Classic Film : Was Katharine Hepburn's death big news?

I'm not old enough to remember 2003 well, and I'm curious about the reactions to her death. She died very old, at 96, so was it kinda just barely acknowledged, like with Joan Fontaine and Maureen O'Hara? Or did her legendary status make it big news? Also, what were people focussed on - her personality, films, Oscars, Spencer Tracy?

It was a big news , but nowhere as big as Bob Hope same year, and nowhere as big as Frank Sinatra some years earlier.
Still, it was front page on all magazines, and her sickness was well covered before. Trash magazines found her deathbed pictures somehow, and were publishing them as well

you mean here on IMDB ?
no I don't recall.
I read all about Me, liked it it. However like pretty much all film star memoirs she starts carefully describing each film, then gets bored, and only mentions films sporadically.

Lincoln Center library had exhibit of her film / stage dresses recently, I was in the area, so saw it. Can post photos if someone wants to see

oops went to edit and deleted argh.

Those exhibits of the costumes are so great saw one at the Met one year you had to get timed tickets to get in to see it. Fantastic.

Well, in PEOPLE Magazine, her death was only a picture of her on the top margin of the cover.
The rest of the cover was of (ugh!) Reese Witherspoon!

Just goes to show where that magazines priorities lay.

snsurone, PEOPLE magazine put out a special Katharine Hepburn tribute magazine:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/People-Tribute-Commemorative-Issue-Katherine-Hepburn-EX-040816jhe-/331830652708?hash=item4d42a5ef24:g:haMAAOSw0QFXBsfL

TIME/LIFE put out an even bigger one.

Reese Witherspoon won't ever have a legacy, let alone Hepburn's. She can't act and is a horrible human being. Don't worry about that.

What a grip! That's from counting money.

Oh, I'm not worried.

I remember it, even though I was a teen with zero interest in classic films at the time. So it must have had a lot of coverage.


Stop listening to the static.

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what were people focussed on - her personality, films, Oscars, Spencer Tracy?

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People focused on her age and her 3-1/2 Oscars.

jj