I don't really have advice, but I was 8 when Elvis died. My parents were huge fans and it was a big deal to everyone around. I understood, but it felt like something on TV, not real.
I remember asking how he died and knowing he took too many pills. I also heard he ate too many fatty things like fried peanut butter and bacon sandwiches (lol), and drank too much.
My siblings don't remember it at all. They were 6 and 4. I still love hearing Elvis songs.

It would never come up in a million years.

Opportunity for a Teaching Moment:

Butt sex, drug use, getting punched in the head repeatedly -- kids, these are bad for you, avoid them

We also have a kindergartener and DH and/or I were really saddened by the loss of several people on your list (Prince especially, not sure when I'll get over that one). DS knows his parents were huge fans of these people and are sad they are gone but he hasn't brought up the topic of how/why - so for now we are just enjoying their bodies of work and leaving it at that. I can't be sure but I believe in his world these people may as well be historical figures that could have easily died 100 years ago.

Anonymous wrote:You are making this about you OP. Your daughter might know that mommy listens to Prince, but she will have zero emotional or cognitive connection to him.

OP. How can you say this definitively w/o knowing my kid? She actually does know and enjoy some of the music and movies of these people.

As I clarified upthread, I am not planning on bringing this up with her out of the blue. I was just wondering how others have discussed this. My daughter knows, for example, that Michael Jackson got sick and died. She will sometimes ask if a particular celebrity has died. So, I just wanted to know how others have discussed the subject of with their child if they have learned that a famous figure whose music or movies they enjoy has died.

You are making this about you OP. Your daughter might know that mommy listens to Prince, but she will have zero emotional or cognitive connection to him.

Being aware of Prince and George Michaels does not mean that they are even a little bit relevant to a kindergartner's world.

Almost all kids starting at school age know all about Star Wars and Princess Leia. Carrie Fisher is real to them because of Star Wars. She is the only one.

Anonymous wrote:Why woukd you need to discuss these deaths with a young kid?

The only person on that list that kids know and care about is Princess Leia.

Since she looked very old to them in the Force Awakens, you just need to say "Yes, she was very old and her heart stopped working" if it comes up in conversation. Nothing more.

George Michaels means nothing to kids. They have no idea who he is and he is not enough of a star to have been on any kid's radar.

They won't know who those other people are either.

OP here. As I said in the OP, my kid absolutely does know who all of these people are. I'm a huge Prince fan and Tribe fan, and DH is a Star Wars junkie. However, I agree that we shouldn't bring it up unless it comes from her (i.e., if she hears from friends or overhears us talking).

Was just curious for those who have discussed with young kids, just how the conversation went and how it was explained.

Anonymous wrote:When you use drugs, even if they don't kill you right after you use them, they do shorten your life and you'll die earlier. This is why you don't abuse drugs, even prescription ones. Sometimes people die of old age, but sometimes people get sicknesses that make their health go away and then they die before they get old.

That is too much information.

A young kid like OPs does not need to know about Carrie Fisher's drug use.

To them she is Princess Leia. Period. Her only image to them is bad ass, strong, roll model princess.

They don't need to know about dugging, partying, sleeping with Hans Solo Carrie Fisher.

Anonymous wrote:When you use drugs, even if they don't kill you right after you use them, they do shorten your life and you'll die earlier. This is why you don't abuse drugs, even prescription ones. Sometimes people die of old age, but sometimes people get sicknesses that make their health go away and then they die before they get old.

OP here. I have not discussed drugs/alcohol with her yet (she just turned 5 this fall). However, I think I may go with a version of this angle, if it comes up--basically, that some people are not very healthy, and do not take care of their bodies as well as they should, which is why it is important to exercise, eat healthy foods, etc. I don't want to blame them, so I may say that back when these celebrities were growing up, people didn't know how important it was to stay healthy.

^ +1. Not relevant to dicuss with kid

Anonymous wrote:Why woukd you need to discuss these deaths with a young kid?

The only person on that list that kids know and care about is Princess Leia.

Since she looked very old to them in the Force Awakens, you just need to say "Yes, she was very old and her heart stopped working" if it comes up in conversation. Nothing more.

George Michaels means nothing to kids. They have no idea who he is and he is not enough of a star to have been on any kid's radar.

They won't know who those other people are either.

+1.

When you use drugs, even if they don't kill you right after you use them, they do shorten your life and you'll die earlier. This is why you don't abuse drugs, even prescription ones. Sometimes people die of old age, but sometimes people get sicknesses that make their health go away and then they die before they get old.

Why woukd you need to discuss these deaths with a young kid?

The only person on that list that kids know and care about is Princess Leia.

Since she looked very old to them in the Force Awakens, you just need to say "Yes, she was very old and her heart stopped working" if it comes up in conversation. Nothing more.

George Michaels means nothing to kids. They have no idea who he is and he is not enough of a star to have been on any kid's radar.

They won't know who those other people are either.

Not sure if this is the right forum, but here goes:

Prince

Muhammed Ali

Carre Fisher

George Michael

Phife Dawg (Tribe Called Quest)

These are just some of the famous figures that have died in 2016 that my kindergartner is familiar with. She's been asking occasional questions about death (maybe every few months) since seeing a kid's movie at age 3 that merely hinted at the concept of death. She knows that most people die when they are very old, but most of these figures that have died this year are not very old. How are people talking to their young kids about the deaths of famous people this year? Recently she's been into Princess Leia, and I have not yet told her that Carrie Fisher died--don't know if we need to, but just curious how other people have handled the topic if it's come up.