{"id":286576,"date":"2025-04-21T06:24:21","date_gmt":"2025-04-21T06:24:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/21\/not-katy-perry-this-90-year-old-hollywood-legend-went-to-space-first-free-of-charge-then-called-it-a-funeral\/"},"modified":"2025-04-21T06:24:21","modified_gmt":"2025-04-21T06:24:21","slug":"not-katy-perry-this-90-year-old-hollywood-legend-went-to-space-first-free-of-charge-then-called-it-a-funeral","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/21\/not-katy-perry-this-90-year-old-hollywood-legend-went-to-space-first-free-of-charge-then-called-it-a-funeral\/","title":{"rendered":"Not Katy Perry: This 90-year-old Hollywood legend went to space first, free of charge, then called it a \u2018funeral\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Katy Perry, Jeff Bezos\u2019 fianc\u00e9e Lauren S\u00e1nchez, Gayle King, and two others recently took an 11-minute trip to space on Bezos\u2019 Blue Origin \u2014 and the Internet went crazy. From people calling it a satanic hoax to conspiracy theories<\/a> about it being a Hollywood green screen shoot, the reactions were all over the place. The trip crossed 100 km above Earth, just past the edge of space, but looking back, this wasn\u2019t the first time celebrities took a ride to space. There are already five big names,\u00a0 from tech, acting, and even social media, who\u2019ve tried their luck in space exploration, and their experiences are well documented in interviews. Among them is William Shatner, who became the oldest person to travel to space at 90. He reportedly didn\u2019t pay a penny for the ride.<\/span><\/p>\n

Also read: Was Katy Perry\u2019s Blue Origin space trip fake? \u2018Satanic ritual\u2019 to Hollywood hoax, wild theories float online<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Back in 2021, the OG Captain Kirk from Star Trek flew to space with three others on a Blue Origin flight when he was 90 years old. It was a short, suborbital journey just like Katy\u2019s. He didn\u2019t pay a dime for it. And for a while, he even held the record as the oldest person ever to go to space, beating Wally Funk, 82, who went just months before. Later, Shatner\u2019s record was broken by a retired U.S. Air Force pilot.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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But contrary to what Perry felt, thrilled, glowing, kissing the ground, all that, Shatner didn\u2019t feel any of that. He felt\u2026 empty. Heartbroken, even. Speaking to Variety at the time, he said he expected some kind of spiritual revelation up there,\u00a0 a sense of connection to the universe, like in the movie Contact. But what he actually felt was grief. \u201cBut when I looked in the opposite direction, into space, there was no mystery, no majestic awe to behold\u2026 all I saw was end,\u201d he said. <\/span>Describing it as \u201cthe strongest feelings of grief I have ever encountered,\u201d he shared how wrong he was about what space would feel like. \u201cI saw a cold, dark, black emptiness. It was unlike any blackness you can see or feel on Earth. It was deep, enveloping, all-encompassing. I turned back toward the light of home.\u201d Comparing the experience with death he said, \u201cMy trip to space was supposed to be a celebration; instead, it felt like a funeral.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Also read: Katy Perry, all-female crew go to space: Is space tourism worth it?<\/a><\/p>\n

Katy Perry and Gayle King went to space along with Lauren Sanchez, producer Kerianne Flynn, scientist Aisha Bowe, and advocate Amanda Nguyen. The trip especially attracted attention, probably because it was Blue Origin\u2019s first all-female crew, and they soared just past the K\u00e1rm\u00e1n line. Though the stunt was heavily mocked by people and even some industry insiders, for Perry, it was more about love, legacy, and music. The pop star carried a flower and a photo of her daughter Daisy. She later said: \u201cYou never know how much love is inside of you, how much love you have to give and how loved you are, until the day of launch.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a quick recap of who went when: Bezos went to space in 2021 in his own creation. Richard Branson beat him to it by a few days on Virgin Galactic. Then came Michael Strahan, former NFL player and TV host, and Emily Calandrelli in 2024, who officially marked the 100th woman in space.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n