At a time when our pop references now involve the death of a famous name, we need to take a moment and reassess who really deserves the spotlight.

Everyone knows we’ve lost some of the biggest celebrities and most talented people our society has known, but it seems our focus remains on the controversy of their deaths and other dramatic events within pop culture.

After the death of pop icon Michael Jackson, emotions flowed from fans and criticisms seemed almost as numerable.

Despite the recent name-calling – Rep. Peter King’s (N.Y.) backlash against the media, calling Jackson a “pedophile” and stating his feelings about the coverage – Jackson should be remembered as the pop icon who defined a generation of music, not his odd personality. The millions of fans who are attending his funeral surely prove the importance of the singer’s global and musical influence.

Instead, people seem to focus on the divorce of Jon and Kate Gosselin, Spencer Pratt’s fued with Al Roker and the latest sensation on “America’s Got Talent.”

This obsession with drama is undermining the honor we should dedicate to the truly talented.

Farrah Fawcett, one of the star’s of Charlie’s Angels, became an iconic voice for cancer survivors with her documentary, “Farrah’s Story.” Unfortunately, her death received its 15 minutes of fame, then disappeared in the headlines.

Robert S. McNamara, Secretary of Defense during the Vietnam War, administered several policies that changed the American military. In the documentary “The Fog of War,” McNamara intimately describes the dark realities of the Cold War, and bringing racial equality to troops during the Civil Rights Movement.

As we say farewell to some of the biggest names our generation knows, let their positive influences remain in our thoughts, not the negative drama or unnecessary allegations that seem to also catch our eye.