Casey Gillespie and Matt, college friends since 2008, have maintained their bond in a unique way over the years. Though they haven’t seen each other since around 2009, they committed to texting each other whenever a celebrity passes away.
The tradition began during a fire drill when Casey informed Matt about Heath Ledger’s death in a surprisingly humorous way. Since then, they’ve texted each other names followed by “is dead” whenever they learn about a celebrity death. The frequency of these messages varies but generally occurs every few weeks, depending on current events. Recently, some notable names included Hayden Panettiere and Dolly Parton.
Gillespie recently shared their text exchanges on Threads, leading to a viral moment online, with thousands of likes and comments from others who have similar quirky communication habits with friends. While she often hears about celebrity deaths via People magazine alerts, she appreciates that Matt frequently breaks the news to her.
Gillespie reflects on their bond with a mix of humor and sincerity, noting that this morbid tradition is likely to continue indefinitely—even contemplating who would notify the other should one of them pass away.
