Line #69 Main/CelebritiesHangOutInHeaven


1	[[quoteright:350:[[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jewish_heaven_2.png]]]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:Creator/JoanRivers, [[Literature/BooksOfSamuel King David]], [[Characters/TheSimpsonsOtherRecurringCharacters Rabbi Hyman Krustofsky]], [[IronLady Golda Meir]], Creator/GalGadot[[note]]Not dead, but they like her so much she gets to visit[[/note]], UsefulNotes/AlbertEinstein, and [[BadassIsraeli Moshe Dayan]]]]
3
4	->'''Bart:''' I can't believe Krusty's really gone.\
5	'''Homer:''' Don't worry, son. I'm sure he's up in Heaven right now, laughing it up with all the other celebrities: UsefulNotes/JohnDillinger, [[UsefulNotes/HistoricalPeopleToKnowInMLB Ty Cobb]], UsefulNotes/JosefStalin. I wish ''I'' were dead.
6	-->-- ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS7E15BartTheFink Bart the Fink]]"
7
8	When people think about going to {{Heaven}}, they often imagine reconnecting with family and close friends -- the loved ones they actually spent their lives with. But when deceased celebrities are depicted in Heaven, they are usually hanging out with other famous people. This especially applies if the celebrities are in similar fields: artists, musicians, inventors, political leaders. They may want to trade stories and learn from each other. Also, given the time gap between the celebrities, some of them may be {{Fanboy}}ing.
9
10	The idea of "Rock and Roll Heaven" gets particular attention, due to [[DeadArtistsAreBetter all the rockers]] who [[ShortLivedBigImpact went out in their prime]], and just [[RuleOfCool how awesome it would be]]. Even within that, [[Music/JimiHendrix expect]] [[Music/JanisJoplin at least]] [[Music/TheDoors one]] [[Music/KurtCobain of a]] [[Music/AmyWinehouse certain]] [[ArcNumber group]].
11
12	If the deceased celebrities are {{Real Life Relative}}s, then this is a JustifiedTrope, and expect [[TogetherInDeath their reconnection in Heaven]] to be mentioned '''a lot''' in real-life obituaries.
13
14	This tends to overlap with FluffyCloudHeaven, as in the stock portrayal of the departed celebrities meeting up by the Pearly Gates. Might be the premise of a bittersweet RealPersonFic, [[SelfInsertFic surrogate]] [[OriginalCharacter character]] optional.
15
16	Obviously, the people here are DeadToBeginWith. See also TogetherInDeath, AfterlifeWelcome, and GhostReunionEnding. If this is portrayed in a poem or song, it is likely a CelebrityElegy. If it turns out they're not really dead, then it could be a case of ElvisLives. See also JuryOfTheDamned, in which infamous celebrities and historical figures gather together to serve on a jury. Compare InThePastEveryoneWillBeFamous, where well-known figures similarly congregate during their lifetimes.
17
18	----
19	!!Examples:
20
21	[[foldercontrol]]
22
23	[[folder:Fan Works]]
24	* ''Fanfic/TheBoltChronicles'': Bolt mentions having had a conversation with Creator/CSLewis in Nirvana, in “The Gift.”
25	* ''[[https://my.w.tt/bhjqJ2VPhW Final Stand of Death]]'' has this. Considering it’s a WesternAnimation/CelebrityDeathmatch Fic, this is well justified.
26	[[/folder]]
27
28	[[folder:Films -- Animated]]
29	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Coco}}'':
30	** The antagonist, Ernesto de la Cruz, is a dead actor and singer who WordOfGod says is based on based on well-known Mexican musicians such as Pedro Infante, Jorge Negrete and Vicente Fernández.
31	** Many of the Land of the Dead's inhabitants are RealLife deceased Mexican celebrities, including [[Film/{{Frida}} Frida Kahlo]], Mario Moreno 'Cantinflas', Wrestling/ElSanto, Jorge Negrete, and Pedro Infante, who Ernesto is largely based on. Some are mentioned by name while others are a FreezeFrameBonus.
32	* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Soul}}'' the dead have the option of visiting the Great Before to coach an unborn soul. 22's past mentors include Gandhi, UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln, Mother Teresa, Nicolaus Copernicus, UsefulNotes/MuhammadAli, UsefulNotes/MarieAntoinette, UsefulNotes/CarlJung and Creator/GeorgeOrwell.
