Sunday, March 22, 2009
Sarah Brace
Jade Goody And anyone who as suffered cancer, Pray To You Each Day, By Sarah Brace for jade goody
Jade Goody died
LONDON, England (CNN) -- British reality TV celebrity Jade Goody died early Sunday morning following a public battle with cervical cancer, her publicist has announced.
Jade Goody married her fiance Jack Tweed weeks before her death.
Goody, 27, died in her sleep at home in Essex, east of London, just before 4 a.m. (midnight Eastern Daylight Time), a spokeswoman for Max Clifford Associates said.
Goody's husband, Jack Tweed, who she married last month in a lavish wedding ceremony, was at her bedside when she died, Clifford said.
Her mother, Jackiey Budden, who was also at the house, said: "My beautiful daughter is at peace."
Goody leaves behind two sons, Bobby, 5, and Freddie, 4, by former boyfriend and TV host Jeff Brazier.
"She died knowing that she had touched a lot of hearts and minds across the world," Clifford told CNN by phone from Portugal.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he was "deeply saddened" by Goody's death.
"Her family can be extremely proud of the work she has done to raise awareness of cervical cancer which will benefit thousands of women across the U.K. Every death from cancer is a tragedy and my thoughts go out to her two sons, husband and family at this time," Brown said in a statement.
The British media has reported a rise in the number of screenings for cervical cancer since Goody announced she had the disease, a phenomenon some have dubbed the "Jade Goody effect."
Goody's death marks the tragic end to a very modern tale. Images of her shrinking frame and bald head have dominated the pages of British media since she announced she had just weeks to live.
However, she has openly courted the attention since bursting into the spotlight courtesy of the British version of "Big Brother" in 2002.
At first the former dental nurse was a hate figure for Britain's vociferous tabloid newspapers, who attacked her for being ignorant and stupid.
The public, however, warmed to her loud, honest streak.
She did not win the series, but was able to parlay her popularity into a series of reality television and business deals.
Her face was soon regularly boldly looking out from the cover of gossip magazines and you could buy the fragrance Shh... Jade Goody, fitness DVDs or pick up a copy of her autobiography.
In 2007, with her fame starting to dip, she agreed to return for the celebrity edition of "Big Brother," with her mother and then boyfriend, Jack Tweed, joining her in the house.
It was to prove an ill-fated decision.
Goody was soon accused of making racist comments and bullying her housemate -- the Indian actress Shilpa Shetty. More than 50,000 complaints were received.
When she was voted out of the house the show's producers took the unusual step of banning the public from attending her eviction.
Goody was tearful and apologetic but British PR guru Clifford summed up the general opinion at the time by saying: "It looks like she has ruined a very lucrative career."
Ever resilient, Goody had a Christmas cookbook out at the end of 2007 and in 2008 signed up for India's version of "Big Brother."
Two days into the show her cancer diagnosis was revealed on air. She flew home immediately to begin treatment.
Last month Goody revealed her cancer was terminal and that she only had weeks to live.
With typical bravado she, with Clifford's help, organized her wedding to Tweed, who had only just been released from prison after serving a sentence for assault, selling the exclusive rights to OK! magazine for a reported $970,000. It was also filmed for her reality TV show.
The British government even stepped in to extend Tweed's 7 p.m. curfew, a condition of his release from jail, so the couple could spend their wedding night together.
Despite her weakening state Goody continued to open her door to the media, saying she needed to keep selling her story to help secure the future of her sons.
In the days leading up to her death there were newspaper stories on a hammer-wielding woman getting into her room, the baptism of her sons, her last view of "sun-kissed" fields and final farewells with family.
There was also controversy when OK! published a memorial issue nearly a week before she died. The issue, with a coverline announcing "Jady Goody, 1981-2009," went on sale Tuesday.
Clifford said Goody had loved her time in the spotlight.
"I think they've (she and the media) exploited each other. Both have benefited. In Jade's own words, she's loved the last 7 years. They've been wonderful. All the people's she's met, all the things she's done."via:http://edition.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/03/22/jade.goody.dies.obituary/index.html
UK reality TV star Jade Goody dies
March 22, 2009, 8:16 pm
Controversial British reality TV star Jade Goody has died after a battle with cervical cancer.
Her agent Max Clifford confirmed the 27-year-old mother of two had died in her sleep early on Sunday morning - Mother's Day in Britain - at her home in Upshire, Essex.
Clifford said Goody's mother Jackiey Budden had telephoned him shortly after 3am (1400 AEDT) to tell him: "My beautiful girl has gone."
"It's just very sad," Clifford told Sky News, his voice shaking with emotion.
"We got very close and I've got a lot of respect and admiration for the girl. She was a 27-year-old girl facing up to cervical cancer."
Goody's distraught mother appeared briefly outside Goody's home with family friend Kevin Adams to tell reporters her daughter had died.
"Jade died at 3.55 this morning and family and friends would like this privacy, at last, for this morning. Thank you," Budden, who was still dressed in long, striped pyjama bottoms, said.
Budden, Adams and Goody's husband, 21-year-old model Jack Tweed, had been at the star's side when she died.
Her two sons Freddie, four, and Bobby, five, had been staying with their father, Jeff Brazier.
A funeral is expected to be held in about 10 days' time.
Goody was told by doctors in February her cancer had spread and was terminal.
She had returned to her home from hospital last week so she could spend her final days surrounded by family and friends.
It was just five weeks ago that Goody tied the knot with Tweed amid a blaze of publicity, describing the event as the happiest day of her life.
Goody sold the media rights to her wedding to a celebrity magazine and TV program in an attempt to raise as much money as possible to provide for her sons after her death.
There was also intense media interest when the star and her sons were christened on March 7 during a 20-minute ceremony at the Royal Marsden Hospital, where she was being treated.
"She died as she lived, in the public eye," Clifford said.
"This was her way of doing things for her children."
Goody has reportedly organised all the details for her funeral, requesting she be buried in her STG3500 ($A7,400) ivory silk wedding dress.
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