Where were you when...

[Danny-Boy]

Elvis - I was bumming around in Crete in 1977, I think I saw it in the Greek papers.
John Lennon - I was walking around in Lausanne with an American girl I met there, I saw the news on the hoardings then I lost my temper and said it was all their fault in the USA with their gun culture! End of a promising relationship...
Jacko - I was in the "Plough" in Seaford, some nutter came over when we were talking about Farrah Fawcett and said Jacko had died as well. As he's an unmitigated stretcher of the truth (he denies that London ever had smogs "because I was BORN there matey in 1946 in the East End, if there were any smogs I'd 'ave seen them!") I ignored him.
Anyway the conspiract theorists are already at work...but no-one ever said Lennon faked his own death. Bit difficult I suppose.
I got a book about the Lennon murder, someone was convinced Mark Chapman was brainwashed by US Intelligence to kill him.

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

I was in Mcdonalds somewhere close to New Jersey for Elvis and Monroe
I was in Mcdonalds somewhere near New York for Lennon
Mcdonalds near New Hampshire for Wacko. Hope to be in a Newcastle (under Lyme) Mcdonalds for any future mega celeb deaths depending on whether I can drive there in time before the news breaks.

 

[JJ McClure]

Elvis - Wasn't born

Lennon - Only two so not really bothered about it I'm sure.

Diana - A hotel in Hove that Hoogstraten owns (can't remember the name).

Wacko - Got home from a shift at the pub, watched Kevin and Perry Go Large, just about to turn tele off when it was announced, turns out I didn't really care so went to bed.

 

[Soul Finger]

Elvis - can't remember.

Lennon - driving across the Beacon in my dad's car. He started crying, and so did I. I was 7.

Diana - working at Sainsbury's on Lewes Road while at University. I was still drunk from the night before - it was a Sunday morning. Couple of people looked crestfallen so I asked what was up...

Jacko - waiting to be served in Grubbs, Western Road. Received a text about 11.30 and read it out, thinking it was a joke. Bloke in front of me said he'd just got the same and everyone said "in years to come you can say you were in Grubbs when you heard the news".

 

[surrey jim]

I wasnt born for the first two. Jacko's death I realised when I woke up to around 5 jokes via text message

 

[Gwylan]

One thing that amazes me is the number of people who heard of MJ's death via text. I've never received any news like this via text ... and I don't suppose I ever will. Nor have I ever received a texted joke after the death of a celebrity.

Is this a generational thing? My friends are in their 40s and 50s and don't send too many texts anyway and will tend to assume that I've seen the news, do younger people rely on text for their info?

 

[1234andcounting]

I have a memory that Elvis's death was just beginning to filter through on the evening of a league cup tie against Cambridge. Got in from the pub and the newsreader said something like 'we believe Elvis Presley has died' and then a few minutes later withdrew it, before then reconfirming it.

Lennon/Diana/Jacko all happened overnight and my partner, who gets up much earlier than me, woke me up with the news. Definitely took Lennon's the worst.

 

[SULLY COULDNT SHOOT]

Elvis... at St Marys school (which then moved to become Queen's Park) making those Red Indian things with coloured wool.

Lennon - in the communal wash rooms of Leasam Houıse Boardfing School, Thomas Peacocke, Rye before breakfast.

Jacko - wasn't that interested- found otu when I turned on the comp at the beginning of the day.

Diana - Lying in bed with most gorgeous POlish girl after quality exercise.... Just turned TV on and all over Sky news.... absolutely true!

 

[Tight shorts]

Elvis - don't remember, will have to ask my parents

Lennon - I can remember quite clearly finding out at primary school and feeling sad and shocked.

Jacko - whilst flicking through Facebook, sitting at home. Hasn't affected me or made me feel sad, probably cos he never seemed like a real person to me in the first place. I was genuinely gutted when Steve Irwin and Colin McRae died a few years back but feel absolutely nothing about Jacko.

 

[glasfryn]

elvis and jacko I don't remember (or care) Lennon my wife told me and we both were very depressed for days.
where was I when Kennedy died in our front room with my mum and dad neither of then could believe what happened my poor old mum cried for days

 

[The Large One]

I remember I was having breakfast when they were banging on about Elvis snuffing it on Radio 1 - Kid Jensen, I think it was. I was seven.

I honestly don't remember about Lennon, though I do remember watching Nationwide that evening.

I was in bed when my then girlfriend told me Diana had been killed in a car crash. I was non-plussed, but did remember thinking about how big this would be, and how much grief-fascism was just around the corner.

I was online when I heard about Jacko. Again, utterly non-plussed.

 

[Freddie Goodwin.]

I believe we played, and lost, a home game the day Elvis died so i was pretty naffed off when I got home. back then we didn't have a telly (poor boy) so had the radio on, Lunxemberg I believe and heard it there at about 10.30pm/

Lennon I heard off the radio at about 5.00am, quite shocking.

When jacko went Whacko I was watching TV and one of my boys came down and told me to switch over to the news as he had seen it online.

Note how we had gone from no TV to 2 during this period, That's progress!

 

[Andrew]

Wasn't alive for the first two but I found out on the PC about 1 hour after he died

 

[brakespear]

Elvis - on holiday in Wales
Lennon - stomping around Pound Hill Junior's playground (as a pupil, not as some kind of lurker )
Jacko - sat here on the PC in Worthing, seeing reports coming in from the US that he had died.

Wasn't that arsed about any of them at the time tbh, although Elvis has come in for a softening of opinion since

 

[fatbadger]

Well, none of these were particularly shocking deaths as far as I am concerned - none of the 4 you named really mean much to me.

Nevertheless, to answer your question:

No idea about Elvis (I was too young)
No idea about Lennon (not too young for this one - I can remember other things in the news from that year. It just didn't make an impression on me)
Diana: on the way home from a gay club in the projects in Washington with a guy who had been boring me all night with how much he loves her dresses - he asked me how I felt about "the death of your Princess" to which I replied "she's not my princess, I wish they'd all f***ing die". He wasn't impressed.
Jackson: in a sandwich shop in Motherwell, saw the front page of the Daily Ranger. Can't imagine I'll remember that in the future!

 

[BrightonBiatch]

wasnt born for elvis death
lennons death i was only nearly 2
and jackos i was on facebook playing poker and was gutted cos i was winning loads then everyone on table f***ed off to watch the news!!!

 

[Deleted member 2719]

I'm afraid pop stars dyeing have never meant much to me as friends and family deaths take on much more significance the only real media thing that stuck with me was the twin towers (9/11) that was just a moment i will never forget.

 

[Cian]

Wasn't born for Elvis or Lennon
Diana - turned on the TV and MTV had a scroller on it with the news
Jackson - Read that he was sick on TMZ so turned on the TV.
9/11 - as its just been mentioned, may as well add it in... coming home from school, phoned my mother to ask her something and she told me. The school deliberately decided not to tell anyone.

 

[GT49er]

Lennon - in bed with my future wife;
Elvis - in my car with somebody else's wife;
Jacko - can't remember, it wasn't that important....................

 

[1066gull]

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