[pessimizer]

> The whole premise is that the relationship between the suburban dad and the celebrity was somehow weird and unbelievable. I see that

I'm not sure why, and it seems to me like I must be in a minority. I'm pretty sure every other upper-middle class person has one or two wealthy and/or famous friends. All wealthy and famous people can't only have friends that are wealthier or more famous than themselves, the math doesn't work out.

Instead, I see this story as an example of a very NPResque genre: upper middle-class parents often get cancer and die, surprisingly almost as often (proportionally) as the parents of people who do not work for NPR. But in the case of the children of the upper middle-class it probably hurts more because it's the first significant suffering they have ever experienced.

edit: I also assume it's pretty difficult to reject a story about a dead parent's "simple rules for living," interesting celebrity-filled early life with some artistic potential gone unfulfilled due to the choice to settle down and have children, or their immigrant story. They have a sentimental appeal for some readers/listeners, and your sad staffer won't be turning one in every week.