33	* Inverted in ''WesternAnimation/SouthParkBiggerLongerAndUncut''. When Kenny's falling to Hell he sees UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler, UsefulNotes/MahatmaGandhi and Creator/GeorgeBurns.
34	[[/folder]]
35
36	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
37	* ''Film/BillAndTedsBogusJourney'' shows a group of famous inventors -- including Creator/BenjaminFranklin, UsefulNotes/AlbertEinstein, and George Washington Carver -- along with Creator/{{Confucius}} playing charades with Martian scientists in heaven. Someone can be heard asking "[[Creator/MarilynMonroe Marilyn]]" how she got into show business.
38	* ''Film/HappyGilmore'' shows Chubbs in heaven with UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln and [[NoAnimosityInTheAfterlife the alligator that bit off his hand]].
39	* ''Film/LittleNicky'': UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler is in Hell, dressed in a FrenchMaid uniform and [[KarmicRape getting pineapples rammed up his ass]] every day at 4 PM for all eternity.
40	* ''Film/ThisIsTheEnd'' is a justified example, as the main protagonists are celebrities, who are friends in real life (it's pretty much Creator/JuddApatow's ProductionPosse without Judd Apatow) [[AdamWesting playing themselves]] as as they try to survive through [[Literature/BookOfRevelation the apocalypse]]. [[spoiler:Those who make it into Heaven naturally hang out with each other and enjoy a DancePartyEnding with the Music/BackstreetBoys performing "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)".]]
41	[[/folder]]
42
43	[[folder:Literature]]
44	* {{Defied\|Trope}} in Creator/MarkTwain's short story ''Captain Stormfield's Visit to Heaven''. Stormfield is told that well-known figures -- and figures that would have been well-known had they lived long enough to reach their potential -- are said to sometimes appear and be celebrated, but this is relatively rare occurrence. [[HellOfAHeaven What kind of Heaven would it be for them if they didn't get any time away from the paparazzi]], after all?
45	* The Creator/StephenKing short story "You Know They Got a Hell Of a Band" (named after the Righteous Brothers tune) from ''Literature/NightmaresAndDreamscapes'' features a lost couple who find themselves in a town named "Rock and Roll Heaven" populated by dead musicians. [[spoiler:Unfortunately It turns out that [[HellOfAHeaven it's only heaven for the musicians themselves]], as anybody who passes through the town can never leave and is forced to watch the rock stars' nightly concerts -- and because [[YearInsideHourOutside time flows differently there]], they can go on for ''years''. Oh, and the rock stars are all grotesque, zombie-esque horrors.]]
46	* The “Heroes in Hell” stories by Janet Morris. Only they ain’t in heaven.
47	* The poem [[https://www.naic.edu/~gibson/poems/swilliams1.html “The Old Astronomer to His Pupil”]] has a dying astronomer imagine that his afterlife will be a place where he can share modern discoveries with the great astronomers of the past, including [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tycho_Brahe Tycho Brahe]].
48	* ''Literature/TheDivineComedy'' does a Renaissance-era version of this, both played straight and inverted, as Creator/DanteAlighieri goes into detail on which real-life historical figures wound up in heaven, hell, or purgatory. A whole lot of {{Take That}}s are aimed at those who wound up in hell.
49	* Subverted in ''Literature/GoodOmens'', where Crowley's argues that Aziraphale doesn't ''want'' Heaven to win the great war by pointing out they ''don't''.
50	-->"''Listen''," said Crowley desperately, "how many musicians do you think your side has got, eh? First grade, I mean."\
51	Aziraphale looked taken aback. "Well, I should think–" he began.\
52	"Two," said Crowley. "Elgar and Liszt. That's ''all''. We’ve got the rest. Beethoven, Brahms, all the Bachs, Mozart, the lot. Can you imagine eternity with Elgar?"\
53	Aziraphale shut his eyes. "All too easily," he groaned.
54	[[/folder]]
55
56	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
57	* ''Series/GoodOmens2019'': In the first episode, Crowley taunts Aziraphale by asking him how many great composers they have in Heaven, stating that Hell has [[Music/WolfgangAmadeusMozart Mozart]], [[Music/LudwigVanBeethoven Beethoven]], [[Music/FranzSchubert Schubert]], and all of the [[Music/JohannSebastianBach Bachs]].
