Looking on the bright side can be difficult to do in general, and it’s especially difficult when it comes to things that are very heartbreaking, like someone passing away.

Although it’s extremely morbid, it’s a fact of life that everyone dies one way or another. It could be natural causes; it could be an accident; it could be violence- the list goes on and on. And of course, celebrities are subject to the same fate. Being as famous as these celebrities are, every time dies, he or she gets so much posthumous press and prayers from fans and nonfans alike, while ordinary people that die of the same causes are never given a second thought outside of their closest family and friends. But that’s completely natural and okay, no matter how many people claim that it’s unfair. With about 150,000 deaths occurring in the world every day, it’s virtually impossible for someone to honor every one of those people that have passed on. Let’s face it, you can’t honor those you didn’t know or even know of.

So we honor these celebrities that die, say that they were too young, and give them nonstop coverage of how they died and what their life was like- an obituary stretched over multiple weeks. But maybe that’s a good thing.

Most recently, Paul Walker, star of the Fast and Furious film series, was killed in a car crash along with his driver. It’s been all over the news since the accident happened, and it’s a sad time for many of his fans. But what about those that had never even heard of him until this week? The simple fact that someone young and famous died, in a car crash nonetheless, can serve to show that no one is invincible, which many young people think they are, especially when it comes to driving. Walker’s death is a perfect example of a tragic event that, when given enough press, can teach a lesson to the millions of ordinary people that have heard his story, which in turn could cause someone to drive just a little bit slower, and could quite possibly save other people’s lives in the long run.

Another celebrity that died before his time is Cory Monteith. He died this summer after an accidental drug overdose. It’s no secret that the amount of people that do drugs, like heroin, is far too high, especially among the younger generation. Monteith’s death, which resulted from mixing too much heroin and alcohol, serves as a warning and a wakeup call to those who do the same things that Monteith did. It could inspire those who are addicted to drugs to go to rehab and work on ending their addiction.

Then there are celebrities that, sadly, take their own life like Lee Thompson Young, a former Disney star who died on August 19 of this year. He suffered from different mental illnesses that contributed to his decision to end his life. His story, like many others like it that gain media attention, can help shed light on the issues concerning mental health and hopefully initiate more of an effort to bring change to that area and give people suffering from mental illnesses help so they don’t decide on the same solution as Young did four months ago.

Though many people easily get sick of seeing the nonstop coverage of their deaths, they can really contribute to the world in a good way no matter how tragic they are. On the positive side, celebrity deaths may help prevent the deaths of ordinary people, maybe even someone you know. If celebrities, people that fans see as practically invincible, can meet a tragic end, hopefully it will show everyone else that no one is invincible, even some of the most famous people in the world whom we hold in prestige.