The Life Cycle of a Star

Beverly Roberts was certainly not an acclaimed actress – her brief foray into the business involved several cameo appearances on popular television shows, but for the most part, the role she settled on required minimal acting skills. She was not a Grammy Award-winning singer, either. Nor was she a successful writer, or a politician, or even a renowned tennis player. It is hard to pinpoint exactly what her profession was. Model? Fashionista? Full-time partier? Even in the obituaries, there is a certain vagueness that skirts over what it was Beverly did for a living.

It has been said that there are three things that make up a modern-day star: talent, fame, and celebrity. And those who scornfully look down upon Beverly Roberts, even in her death, should be careful not to accuse her of lacking any of these qualities. Beverly was talented at spending money, that was certain. Her great-grandfather, of course, had founded the infamous Waldorf-Astoria hotel in Manhattan. Aside from his vast personal assets, the venture made him richer beyond anyone's dreams. And despite Beverly's grandfather squandering a little too much of the family fortune – he was eventually disowned from the family and served a very long sentence in prison for tax evasion – much of the wealth was left fairly intact for Beverly's generation.

But among the Upper East Side elite, this kind of background is hardly out of the ordinary. In Beverly's world, it is normal, even expected that children are raised almost entirely by nannies, just as she was, and given bottomless bank accounts and complete freedom. Like both her mother and grandmother before her, Beverly attended a private all-girls institution and, as old school records show, did quite well academically. With this in mind, it is clear she deserves some credit for her acceptance into Columbia University, though of course there is no denying that her mother's maiden name and her father's money helped a great deal.

But that came later. By the time Beverly was sixteen, the age most American teenagers would begin to prepare for the SAT exams, her family had enough clout to secure her front-row seats at most major fashion shows. Slowly but surely, Beverly became well known in the Manhattan social circuit. She graced Page Six gossip columns often enough to be invited to exclusive after-parties, and regularly rubbed shoulders with the fabulously wealthy and fashionable Manhattanites. She was, in all sense of the word, a socialite. But this point, her celebrity was mainly local. But that all changed after fashion designer Frederick Jacobs noticed her at an after party for one of his shows and declared her his new muse.

Beverly catapulted to minor fame after being featured exclusively in Frederick Jacobs' Spring/Summer ad campaign halfway through her sophomore year at Columbia. The ad was immensely successful, and soon the rest of the world began to pay attention to this mysterious young woman. It was around this time that Beverly was approached by a successful TV network and asked if she would be interested in starring in her own reality show that would follow her life as a Manhattan socialite, college student, and fashion icon.

Beverly cautiously considered this offer. On one hand, she was from the Upper East Side, where anything but class and discretion was looked down upon. On the other hand, if she was honest with herself, there was no denying that she had a fabulous life. So really, why not? She didn't see the harm in it, and with this mindset she accepted. Her show, The Socialite Diaries, spanned three years, far longer than anyone had even imagined. She fascinated viewers, drew them in every week. Overnight, it seemed that Beverly was the name on everyone's lips. And it wasn't long before she graced magazine covers on a regular basis and had hordes of paparazzi following her everywhere.

But what was it about Beverly that made her a celebrity? She had striking good looks and impeccable fashion, that is true, but so did Brett Winston. Brett Winston as just as pretty, just as wealthy, just as clever as Beverly Roberts was. Brett grew up with Beverly and had been her closest friend since third grade, and naturally her association with Beverly led to a significant amount of press and publicity. But there was no doubt that of the two, Beverly was the true star.

Of course, no one was more horrified than Brett when Beverly was found dead in her bathtub, a gun hanging limply from her pale manicured fingers and the tepid water crimson with blood. The wake was closed-casket, of course – Beverly wasn't' so pretty anymore with half her head blown off. Suicide was concluded as the official cause of death. This took everyone by surprise, especially Brett. Who knew? she had sobbed hysterically at the funeral. Who knew she was this depressed? Why would Beverly kill herself? Drugs, many agreed gravely. And the accusation was not entirely false; Beverly's reputation as a party girl did not come without dark consequences of living in a world of such privilege. Many attest that she dabbled in cocaine, but then again, so did half of Hollywood. That certainly couldn't have been enough to tip her over.

What most people don't know is that Brett's older brother and Beverly's longtime boyfriend, Chris Winston, died just a few months earlier. Few people even knew that Chris Winston existed, let alone that Beverly was romantically involved with him. He never appeared in a single episode of her reality show, they were never pictured together, and Beverly never spoke of him in interviews. But those closest to her say that the two had been together since she was sixteen. It is strange to think that Beverly, who led such a public life, decided to keep Chris entirely a secret. Even more curious – if one believes the rumors, of course – are the whispers that claim that Beverly was the only person with Chris when he tragically overdosed.

The whole story is muddy with flimsy details. No one knows exactly what happened, or why it happened. But nonetheless, a whole nation mourns for this young beauty that had been so captivating. Perhaps we will never know what led to Beverly's death. But everyone will agree her death came too soon.