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NathanKnox
MrConrad
English4p.2
9April2016
FameIsnoGreater
AsAmericanswebelieveintheAmericanDream,thesuccessthatwecanhave.On
television,movies,radiosweseeandhearfamouspeopleallthetime.Manydisplaythemas
happysuccessfulpeople,butisthatwhattheyreallyare?Doesfamereallymakeyouabetter
Person?Since1936therehasbeenapproximately70deathsoffamouscelebritiesduetodrug
overdose.Meanwhilewithinthepastseveralyearswehaveseenmanycelebritieswhohave
overdosedbutwasluckyenoughtolive,suchasMarshallMattersandLamarOdom.Withinthe
lastseveralyearstherehasbeenseveralsuicidesforcelebrities,inwhichmanypeoplewouldn't
thinktheywouldtakethereownlife.In2014americawassaddenedbythelostofancomedy
idolRobinWilliams,andin2011WhitneyHouston,agrammyawardwinnerandactress,was
founddeadinherbathtub.Thentherearemanycelebritieswhohavebeenarrestedandcharged
withseriouscrimes.LindsayLohanhasbeentojailseveraltimesfortheftandviolationof
probation.AfterbeatingamurdercaseO.J.Simpsonwaschargedwithburglaryandsentencedto
33yearsinprison.TheboxingChampionMiketysonserved3yearsinprisonforrape.As
consumersofmediasometimespeoplemaybeblindedtothefactthatthesesocalledcelebrities
arenodifferentfromtheeverydaypeople,yesthehavemoremoneythanmostbutattheendof
thedaytheyarestillashumanasanyoneelse.Withthemoneyandpowertheposesthatmay

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leadtostress,angerandtemptations.Withthatbeingsaidtherelifemightnotbeaseasyornice
asitmayseem.
MarshallMathers,alsoknownasEminem,isasongwriterandrapper.Heisatleastan
americanicontomanyyoungamericans.Hislifewasn'teasy,constantlybulliedatschool.He
grewupinabrokenhome.Hegrewmanyresentmentsinlifeandheexpressedhimselfthrough
whatmaymanycallcruellyrics.In1999DebbieMathers,eminemsmom,suedhimfor10
milliondollars,andsettledat$25,000.ShesuedHimforhislyricsinthesongcleaningOutmy
closet....
Butputyourselfinmyposition,justtrytoenvisionWitnessingyourmommapoppin
prescriptionpillsinthekitchenBitchingthatsomeone'salwaysgoingthroughherpurseand
shit'smissingGoingthroughpublichousingsystems,victimof
Munchausen'sSyndrome.(cleaningoutmyclosetlyrics)Thisshows
theangerMarshallMathershadtowardshisfamily,anditshows
thoughheisfamousthatdoesn'tmeanhisfamilyandhimselfareclose.
Thiswasn'ttheendofmarshallmathersproblemseither.In2005
Marshalladmittedthathewasaddictedtopainkillers,andthathe
overdosedonvicodinandalmostdied.
Now,inthenewdocumentary,
the40yearoldrevealsthathisprescriptiondrugabusenearlykilledhim."Mybottomwasgoing
tobedeath..."(
http://www.usmagazine.com/
)AttheendofitallMarshellMathersisstilla
humanwhofightshisownbattlesjustlikeeveroneelse.Hisfameturnedhimtodrugsand
animositytowardshisfamily,mostlyhis
momandhiswifeKim.

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RobinWilliamsgrewupinawealthyfamilyandlaterinlifefoundsuccesshimself.He
fellinlovewiththeaterandbecameoneofthemostbelovedactorsinamericanhistory.He
staredinmoviessuchas,mrsdoubtfireandNightattheMuseum.Morethanbeinganactorhe
wasafatherof3andamarriedman,butin2014Robinwilliamswasfounddead.OnMonday,
August11th,2014,RobinWilliamswasfounddeadathishomeinTiburon,CaliforniaUSA,the
victimofanapparentsuicide,accordingtotheMarinCountySheriff'sDepartment.
(
http://www.imdb.com/
).Ashockingsuicideofabelovedactor.Thoughhewasbeloved,had
money,andafamily,hechosetotakehislifeforreasonswemaynotknow.Goestoshowthat
havingfameandmoneymaynotmeananythingtosomepeople.
AnamericanfootballsuperstarO.JSimpsonwasthehalfbackforthebuffalobills.He
wasaneliteplayerandmanysportsfanlovedtowatchhimplayfootball.Howeverin1995O.J
becameasuspectinamurdertrial,afterhiswifeandfriendweremurdered.
...
February1997he
wasfoundliableforthewrongfuldeathsofNicoleBrown
SimpsonandRonaldGoldman,andorderedtopaytheir
families$33.5millionindamages.
(
http://www.biography.com/
).O.JSimpson'scriminallife
unfortunatelydidn'tend.In1999O.JmovedtoFlorida,
andin2000hegotinanaltercationafterhavingroadrage.In2008hewassentencedto33years
inprisonforarmedrobberyandkidnapping.ManybelievemaybeO.Jgrewtohavesomemental
issuesafterthelossofhiswife,thatleadtocommittingcrimeslateroninhislife,despitebeinga
wellknownathletewhowasloved.

