Fallen

I was just reading in the news that the son of the late actress Dana Plato, Tyler Lambert, committed suicide on May 6th of this year. Almost 11 years to the day in which his mother died of a drug overdose. He was only 25 years old. This got me thinking about the multiple tragedies that characterize the lives of crestfallen celebrities. Many child stars, like Dana Plato, begin their careers at an age when most children are thinking about school and playmates, not contracts and maintaining a public image. When their careers begin to plateau, that's when the trouble starts. In Plato's case, she had reduced herself to committing armed robbery, engaged in drug abuse, and starred in softcore pornographic films.

The deaths of Dana Plato and her son Tyler Lambert, are analogous to the tragic deaths of Anna Nicole Smith and her son Daniel Smith. Both situations (Plato/ Lambert; Smith/Smith) involved individuals who wanted more than what life could give them, and all of the individuals involved died young, some while possessed by addiction.


As a child, I remember watching Different Strokes, and thinking to myself just how beautiful Dana Plato was. Those big, dazzling eyes, freckled cheeks, and a mouth that seemed to smile even when serious were just some of the things this puberty-bound boy became enamored with when her image appeared on my television set. How undeserving of any human being to spiral to an early grave the way she did.

For the Ones Who Died by Suicide

God, lover of souls, You hold dear what You have made and spare all things, for they are Yours. Look gently upon those who have taken their own lives, and by the Blood of the cross, forgive their sins and failings. Remember the faith of those who mourn and satisfy their longing for that day when all will be made new again in Christ, our risen Lord, who lives and reigns with You forever and ever. Amen.