Should Dead Artists Have Facebook Pages?

Should dead artists have Facebook pages? For that matter, should any dead people exist in the world of social media? Is it wrong for record labels to use social media accounts of deceased artists to promote material and keep up sales? What about when it's run by family members to raise awareness and keep the legacies alive?

For some, there seems to be something unnatural and unsettling about the idea of creating Facebook pages for dead people. In a lot of ways, our social media accounts have come to be an extension of our own voices. While we hope that our voice echoes on after our deaths in some ways, do we want someone operating on our behalf through daily updates and inspirational quotes?

For personal users, Facebook offers an option for a "memorial page," which will make the page of the deceased private, available only to friends and family and hidden from searches. But when the person is a public figure, things get a little more complicated.

Rising rapper Jamal Dewar—better known to fans as Capital STEEZ—took his own life on Christmas Eve, 2012. He was 19 years old. The Brooklyn teen was part of the up-and-coming Pro Era crew, and everyone who was a fan of Pro Era from the beginning will tell you that STEEZ had a gift. He was smart, he was talented, and he was passionate.

When you go to Capital STEEZ' Facebook page, the first thing you see is a wall adorned with messages from fans. From Maryland, Texas, the Canary Islands, and Connecticut, people stop by to show love, give respect, and express the confusion and sadness that comes with loss.

Now filter Capital STEEZ' page to only show posts done by the owner of the page. There is Capital STEEZ. A piece of his voice still lives here. You can take a glimpse into his life and see a young kid on the rise, in the studio with his friends, getting excited about interviews and shows. Since his death, there have been no updates to the page. Anyone outside of the situation doesn't really even have the right to say what his family or management or whoever should or shouldn't do with what is now just a shell of a Facebook wall—for some, it clearly provides a way to honor Jamal and pay respect. Elliott Smith's wall is used for similar purposes, it's just that you have to go to Los Angeles to see it.

For 2Pac's page, the description makes it clear that the page is "the official page of Tupac Shakur's estate, committed to his memory." The 2Pac page updates with things like, "We wouldn't be here today if the Old school didn't pave the way...Shoutin' out a Happy Birthday to Rakim." Just the other day the 2Pac page, which currently has 8.8 million "likes," shared a picture of a fan holding a sign: "If I get one million likes my girlfriend says I can name my son Tupac." He's currently got over 230,000, so if you want to see that happen, go hit "like."

Neither Kurt Cobain or Bradley Nowell have regularly updated official Facebook pages. Elliott Smith's page is updated a few times every month and shares photos and articles written about Elliott. The Jimi Hendrix page, called "The Jimi Hendrix Experience Official Page," promotes Jimi's upcoming posthumous album. It has 4.4 million "likes" and the page keeps fans engaged with trivia, videos, links to iTunes, and reminders to turn on CBS for Hawaii Five-0, which featured a previously unreleased Hendrix song. Most fans react with excitement and unwavering support. Some seem less happy that in his absence, his recorded and unreleased music is being debuted on Hawaii Five-0.

And then there is the case of Nina Simone.

Recently, things turned ugly on the Nina Simone Facebook page. On Saturday, January 26, a post was made on the official Nina Simone Facebook wall. It started, "Greetings Y'all, Simone here." The note went on to explain the importance of the upcoming Black History Month 2013, pointing out that the legacies of those before us need to be carried on and that the children need to be educated and empowered. It ended simply with, "Ciao, Simone."

The thing that some people did not realize is that this was written by Nina Simone's daughter. She adapted the stagename Simone after her mother died. She is an actress and singer (who has appeared on Broadway) and the 49-year-old strives to keep her mother's legacy intact, often speaking out about unauthorized uses of Nina's story or music, and carrying on many of the ideals that her mother so passionately fought for.

Just two of the 76 comments posted in response paint a picture of what people were thinking:

"nina passed away in 2003, so this post claiming to be from 'simone' is confusing and creepy."

