Public figures touch our lives more. We have them in our homes on the television. We have them on the front pages of press outpourings. We feel as though we know them, not personally, but we do feel as though we have insights in to their lives.

When they die, the crowds at their funerals will be in relation to the amount of exposure they have recieved in their lifetime. Not rocket science, just human nature.

People like to feel as though they have 'connections' in their lives. If they can post a message on an internet forum and say, "what a shame .....has popped his clogs", what's the harm in that. It would be preferable to the human psyche to be able to say that to a real live breathing person. But when one of them isn't nearby, people will use any means available to not feel alone.