What Roger Ebert's Life Can Teach Even the Greenest Entertainment Business Newbie

Roger Ebert and his wife Chaz Hammelsmith

"Work for a cause, not for applause;
 Live life to express, not to impress;
 Don't strive to make your presence noticed, just make your absence felt." -Unknown

Iconic film critic Roger Ebert certainly fulfilled the quote, down to the final statement, as the nation demonstrated at his funeral yesterday. Hollywood elite and politicos braved the cold and rain to join local Chicagoans to celebrate the industry veteran's life.

Whether you're an entertainment industry vet or a total newbie, Ebert's life and the celebration of it leaves an indelible challenge for you.

4 Things You Can Learn from Losing Our Most Beloved Celebrities

Death can be jarring: it knocks us when we hear of a shootout or drive-by on the local news, when we hear of war casualties or riot deaths, when our family members pass away; but a celebrity death is a far more feral gut punch than most, isn’t it?

We all know death is inevitable, and it always shakes us to remember our fleeting existence, but there’s something harrowing about seeing the wealthiest, most successful people we’ve grown to love – or at least warm up to – have their lives taken from them, and even more so when they choose to take it themselves.

A celebrity death also reminds us that the grass isn’t any greener on the other side than it is on ours – it’s perhaps just a different type of grass.

I spent almost a week researching the notable celebrity deaths of 2012 and compiled a daunting list 88 names (which you can view on my Wordpress blog in detail if you’re interested), but there were some common threads throughout the list worth noting – some key takeaways you can apply to your life now.