Upon hearing the news that music icon Prince died last week, it made me quite sad.

Much of the country and the world was in the same boat as me, not only because a musical magician died, but he was one of many of the famous deaths this year.

David Bowie, Alan Rickman, Harper Lee, Nancy Reagan, Garry Shandling and Merle Haggard are a few of the notable celebrities that have died this year.

All of this begs the question: what’s going on?

I don’t have the answer, and I don’t think no one does.

With all of this death, there is much to celebrate.

After every notable death this year, there has been an outcry of fan support and dedications from others.

Many of them brought to light things I didn’t know about this person. For example, Lee still lived in Monroeville, where her famous book, “To Kill a Mockingbird” was based. She also rented out an apartment in New York that she went to every year.

That’s just one of, and is a good example, of the little things that really intrigue me about the famous after they have passed away.

It’s like John Green’s novel, “Looking for Alaska,” and how the main character, Miles Halter, loves people’s last words.

Learning about the most mundane things about the rich and famous are what intrigues me.

As time will tell — and it always does — we’ll learn more about the notable that have gone on to the other side.

When that happens, we’ll be able to celebrate those we loved over and over again as we have since those sad days dawned.