Big Brother star Jade Goody has proved to be the most mourned celebrity this year, according to Associated Northcliffe Digital‘s website Lasting Tribute.
The national and regional newspaper publisher’s website is an interactive online equivalent of the newspaper death notices page. So far it has attracted more than 1.3 million tributes for celebrities and ordinary members of the public.
It said an online memorial for the mother-of-two received the most hits of any celebrity this year – even more than Michael Jackson, who died in July.
Goody’s page attracted more messages and images than any other famous person on the site, and more than 600 people left messages to the star.
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Michael Jackson has received the second largest number of tributes on the site, and other popular celebrity tributes include actress Natasha Richardson, film star Patrick Swayze and Boyzone star Stephen Gately.
Lasting Tribute has also attracted contributions for soldiers and former soldiers, whether veterans like Harry Patch, the last British survivor from the First World War trenches who died in July, or Royal Marine Danny Winter, who died in Afghanistan in January.
Managing director Elaine Pritchard said: “We are very proud that so many people feel comfortable using our website to pay their respects publicly to their own loved ones as well as to celebrities and people in the public eye.
“It is good to hear from bereaved family members that they are comforted by the public expression of sympathy on Lasting Tribute and that messages and images left by people across the world reassure them that their loved ones live on in peoples’ hearts.”
The full top 10 of Lasting Tribute celebrity tributes to get the most messages in 2009 is:
- 1. Jade Goody
- 2. Michael Jackson
- 3. John Martyn
- 4. Dave Dee, DJ and 60s celebrity
- 5. Actress Natasha Richardson
- 6. Film star Patrick Swayze
- 7. Singer Stephen Gately
- 8. Patrick McGoohan, star of cult 60s show The Prisoner
- 9. Actress Wendy Richard
- 10. Phil Easton – veteran presenter and Liverpool FC match day announcer
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