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MikeTysonwasanAmericanhero.Ayoungafricanamericanwhowasexcellingquickly
inhisboxingcareer.Heislabeledasoneofthegreatestfightersinamericanhistory.However,
hewasalsoknowntohaveaquicktemperandwasahothead.Hewasconstantlyintroublefor
illegalhitsandrandomlybitingtheearofothercompetitor.AtayoungageTysonwasconstantly
arrestedforgangaffiliationandstreetfights.Ashegotolderhewasintroducedtoboxingandhe
tookitandranwithit.
Tyson'srisefromchildhooddelinquenttoboxingchampputhimatthe
centerofthemedia'sattentions.Metwithsuddenfame,Tysonbeganpartyinghardandstepping
outwithvariousHollywoodstars.(
http://www.biography.com/
)Afterseveralyearsofbeinga
greatfighter,Tysonscarrerandlifestartedtogodownhill.Ashisgamewasfallingapart,so
wasTyson'smarriagetoGivens.Allegationsof
spousalabusebegantosurfaceinthemediain
Juneof1988,andGivensandhermother
demandedaccesstoTyson'smoneyforadown
paymentona$3millionhomeinNewJersey.
Thatsameyear,policewerecalledtoTyson's
homeafterhebeganthrowingfurnitureoutofthewindowandforcedGivensandhermotherto
leavethehome.(biography.com)AfterseveralbadsituationsforTysonpeoplebelievehemay
ofattemptedtokillhimself.Thenextmonth,Tysonwasknockedunconsciousafterdrivinghis
BMWintoatreeatD'Amato'shome.Tabloidslaterclaimedtheaccidentwasasuicideattempt
broughtonfromexcessivedruguse.biography.com)Afteraboxingcareertysonbecamean
actor.Heactcareerkepthiminthemediaashecontinuedtostrugglewithwhatmaybesevere
mentalillnesses.

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AnotherathletewhostruggledasfamegrewwasNBAStarLamarOdom.Odomplayed
severalyearsasaversatilePowerForwardfortheLakers,Clippers,Warriors,Mavericks,and
theHeat.earlyinhiscareerhestruggletostayoffdrugssuchascocaineandmarijuana.Hewas
alsoverydistractedbyhismaritalissueswithhiswife,andalsocelebrityKhloeKardashian.

Odomhadextramaritalaffairs,otherreportsofhisdrugabusebegantosurfaceaswell.Not
longafter,itwasbelievedthatOdomhadbeenreportedmissingbyhiswife.AlthoughOdom's
locationandwhereaboutswererevealedafter72hoursbyanunnamedsource.(biography.com)
OdomwilllaterontohavemoredrugissuesthatpreventedhimfromreturningbacktotheNBA.
In2013Odomenlistedinrehab,howeverthatwouldnotlastlong.Thatultimatelyleadtohis
divorce.OnAugust30,2013Odomwasarrested
forsuspicionofdrivingundertheinfluence.
Followinghisarrest,Odomcheckedintorehab,
althoughheleftafterhavingspentslightlymore
than24hoursinthefacility.Kardashianfiledfor
divorceinDecember2013,andthecouplesigned
divorcepapersinJuly2015.(

biography.com)In
2016LamarodomOverdoseatapartythatput
himinacommaandincriticalcondition.Hewasforcedtofightforhislife.Lamariscurrently
seekinghelpwithhisaddictionswithhopeshegetshislifebackontrack.
Sometimesasamericanswebecomeenviousofpeoplewhohavemoneyandfame.We
thinkalifeliketheirswouldbesogreat.However,sometimeswemaybeblindedtoseewhat
goesonbehindcloseddoors.Thefamesomereceivemaybetoomuchforthem.Manyfamous

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peoplesuchasMarshallMathers,RobinWilliams,O.JSimpson,Miketyson,andLamarOdom,
couldhavethefamebeadistractiontothedreamortheirsuccesses.Despititallwhetheryouare
famousorjustaneverydayperson,weallarehuman,weallmakemistakes,orbattlewiththings
othersmaynotknowabout.Eveniftheywalkaroundwithaperfectsmile.

WorkCited

"Biography."
IMDb
.IMDb.com,2016.Web.10May2016.
Galla,Brittany."EminemTalksPastDrugUse:"IWouldHaveDied""
UsWeekly
.UsWeekly,29
June2013.Web.05May2016.
"LamarOdom."
Bio.com
.Ed.Biography.comEditors.A&ENetworksTelevision,2016.Web.10
May2016.
"MikeTyson."
Bio.com
.Ed.Biography.comEditors.A&ENetworksTelevision,2016.Web.10
May2016.
"O.J.Simpson."
Bio.com
.Ed.Biography.comEditors.A&ENetworksTelevision,2016.Web.10
May2016
Sebasnl."ActorsWhoCommittedSuicide."
IMDb
.IMDb.com,2012.Web.10May2016.

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