Peaches Geldof

I have to be honest here and say that when an item comes on the news I have a sort of sliding scale of empathy; the more I relate to that person [or in the case of the Geldorf family as a whole] or feel that, by recognising their faces instantly I feel that I 'know' them in some way the sadder I feel. Especially if it's a situation I can imagine myself to be in. So, perhaps the empathy is actually more of a concern for me and mine but played out by someone else. I guess it's the dividing line between sympathy and empathy. I'm not explaining myself very well, am I? [because I don't really understand my own feelings]. Bob Geldorf created, with Live Aid [albeit with help from others] one of the stand out occasions of my life and therefore anything that happens to him and his feels more personal to me.

I feel like you, Tegan. Live Aid was a significant event in my life and since then I have felt that Bob Geldof's concern for his global neighbours warrants concern for him and his family. I don't know him or his family, but I think I share his values about children and helping each other. I don't think we need to be given every detail, but can't help wondering how Peaches' young life has ended so suddenly.

I agree, Tegan. I felt terribly sad when Linda McCartney died even though I was furious when Paul married her and not Jane Asher who was my style icon.

I am wondering if an eating disorder will be found to be the cause of Peaches' death - Karen Carpenter springs to mind. There is so much talk about obesity being a time bomb but I am dismayed at the number of stick thin young women who quite cheerfully boast that they 'rarely eat'.

She did look terribly gaunt in that photo with her dog and she's not a naturally skinny person. Given that she appears to have been breast feeding the babies [on top of being almost permanently pregnant for 2 years] must have been a huge strain on her body. It seems to me that she was searching for something in her life and overcompensating in some ways to make amends for what her mother did to her. And this vile pressure for women to be stick thin the minute thay give birth [which is done by liposuction etc in many cases although the women involved don't admit to it].

What do you mean, Tegan, 'what her mother did to her'?

To elaborate, I can understand that her mother's death must have affected Peaches badly, but I wouldn't have thought Paula meant to hurt anyone but herself when she took that fatal overdose.

I agree with Tegan about the "vile pressure for women to be stick thin the minute they give birth". Yes, any young woman whose had 2 babies in as many years, demand fed, carried them with her all the time, is likely to be skinny and look exhausted. If she wasn't eating well during those years, she would have few physical (or emotional) resources. It's unbelievably sad, for her, and those who loved her.

I find it hard to point a finger of blame at either Paula Yates, or Bob Geldoff. They loved their children, got into a right mess in their private lives, and made mistakes. I don't expect anyone on gransnet hasn't made mistakes in their lives. Living out your life in the public eye must be so hard. Growing up in the public eye even harder. Bob Geldoff must feel broken, and as Ana said, I can't imaging Paul Yates mean to hurt anyone when she overdosed. I'm not sure it was an intentional overdose either.

Trouble is , when you OD you hurt everyone around you !

Trouble is , when you OD you hurt everyone around you !

OOPS , don"t know what happened there !

I'm not referring to Paulas overdose but the way she was, one minute the perfect mother and the next she leaves the family for Michael Hutchence [who was a wild man of rock even by rock standards].

Didn"t MH pride himself on getting "Good girls" to go "bad", look what happened with Kylie Minogue !

He was not a nice individual , IMO

Let's just wait until the inquest. It could well be SADS / natural causes. It sounds like that to me. Plenty of young mums are skinny and exhausted but don't die. I know how horrendous a sudden death is for the family. There is nothing anyone can say which can make it better. We just have to think of them in their sadness.

There is talk in the papers of bulimia which over time results in over production of, I believe it said, potassium which can lead to cardiac arrest.

She has had a close call twice before, so could well be natural causes due the previous damage done.

Apparently the 11 month old baby was found in the house with her. Peaches' husband raised the alarm when she didn't answer her phone which makes me suspect there must have already been some concerns over her health.

It's a good thing that the baby will be too young to remember anything about it but what a horrible thing to have happened.

The baby won't have conscious memory of what happened, but will grow up without his mum, and with discussions about her ( like this one) out there in cyber space for ever.

How tragic

It is being reported that 'Heroin' was likely to have contributed to her death.

The echoes of her mother cannot be out of your mind, the poor children left behind.

Silly, silly young woman

Why is this s prevalent among "celebrities" - it is almost as bad as the "cycle of deprivation" that afflicts the poor in our society. I can almost get my head round people on the bottom rung turning to drugs for some sort of cushioning of their lot, but these privileged people have no need of that. Let us hope that her two boys will break the cycle.

There has been such hateful, judgemental and wicked comments on Facebook about this poor girl. I cannot believe how cruel people can be.

I must say I was saddened by the news that this young woman died of what was reported as an 'overdose' - it seemed so pointless...

Terribly sad. Losing her mother seems to have cast a very long shadow. I think the reason drug use is so prevalent amongst celebrities is because they are just so easily available and in that circle so acceptable. I am still shocked that she took drugs while caring for her baby, but clearly she wasn't thinking straight at the time. Poor girl.

I must admit I was shocked/surprised that it was heroin. I thought cocaine was the drug of choice for most celebs these days. What a sad waste of a life...

Tragic. The horrible comments on Facebook are senseless and cruel. If she had a lower tolerance for drugs after abstaining, together with bulimia side effects, a single craving to use heroin whilst feeling down could have caused her death. Too easily done.