"What?.. I am getting a note from a dead person. I am about to unlike her page so I am not reading notes from ghosts... Disgusting"

Content Manager Aaron Overfield reacted soon after, writing:

"It is truly mind boggling how we continue to receive responses on nearly every post by this page about how Nina is deceased and therefore should not have a Facebook page nor should the page be making posts.

Let's ignore the fact that they "liked" the page knowing she was already deceased (Nina transitioned in 2003, before Facebook was even launched).

What's curious is that people don't have the same response when the Elvis Presley page posts. They don't have the same response when the Ray Charles page posts. Nor do they have the same response when the Michael Jackson page posts.

We will continue to facilitate Nina's legacy in every way possible. We will continue to spread the word.

We are all here because of our love of all things Nina Simone. If the very presence of this page disturbs you or creeps you out, please unlike it or mute it from your newsfeed.

This is not intended to be rude but this page is run in large part by Nina's daughter, Simone. I guarantee you that Simone needs no constant reminders that her own mother has transitioned.

-Aaron Overfield

Content Manager for NinaSimone.com

Even more offended by the confused readers, Nina's daughter Simone's letter reads:

WOW!!! People never cease to amaze...so we will keep it simple.

PLEASE READ MY WORDS IN BLOCK LETTERS AND PERHAPS THINGS WILL BECOME CLEAR:

MY NAME IS SIMONE.

I AM DR NINA SIMONE'S ONLY CHILD. IF YOU DID NOT KNOW, NOW YOU KNOW...GOOGLE IT.

AARON IS THE CONTENT MANAGER FOR ALL THINGS

DR NINA SIMONE AND HAS MY BLESSING TO REPRESENT.

MY MOTHER DIED APRIL 21, 2003 AND AS HER CHILD I MISS HER EVERY DAY! WHILE THE WORLD MISSES A GREAT ARTIST, I AM THE ONLY PERSON IN THE WORLD WHO KNEW HER AS MOMMY. PLEASE RESPECT THAT FACT WHEN YOU DECIDE TO SAY WHATEVER COMES TO YOUR MINDS, WITHOUT FILTERS.

I HAVE BEEN WORKING HARD FOR ALMOST 10 YEARS TO PROTECT MY MOTHER'S LEGACY FROM THE MANY THAT WOULD ATTEMPT TO STEAL IT, SQUASH IT, SILENCE IT OR TURN IT INTO SOMETHING UGLY.

"FEELIN GOOD" WAS WRITTEN BY ANTHONY NEWLEY AND HIS PARTNER FOR A MUSICAL AND COVERED BY MY MOTHER.

MY BLACK HISTORY MONTH POST HAS RECEIVED NO COMMENTS IN KEEPING WITH THE SUBJECT MATTER - OUR YOUTH. IF YOU WOULD BE SO KIND, PLEASE READ IT AS WE REALLY NEED TO ENSURE OUR YOUNG ONES ARE EDUCATED ON OUR GREATS AND IT TAKES ALL OF US WORKING TOGETHER TO ACHIEVE THAT.

YES SIMON, DR NINA SIMONE IS DEAD! YOU CAN GOOGLE THAT DAY AND SEE ALL THE HEADLINES, WORLDWIDE.

LORDS OF CHAOS ARE NOT WELCOME HERE. PLEASE COME TO THIS SITE WITH COURTESY, RESPECT AND LOVE.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION,

SIMONE

The source of contention regarding the Nina Simone case was mostly rooted in confusion—fans thought that "Simone" stood for Nina Simone, and the idea of taking over Nina's "voice" seemed, understandably, a little creepy.

But the incident does bring up some interesting and hard-to-answer questions about how the accounts of dead artists should be handled. There is no right and wrong, and it seems pretty clear from looking at all the different cases that it depends.

As sensitive as it is, Facebook is one of the most effective ways of keeping an artist's legacy alive (and introducing that legacy to a younger generation), and it seems completely possible to preserve their memory without taking over their voice. As with everything in the world of social media, there are going to be bumps in the road—promoting the work of a dead person is not a task that is easily handled with grace—but the growing importance of social media will play a big role in remembering those who have passed, and it isn't necessarily in conflict with letting the people we care about about rest in peace.