But what if Kobe died because of global warming? But what if Kobe died because of coronavirus? But what if Kobe died because of Russia and/or Ukraine? But what if Kobe died because of Epstein? Etc., ad nauseam (shit, nausea due to coronavirus???)

People die all the time, but it's easy to ignore that. The hype machine builds up celebrities as practically immortal, so when one of them dies unexpectedly, it is a shock to (most) everyone. Discussing it is a coping mechanism, imo. I don't like wading thru the posts here, either, but TD.win is as human as anyone else, so let it exorcise its fears for a day.