58	* A Creator/ValKilmer-hosted episode of ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' had a ''Series/BehindTheMusic'' parody sketch in Rock and Roll Heaven, where [[Music/TheDoors Jim Morrison]] (Kilmer, [[ParodyAssistance reprising his role]] from ''Film/TheDoors1991'') formed a new band with Music/JanisJoplin, Music/JimiHendrix, Music/BuddyHolly, and Music/LouisArmstrong. Unfortunately, things start to fall apart due to CreativeDifferences and [[YokoOhNo Jim's relationship with Amelia Earhart]]. [[spoiler:Then they all get reincarnated.]]
59	* In the first episode of ''[[Series/TheUmbrellaAcademy2019 The Umbrella Academy]]'' when Klaus is asked to contact their late father, he says he can't interrupt dad playing tennis with Hitler.
60	[[/folder]]
61
62	[[folder:Music]]
63	* "Abraham, Martin and John" by Dion imagines the [[CharacterTitle titled trio]] -- UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln, UsefulNotes/MartinLutherKingJr, and UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy (all assassinated) -- walking together over a hill with the recently killed [[UsefulNotes/RobertFKennedy Bobby Kennedy]].
64	* "Rock and Roll Heaven" by the Righteous Brothers imagines several deceased musicians -- Music/JimiHendrix, Music/JanisJoplin, Music/OtisRedding, Music/JimMorrison, Music/JimCroce, and Music/BobbyDarin -- in Heaven together forming a hell of a band, band, band!
65	* "Grandma's Spending Christmas With the Superstars", a sequel to the song "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer", describes Grandma celebrating Christmas in Heaven with several deceased celebrities, such as Music/{{Liberace}} and Creator/RichardBurton.
66	* [[https://genius.com/Watsky-all-you-can-do-lyrics?_gl=1hf54bg_ga*YW1wLXBxOFhYNHFLWjkzMnlNd0ZXRTY0M09JcnJaOV9DSjdheHRNUVNnZ3NjMUxjV3Q3UUJnUW9RYnpWdENQbTJVTGw Watsky’s “All You Can Do”]] is yet another song that shows a scene with the 27 Club together.
67	* Renaud's song "Mon bistrot préféré" (literally "My Favorite Pub") imagines a pub in heaven where various dead famous artists hang out, and hopes he would be allowed to hang out with them once he dies.
68	* In "Fire Water Burn" by the ''Music/BloodhoundGang'', they sing that if they go to Hell they'll spend their days with [[UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy J.F.K.]], Music/MarvinGaye, Martha Raye, Music/LawrenceWelk and [[Series/{{Webster}} Emmanuel Lewis]] (because he's the AntiChrist).
69	* Music/TypeONegative's "[[Music/DeadAgain2007 Halloween in Heaven]]", a tribute to [[Music/{{Pantera}} Dimebag Darrell]], mentions a rock band formed in heaven.
70	--> "[[Music/LedZeppelin Bonham]] on drums, [[Music/TheWho Entwistle]] on bass as guest morticians\
71	[[Music/{{ACDC}} Bon Scott]] on vox, [[Music/OzzyOsbourne Rhoads]] just for kicks, on guitar [[Music/JimiHendrix Hendrix]]\
72	[[Music/TheBeatles Lennon sits in with his friend George]] but where is [[Music/TheDoors Morrison]]?"
73	[[/folder]]
74
75	[[folder:Print Media]]
76	* As said earlier, this tends to go with FluffyCloudHeaven editorial cartoons for the deceased, especially those in families or groups.
77	* ''Magazine/{{Mad}}'' had a [[https://lukemcgarry.com/work/illustration/2019/mad-1/ short-lived]] [[https://lukemcgarry.com/work/illustration/2019/the-27-club-mad-2/ series]] called "The 27 Club" by Luke Mcgarry, taking place in Rock and Roll Heaven where all the late, great musicians hang out. The titular club are not only best friends, they have superpowers and can travel back to Earth to fight crime. Only, Music/RobertJohnson is in [[DealWithTheDevil the other]] [[FireAndBrimstoneHell place]]. It was canned prior to the 2019 reboot, though the artist has announced in 2021 he’s working on new strips, possibly for his own indie mag.
78	* A Brazilian satire magazine put a cruel twist on this trope when they implied Music/{{SHINEE}} singer Jonghyun wasn't cared about by his fans and only killed himself at age 27 to get into the "Club", resulting in them kicking him out. Needless to say, Jonghyun’s fans [[DudeNotFunny were NOT amused.]]
79	[[/folder]]
80
81	[[folder:Pro Wrestling]]
82	* Wrestling/HulkHogan, in [[https://youtu.be/g4ewW7TZOsw?t=188 his eulogy]] to Wrestling/MeanGeneOkerlund on ''Wrestling/MondayNightRaw'', describes how Mean Gene is putting together a tag team match between [[Wrestling/RandySavage The Macho Man]] and the Wrestling/UltimateWarrior against Wrestling/RoddyPiper and [[Wrestling/CurtHennig Mr. Perfect]], with Wrestling/AndreTheGiant as the special guest referee and Wrestling/BobbyHeenan and Wrestling/GorillaMonsoon calling the match and [[VitriolicBestBuds fighting as usual]].
83	* In the post-event press conference for Wrestling/RingOfHonor's 2023 Supercard of Honor event, [[Wrestling/BriscoeBrothers Mark Briscoe]], who had come up short for the Television title, remarked that his late brother, Jay, who had been killed in a car accident earlier in the year, probably had a better night than he did. Mark wrestled Wrestling/SamoaJoe, while Jay wrestled Wrestling/EddieGuerrero.
84	[[/folder]]
85
86	[[folder:Stand Up Comedy]]
87	* Creator/LennyHenry has a routine where he imagines all the big rock stars jamming in heaven... and Music/GeorgeFormby is joining in on his little ukelele.
88	[[/folder]]
89
90	[[folder:Video Games]]
91	* Inverted in ''VideoGame/SuperColumbineMassacreRPG''. The second half of the game [[PlanetHeck takes place in Hell]], and while you're there, you get to visit an Island of Lost Souls, where you meet historical figures like Creator/FriedrichNietzsche (who you have to speak with to progress further), Music/JohnLennon, UsefulNotes/RichardNixon, UsefulNotes/MalcolmX, Creator/{{Confucius}}, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_JonBenet_Ramsey JonBenét Ramsey,]] UsefulNotes/RobertOppenheimer (who tells the player that "if [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone inventing the atomic bomb doesn't land you down here]], what possibly could?"), and a victim of the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Challenger_disaster Challenger explosion]] (who thinks that his lustful thoughts about Christa [=McAuliffe=] got him sent to Hell). You also encounter a [[RoswellThatEndsWell Roswell alien]], SantaClaus, and fictional characters like [[Franchise/StarWars Darth Vader]], [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons Bart Simpson]], Franchise/MegaMan, and [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Mario]]. And of course, there's the game's {{Villain Protagonist}}s, the UsefulNotes/{{Columbine}} shooters Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, who were both sent to Hell for their killing spree.
92	[[/folder]]
93
94	[[folder:Web Comics]]
95	* Deconstructed in ''Webcomic/DorkTower'', when a guy [[http://www.dorktower.com/2016/05/03/jamming-in-heaven-dork-tower-03-05-16/ says]] Music/DavidBowie, [[Music/{{Motorhead}} Lemmy]], [[Music/{{Eagles}} Glenn Frey]] and Music/{{Prince}} are "jamming together now, up in heaven", and Matt questions why they'd be doing that when they never performed together in life.
96	[[/folder]]
97
98	[[folder:Web Original]]
99	* Todd Fisher [[Website/{{Twitter}} tweeted out]] [[https://twitter.com/tafish/status/814550722519805952 a picture]] of Creator/DebbieReynolds and Creator/CarrieFisher -- his [[RealLifeRelative mother and sister]] who died within a day of each other -- heading towards heaven together. They are portrayed as their most famous characters from ''Film/SingingInTheRain'' and ''Franchise/StarWars''.
100	* [[https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/sgt-peppers-style-homage-to-celebrity-deaths-of-2016-runs-out-of-space/ This parody]] of the ''[[Music/SgtPeppersLonelyHeartsClubBand Sgt. Pepper]]'' cover includes most, if not all, of the celebrities who died in the infamous year of 2016. It totaled up to 82. The artist has (reluctantly) done one for every year since.
