Considering how consumed the media are with both death and dying, you might think a brief news item about someone's impending demise wouldn't cause much of a stir. But, of course, it all depends who the someone is.
Late last month, a British newspaper reported that ex-Beatle George Harrison, 58, who has recently been treated for lung and brain tumors, "knows he is going to die soon and (is) accepting it perfectly happily." The newspaper cited former Beatles producer Mr. George Martin as the source of this rather ghoulish piece of information.
Did the world care? Yes, it did. The story was instantly picked up by global news wires and radio and television stations and disseminated even farther and faster on the Internet, triggering an outpouring of shock and sympathy. The Web was jammed overnight with tributes to "the quiet Beatle."