.
There are two crucial errors with those folks.
- They need to hop down off their high horses and stop dictating what is and isn’t the right way to grieve.
- We mourn so vocally and collectively over the loss of an entertainer because they touched all of us.
That is one of the many reasons why Reynolds’ loss is being felt so poignantly. Not only is there the inherent tragedy of it following so closely to her daughter’s (the sudden and depressing loss of Carrie Fisher), but also because her longevity in the business spans decades of work. My grandmother would’ve been introduced to her in her Singin’ In the Rain and Unsinkable Molly Brown days. My mother recognized her through her days as Tammy while I, a true 90’s kid, will always remember her fondly as the grandmother in Halloweentown who quite delightfully found ordinary boring.
There’s a wealth of artistic quality at audiences’ disposal when it comes to her filmography, from the start in smaller pictures to the end in the supporting roles on popular television series. Her enigmatic joy, her infectious grin and her candor has placed her among the Hollywood greats, able to hold her ground and shine brighter than the titans that tried as they might to loom over her. She was a force of nature with a twinkle in her eye, and her presence is one to miss. – Allyson Johnson
Click next for some of her most memorable roles.
