When Someone You Never Met Dies: Understanding Parasocial Grief

Can we grieve someone we never personally knew? In this episode of Permission to Breathe, Dr. Tammy Isaac explores parasocial grief, the genuine sorrow that can follow the death of a celebrity, artist, athlete, author, public figure, or online personality. She examines how these individuals become connected to our memories, identities, relationships, and important seasons of life. The episode also considers collective mourning, grief that others may dismiss, complicated public legacies, and why we do not need to apologize for mourning someone whose life and work became part of our own story.