In yet another example of media outlets rushing to be the first with a story, OK! Magazine has published its “Farewell to Jade Goody” issue- complete with “Final Words!” from the dying reality show star, and “In Loving Memory” sprawled across the cover. They even feature the star’s two little boys looking all sad, and Jade herself looking up to the skies. The problem? Jade’s still alive.
British former reality TV star and current terminal cancer patient Jade Goody is a national obsession. She will die soon. But not soon enough for OK! magazine.
OK’s UK edition this week: the “Jade Goody Official Tribute Issue.” “Final Words”! I guess “1981-2009” is a fair guess, but uh, patience is a virtue? Jade Goody remains annoyingly alive.
Whether alive or dead, she’s fully owned by OK! The mag bought the rights to her wedding last month for an estimated 700,000 pounds, and then refused to allow her friend and biographer to attend it, because she worked for a different magazine. No word on whether Jade can sell the actual moment of her death separately, but if so, OK! is sure to snap it up for a(nother) final edition. Shame and repugnance do not exist!
But she moves a lotta magazines, alive or otherwise!
It’s true that Jade basically sold herself to the media – she even got the results of her cervical cancer screening on live television. And it’s also true that Jade doesn’t have much time left. But that doesn’t mean it’s okay for the magazine to publish an “In Memoriam” issue while Goody is still alive! It’s also interesting that prior to Jade’s cancer ordeal, OK! published mostly negative articles about her. I agree that Jade Goody is a grown woman and was certainly free to say no to OK’s offer to pay her for rights to exclusive coverage of her treatment, wedding and death vigil- but from everything I’ve read, she did so in order to provide for the two young sons she is leaving behind. The whole thing just seems incredibly opportunistic on the magazine’s part. Whatever OK! is paying Jade for this kind of humiliation, I hope it’s worth it.
Above: OK! Magazine’s pre-emptive “Farewell” cover, slated for release on March 24. Below: Jade Goody on her wedding day in February, 2009. Photo credit: WENN.
love her lips!
Shes actually a very pretty bald woman.
God that’s tacky. The poor woman’s not dead yet.
This kind of stuff is what gives us real journalists a bad name. I have no particular opinion on Jade Goody, one way or the other, but I do think it’s absolutely despicable what OK! did there. She should sue their asses for all they’ve got (I can’t believe I’m saying this, always being highly sceptical about crazy lawsuits for money). Unfortunately, she probably hasn’t enough time left for such a thing. What a negatively surreal experience this must have been for her and her loved ones.
Jade and her family seem to be the only people not offended by it: (from BBC website)
The family of terminally ill reality TV star Jade Goody have expressed their support for a tribute issue of OK! magazine which went on sale this week.
The front cover, which states “in loving memory”, has been called “very kind” by Goody’s loved ones.
Jade has basically sold her life (and death) to a magazine, but I think the whole thing is terribly sad. A magazine making money out of someone dying… ugh, it just reeks.
This is the kind of age we live in.
Maybe, since you say she has sold everything to o.k., she had some imput into this story and photo selection
it says “Jade’s fav. o.k. moments” “exclusive interview” “Official tribute issue”.
it doesn’t really say she died.
Her dying is not a secret or really an option, might she have o.k.’d the whole issue?
Is it issue 666?
I understand the magazine trying to milk their new-found tragedy cash cow, but could they not have left the issue a week or two until the poor girl has actually left this earth? Why NOW?
She’s as good as dead, why wait for the actual event ? Why not get it over with now and then she can fade into obscurity a little faster and then the tabloids can then stop wasting so much time on a has-been.
Whether it’s tacky or not .. it’s a tribute issue, yes they jumped they jumped the gun but if the family is okay with it .. who are we to say anything. God Speed Jade .. know that you were loved.
LOL! Its like what perry did in Superman Returns. One papper: Man of steal lives and the other: The death of Superman.
Oh man… lol
Think of the terror this month long deathwatch’s spreading among thousands of cancer patients who can’t even take dubious comfort from a sappy story written about them.
If I learned that I had only a matter of months to prepare my family for my death, I’d sell myself to the media too. Money doesn’t bring back a loved one, but in that position how many options do you have? There’s nothing you can do for the people you love but be with them for as long as possible, and leave as much behind as you can.
When Jade sold her soul to the Devil (sorry OK mag), the money obviously was the only important thing to her. She cannot object to her Obituary appearing before her death or It may lead to a proportion of the £700K being returned to OK. The Mag does not respect Jade, all they are interested in is selling issues and Jade has used the media too. So stale mate… they have both gotten what they wanted. I think OK thought though they were on a pretty safe bet issuing the edition when they did, believing like the rest of us that Jade was on the way out.. but seemingly that was wrong too, she received her last rites a week ago and had a party since.. so OK, you misjudged a little previous. But most are just getting fed up with the on-going media reports, nothing seems to be happening with Jade right now, so they are raking up old quotes of hers…. Boring, gone on too long now.
how sad that you think this bhas ‘ gone on too long’ maybe if you were dying with two young children you could understand how precious lif is and that every minute you remain alive is worth more than the rest of us can imagine. this is her way of providing for her children the same as we all have to so good on her, im sure if she had a choice she would prefer not to have to. have a heart and realise she is a 27 year old girl who must be going through the most unimaginable heartache. i for one think she is amazing and if plenty of other people didnt think so ok magazine would not be interested in seling her story. shame on them and all you who critise a dying young girl. your time will come as it will for us all.
Jade is an amazing woman she has gone through more than any of us can think of if you were on your last hours and have two young children wouldn’t you want to make as much money as you can we don’t understand how jade is felling but it must be 100 times more terrifing than we think!!!!
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