Jade Goody, who died on Mothers Day in Britain, is to be buried on April 4th. Jade’s funeral is expected to be the biggest event of it’s kind since Princess Diana’s funeral – floral tributes have been left outside her home and big screens have been set up to broadcast the service to the public outside of the church.
With her mother, Jackiey Budden, saying her daughter would be “overwhelmed” by the public response to her death, plans are falling into place for British reality star Jade Goody’s April 4 memorial service.
A 21-car funeral procession will leave Goody’s home in Essex, England, at noon that Saturday en route to the service at St. John the Baptist church in Buckhurst Hill, the BBC reports. Thousands of mourners are anticipated to line the route and then watch the proceedings on large, outdoor TV screens set up for the occasion.
The church service is expected to commence with Goody’s favorite hymn, “All Things Bright and Beautiful,” and the 27-year-old will then be laid to rest in Epping Forest Burial Park in North Weald.
Jade’s death is causing as much controversy as her life did, with at least one opinion writer in the UK suggesting that ‘a saint she ain’t’, and the BBC received calls complaining about the level of coverage they gave her death. Harper Collins publishers are planning a third installment of her life story, following her previous two autobiographies. A biopic is also said to be in the works.
Jade set up these ventures in order to give her boys Bobby, 5, and Freddie, 4, the opportunities that she never had in her childhood. I think any mother would be desperate her see her children taken care of in the event of their death. Some feel that Jade, who was a reality TV star and known for her racist comments and dumb questions, is being given too much attention and should have died with dignity in private. However, the Daily Mail says that the ‘Jade Effect’ has led to a 20% increase in cervical smears since her diagnosis in August. If she can gain financial resources for her kids and raise awareness that encourages women to get a pap sear then she’s done an admirable thing in her last days, even if you didn’t always agree with her in the past.
I didn’t like her much but in retrospect I feel sad for her, she deserved a break after such a bad childhood only to die tragically at such a young age and leave such young children. Life is just so unfair sometimes. Now, I am one of those who feel there is just too much Jade Goody in the UK, but I feel bad that she had to die like that.
It’s not Jade that bothers me in this scenario – she was lovely. What is disturbing is this need some British people have to grieve someone they don’t know – they sort of fairytale the grief, fetishize it, like they did with Diana and it’s very creepy. It’s like watching a collective emotional release from a people with collective emotional constipation.
It’s definitely a sad story, but why all the press in America? We didn’t know her. I don’t think barely anyone in this country watches big brother, and certainly not the india edition. I just don’t get it…people get sick and die everyday
Swann, I understand what you’re saying, and I agree, except I think it’s a tendency of some people in general to mourn for celebrities they didn’t even know, regardless of their nationality.
Helen – trust, it’s a lot (lot lot) more than one journalist that has a jaundiced view of this. It’s little to do with Jade at this stage. The pro-saint/hysteria tabs just get more headlines, that’s all. All I can say is that the reported hype/hysteria is in inverse proportion to the actualité.
Considering all of the stories regarding Jade, I still feel bad for her. Yes, people die every day, but when you watch a seemingly strong, young woman die an agonizing death, it becomes very tangible and real. It becomes a grim reminder that women must be aware of the warning signs and get screened.
Good for Jade for bringing this to the forefront. God rest her soul, and hopefully her young boys can live and grow in a loving and comfortable environment.
Now i am accessing this page via our Iphone4 and I can’t get the complete image to be able to load. I Basically assumed you should know.