The missing Titan submersible captivated the world, with people around the globe — including celebrities — sharing their polarizing takes on the risky expedition ahead of the news that all five passengers had died.
Four days after the story first made headlines, OceanGate release a statement that read: “We now believe that our CEO Stockton Rush, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet, have sadly been lost.” The U.S. Coast Guard also announced on Thursday, June 22, that the debris found from the Titan was “consistent with a catastrophic implosion of the vessel.”
Days earlier, as officials worked overtime in their attempt to rescue the five passengers trapped in the Titan — which went missing on Sunday, June 18, on its venture to explore the Titanic wreck in the depths of the North Atlantic Ocean — the tale made its way to pop culture news as Brian Szasz, the stepson of passenger Hamish Harding, went to a Blink-182 show.
“It might be distasteful being here but my family would want me to be at the Blink-182 show as it’s my favorite band and music helps me in difficult times,” Szasz, 37, wrote via Facebook on Monday, June 19.
Cardi B, for her part, had a swift response to the 58-year-old billionaire’s stepson.
“People are like, ‘What is he supposed to do? Be sad at the house? Is he supposed to go look for him himself?’” the “WAP” rapper, 30, questioned via her Instagram Story on Tuesday, June 20. “Yes. You’re supposed to be at the house sad. You’re supposed to be crying for me. You’re supposed to be right next to the phone waiting to hear any updates about me.” (Szasz, for his part, hit back at Cardi B in a series of tweets, claiming he attended the show as a “coping” mechanism.)
Kaley Cuoco, meanwhile, shared her devastation at the harrowing news. “This has kept me up the last few nights and made me sick,” the Flight Attendant actress, 37, wrote via a recent Instagram Story, per People. “Truly praying they can be saved! Can’t imagine what the passengers are going through.”
John Cusack, for his part, echoed the criticism of many who are upset at the number of resources and money spent to save the “billionaires” on board while other tragedies at sea have gone largely under the radar and not as well-funded.
“All I can think is refugees capsize no one cares – some billionaires on joy rides go missing – it seems like multiple navy’s are instantly searching,” the Say Anything actor, 56, tweeted on Tuesday, June 20.
The five passengers on board were hailed as “true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure, and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world’s oceans,” in OceanGate’s statement on Thursday. “Our hearts are with these five souls and every member of their families during this tragic time. We grieve the loss of life and joy they brought to everyone they knew.”
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Keep scrolling to see stars’ reactions to the Titan disaster:
