13 Instances When Celebrities Shamelessly Used Personal Tragedy To Get Fame

5Eric Clapton-Wrote songs about his son

Eric Clapton does not need any introduction. As one of the greatest songwriters and guitarists in modern music, he also enjoys a position in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  In 1992, Clapton released his famous single “Tears in Heaven” written to express the tragedy of his 4-year-old son Conor who died in 1991 when he fell from an apartment window. However, in 2004, he stopped performing the song because he felt he wasn’t able to share an emotional connection with it anymore. By that time, the song had already won three Grammy awards and was ranked among Rolling Stones 500 greatest songs of all time.

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6Kanye West-Used his mother in his music

As one of the best rappers of his time, he is no doubt talented in spite of his love-hate relationship with fans and media. Kanye was deeply affected by his mother’s death in 2007 and struggled with the aftermath of depression. He went on to dedicate his concerts to her and released the song “Only One” featuring Paul McCartney that he claimed his mother sang to him through his daughter. A few months later he revealed that he was in the process of making a video game depicting his mother traveling through the gates of heaven with the tune of “Only One” as the background music. Many found that weird.

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7Neil Young-sold songs referring to fellow musicians addiction

Is there something as sharing too much of your personal life in public or do celebrities love doing that for the media attention?  Neil Young released the song “The Needle and the Damage Done” in 1972 which depicted heroin addiction among his musician friends which had the potential of destroying their image. Young’s inspiration for the song came from his bandmate Danny Whitten who was also a heroin addict.

Whitten’s struggle with addiction would end in Young firing him from the band. He was invited by Young to play on his Harvest Tour but was fired that night when Young gave him money for a flight back to New York. That very night, Whitten was found dead of an overdose of diazepam and alcohol. Young confessed he felt responsible for his death.

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8Diddy-Exploited Biggie Small’s death

The only thing that made Diddy famous in the nineties was Biggie’s Albums that he sold. After Biggie Small’s death, Diddy released two Biggie Smalls albums where Diddy showcased his own rap prowess in a number of songs. He went on to keep referring to Biggie’s death in a number of songs and even produced a movie on Biggie Smalls titled “Notorious”

Many observed how Diddy was exploiting Biggies death to improve his career. The most notable voice was 50 Cents who said “Enough is enough … Biggie’s name should never have become Diddy’s Black Card … When was the last time Diddy was really biggin up his brother, not biggin up his bank?”

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