101	[[/folder]]
102
103	[[folder:Web Videos]]
104	* This Website/YouTube [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNEnCVs8PiU video]] portrays former spouses Creator/GildaRadner and Creator/GeneWilder reuniting in Heaven. But when Wilder sees Radner, she is on a date with Creator/GarryShandling. Radner also reveals that in the twenty-five years between Radner's death and Wilder's, she also dated Creator/JimmyStewart, Creator/CaryGrant, Music/JohnLennon, Music/TupacShakur, Creator/JackLemmon, Creator/MarleneDietrich ([[SituationalSexuality for a phase]]), and Music/DavidBowie.
105	* This Website/YouTube [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIx-xOzIMVU video]] is of a welcoming party in Heaven hosted by Music/MichaelJackson for Music/WhitneyHouston. The guests are all famous singers: Music/JimiHendrix, Music/KurtCobain, Music/ElvisPresley, Music/JohnLennon, Music/JimMorrison, Music/FreddieMercury, and Music/AmyWinehouse.
106	* WebVideo/TheKeyOfAwesome's original song "Some Things Are Still Awesome" shows Music/DavidBowie and Music/{{Prince}} singing with Santa Claus while trying to help people recover from the pain 2016 caused.
107	* Courtesy of live sketch show ''Top Story!'':
108	** [[https://youtu.be/N5EJooyn0f4 The day Amy Winehouse joins the 27 Club]]
109	** [[https://youtu.be/qOWlEl8Aj1I Heaven’s Christmas Party 2016]]
110	[[/folder]]
111
112	[[folder:Western Animation]]
113	* In WesternAnimation/TheGhostAndMollyMcGee, celebrities tend to frequent the same clubs in the Ghost World.
114	* ''WesternAnimation/GrandmaGotRunOverByAReindeer'': When Grandpa doesn't yet know that Grandma [[MistakenDeathConfirmation survived the reindeer attack]], he sings (to [[BigBad Cousin Mel]]'s annoyance) about how he's convinced that "Grandma's spending Christmas with the superstars" and being consoled by Music/ElvisPresley.
115	* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' '''loves''' this trope:
116	** Homer's dream of Heaven in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS4E3HomerTheHeretic Homer the Heretic]]" includes Music/JimiHendrix and UsefulNotes/IsaacNewton playing air hockey.
117	** In "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS7E15BartTheFink Bart the Fink]]", Homer describes how Krusty is enjoying Heaven with all the other celebrities, like UsefulNotes/JohnDillinger, [[UsefulNotes/HistoricalPeopleToKnowInMLB Ty Cobb]], and UsefulNotes/JosefStalin.
118	** In the ''[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS20E4TreehouseOfHorrorXIX Treehouse of Horror XIX]]'' segment, "How to Get Ahead in Dead-vertising", Homer (accidentally) kills Krusty and is then hired to kill a bunch of other celebrities -- Creator/GeorgeClooney, Music/{{Prince}}, [[UsefulNotes/{{NASA}} Neil Armstrong]] -- who all end up going to "Celebrity Heaven". They and other celebrities -- including Creator/JohnWayne, UsefulNotes/GeorgeWashington, and Music/JohnLennon -- return to Earth to kill Homer.
119	** The page image is from "Bart's Not Dead," where Bart fakes a near-death experience. Later, when he actually does have a vision of Heaven, it includes a shot of "Jewish Heaven," shown above.
120	** A more downplayed example, in which celebrities are buried together rather than being in Heaven together: When Bart and Lisa visit a graveyard in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS6E5SideshowBobRoberts Sideshow Bob Roberts]]", they see gravestones of Music/BuddyHolly, Music/RitchieValens, and Music/TheBigBopper, [[Music/AmericanPie who all died in the same plane crash together]].
121	* In ''WesternAnimation/StewieGriffinTheUntoldStory'', Brian dies and he ends up in Heaven, drinking at a table with Creator/VincentVanGogh, Creator/ErnestHemingway, and Music/KurtCobain, who all explain how the weight of celebrity led them to [[DrivenToSuicide commit suicide]]. Brian then nervously admits he died from [[UndignifiedDeath eating chocolate out of the garbage]].
122	* The 2002 British series ''House of Rock'' was, as opposed to others, Rock and Roll ''Purgatory''. The premise was [[Music/{{Queen}} Freddie Mercury]], [[Music/{{Nirvana}} Kurt Cobain]], Music/JohnDenver, Music/TheNotoriousBig and [[Music/TRex Marc Bolan]] (later replaced with Music/JohnLennon) living in the barren afterlife together, with other stars popping up here and there.
123	[[/folder]]

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