As the body of Princess Diana is carried on a gun carriage, her two young sons walking closely behind, the gathered crowd weeps uncontrollably. 25 years later, the Queen’s death prompts similar scenes - thousands lay flowers at the palace gates or shed a tear.

Why do we mourn public figures who are effectively strangers? Some have labelled public grief as phoney or performative. But psychologists now believe that these collective outpourings - ”mourning sickness” - are genuinely felt, comforting and even necessary. Sochima Iroh wants to better understand this fast growing phenomenon that will only increase as we make more of our emotional bonds online rather than in the physical world.

In the afternoon of January 26, 2020, news began to spread via social media that Kobe Bryant - widely believed to be the greatest basketball player of his generation - had died in a helicopter crash, together with his 13 year old daughter.

Sochima is not a basketball fan. And yet, for some reason he was overcome with a deep sadness. Why? Sure, he was aware of Kobe’s dedication as a sportsperson and father, but this felt like more than sorrow. Sochima had a restless night - plagued by thoughts of the lives cut short and his surviving family. He wanted to know, was he the only person experiencing this? Was he losing his mind?

Through conversations with others who grieved Kobe's death, historical research and discussions with sociologists and professors, Sochima embarks on a quest to find out more about public grief and why we’re only now hearing more about it.

Recorded at Studio 10
A Vespucci production for BBC Radio 4 in collaboration with Multitrack. Show less