Is it me, or is everyone dying? Within the past year, we’ve lost some amazing artistic talent, and sure, we’ve all heard that deaths come in threes, but it seems to me it’s getting a little more frequent. Or maybe I’m finally old enough to recognize names in the headlines to be saddened more consistently.

Yesterday, it was announced that Alexander McQueen was found in his London flat after committing suicide. He was barely a twinkle over 40. Suicide. It’s intentional, it’s an act performed to eradicate oneself off the earth. Although hard to understand the reasons why, I think we are broadly able to accept how someone may have gotten there.

And, we’ve lost quite a few young actors to suicide in the past few years – Brad Renfro (that cute kid from “The Client” – a reported overdose, but some speculate suicide) and Jonathan Brandis (that kid from “Ladybugs” who I had pictures of on my walls when I was 12 torn out of Teen Beat magazine). And lest we forget the amazingly talented musicians Nick Drake, Elliott Smith, or Kurt Cobain (I know, they aren’t recent).

And then there’s the children of famous people: Nikki Bacharach (Burt’s daughter), Cheyenne Brando (Marlon’s daughter), Lindsay + David Crosby (Bing’s sons), or Nicholas Hughes (son of Sylvia Plath). What drove them to that horrible plight?

And then, what about all this cardiac arrest – was it all truly accidental? Brittany Murphy, Jay Reatard, Casey Johnson, DJ AM, Michael Jackson, Heath Ledger …

And in all of this, I’m always surprised by media coverage. What entitles someone to the front page of the New York Times, a mention on Gawker.com, a news trail on TMZ, a VH1 tribute, or even a half-column obituary in InStyle magazine? Who weights the worth of celebrity, or more importantly, celebrity deaths? Is part of the allure of suicide the ensuing celebrity and fanaticism that one’s ever-after legacy may create? Is the post-suicide fervor sexy enough for to terminate a career that had just begun to bud, that had just enough intrigue to garner an interest, or that had a strong family name attached? And how does such an intrigue turn into commodity for publications?

I think we’ve started making a lot of money off of death. UK’s Guardian reported that TMZ had an upsurge of 24% thanks to Michael Jackson’s untimely demise – over 11.7 million unique users. And in an economy where newsstand magazine sales dropped (a reported 12% last year), isn’t a tribute edition or an insider exclusive into the life of … just the bait the weakened publishing industry needs?

I’m saddened by the death of Alexander McQueen on the eve of this Valentine’s weekend. And it makes me wonder what worth we’ve given a man whom I value as being a fundamental creator to modern haute couture. I also wonder what will come of the House of McQueen – if it will stand in his legacy, or fold as if made of cards. And sadly, I suppose it depends on what money there is left to be made.