Riches & Trust

     One of the main reasons people want to become famous is because they want to be rich. Most of the time, fame can make you rich. Singers, actors, and talk show host such as Oprah Winfrey, have proven this fact. However, by becoming rich, famous people have other problems such as the issue of trust. The financial troubles of Gary Coleman and the death of Michael Jackson proves that famous people have to be extremely careful of who they trust.

     Fame can create a “fake” circle of friends and family around an individual that use them for their own well being. For example, some friends will become an individual’s friend in order to get famous also. Other friends might become friends with an individual in order to live or sponge off that person. Families are known to use their family members also. The child star, Gary Coleman was known for his role on the sitcom Different Strokes and also known for successfully suing his parents. Different Strokes was a successful sitcom in the late 1970’s until the late 1980’s. Along with Todd Bridges and Diana Plato, Gary Coleman was one of the main actors. At the time he acted on Different Stroke, Gary Coleman was underage therefore leaving his money matters up to his parents and business adviser. He sued his parents and business adviser because they mismanaged his money by giving themselves excessive salaries. Gary Coleman was successful in suing his parents and discovered not to trust his parents with his money. However, Gary Coleman was lucky in his situation, sometimes entertainers do not recognize who not to trust until it’s too late.

     Everyone knew who Michael Jackson was. He is often talked about as the greatest pop star of all time. Some may argue that he was the greatest entertainer of all time. Michael Jackson was talented and known all over the world of his music and dance moves. On June 25^th, 2009 Michael Jackson was pronounced dead. On August 28^th, 2009 the Los Angeles coroner announced that Michael Jackson’s death was a homicide. The following February, Michael Jackson’s personal physician and friend, Conrad Murray was charged with the manslaughter of Michael Jackson. Conrad Murray and Michael Jackson had been friends for three years before Jackson’s death, Jackson had even trusted Murray with treated his children in the past. It is safe to say Michael Jackson trusted Conrad Murray with his life. Unfortunately, Conrad Murray took advantage of Michael Jackson’s trust and killed Jackson by giving him a bad mix of prescription drugs. Sadly, it is too late for Jackson to recognize who not to trust. Although, it is not clear as to why Conrad Murray killed Michael Jackson, fame surely played a part in Murray’s thinking. Previous patients of Murray's were not famous and they are still alive, so for the one famous patient he had to end up dead is no accident. 

     Fame makes individual’s relationship much more complicated than those individuals who are not famous. Trust is needed in any relationship whether it is a business relationship, friendship, or an intimate relationship. Naturally, people will come across trust issues in their lives, therefore famous people will too. People without fame and those with fame have the same to lose, but the people with fame will be losing a bigger amount. A middle-class individual may trust their finances with an untrustworthy accountant and lose their good reputation to the few who know about their finances, but a person with fame can do the same and lose their good reputation with the world. The story of Gary Coleman, amongst other celebrities, proves that when becoming famous, anyone can try to take advantage of an individual’s fame. Tragedies, such as the one of Michael Jackson, prove that trusting the wrong person can lead to a wrongful death. Fame can damage the true intentions of people therefore damaging their trust.