Why do people grieve celebs? Experts weigh in after Matthew Perry’s death: ‘A little part of us dies’

nypost.com:

actor Matthew Perry, who was found dead in the Jacuzzi of his Los Angeles home on Saturday.Almost immediately, “Friends” fans posted tributes on social media and even flocked to the West Village apartment the characters on the show called home to express their sadness for his passing.Even though most fans never met him, therapist Aniesa Hanson, Ph.D., explained that fans often latch onto an “idea” of a star rather than the A-lister themselves.Although our favorite celebrities may not know we exist, our connection to them can still run deep and emotional as we identify with their lives or art in a real way.“Our relationships with celebrities are different than our everyday relationships,” Hanson told Psychology Today. “Our emotional bond with an influential person is based on our projection of what we need that person to be for us during influential moments of our lives.

It’s the idea of that person we bond to, not necessarily the person themselves — since we didn’t come to know them in real life.”Hanson also noted that certain celebrities may be “embedded into your youth.”“Not only are celebrities infused into our developmental milestones, they oftentimes fill roles of a mentor or support person we were lacking,” Hanson noted. “We turn to them for support and they become part of our lives.

When they die, a little part of us dies too.”Whether it be growing up watching Sir Michael Gambon inspire us with Dumbledore’s iconic lines in the Harry Potter series or bonding with family while listening to Tony Bennett’s classic hits, celebrities and their work often leave a strong lasting impression on us when we connect with them at pivotal moments in our life. “An actor’s death can bring back memories of a movie he or she did,.