Fury as magazine 'kills off' cancer-stricken Jade Goody

OK! magazine has come under fire after it published a tribute issue to terminally ill Jade Goody. Photo / AP

Celebrity news magazine OK! has come under fire after publishing a 'tribute issue' to cancer-stricken reality TV star Jade Goody - even though she's still alive.

A special black-edged edition of the magazine was released this week, with the words "The Jade Goody official tribute" and "in loving memory" emblazoned on the front cover, seemingly declaring that the battling star had already died.

Click here to view OK! Magazine's Jade Goody cover

Inside, the magazine is packed with a 28-page supplement including a "world exclusive" interview with Goody, promoted as her "final words", as well as tributes from celebrities written in the past tense.

The first page of the supplement tells of how Goody faced "a long battle" against cancer. It then continues: "But after putting up a fight it's time for Jade to say her last peaceful goodbye.

"As friends and family, including her husband, Jack Tweed, gathered around her bedside, it was also time for newly christened Jade to receive the last rites from her priest."

Terminally ill Goody, 27, is currently in her Essex home after being released last week. Sources close to Goody and her family say she is losing her battle with cancer and has only days left to live.

Speaking to Britain's Mirror newspaper, Goody's publicist Max Clifford says the star's condition was stable and that she is under sedation as her husband Tweed keeps a vigil over her bedside.

Clifford also says that OK! magazine's tribute issue had upset members of Goody's family.

He said: "It wasn't right. It reads like an obituary. They went too far and they got it wrong. But there's now been an apology from the editor to those close to Jade.

"They (OK!) did it with the best intentions. And you have to take into account that over the previous few weeks they've covered Jade's wedding and the christening and she's loved it. But this didn't work and now they've apologised to the family," he added.

'Truly awful bad taste'

A close friend of the star told The Times that the magazine had "got it totally wrong" in rushing out the "official tribute issue".

"All that was agreed was a tribute," the friend said. "This is clearly an obituary. They got it totally wrong. It's totally insensitive, it's bloody disgusting."

OK! was granted access to Goody as part of a rumoured £700,000 deal, which included exclusive coverage of her wedding to Tweed earlier this month.

The magazine's pre-emptive obituary has also drawn strong criticism from the online community.

Messages from fans on internet forums have been buzzing with messages and comments, some of which are peppered with the words: "sick", "you vultures", "really disgusting" and "truly awful bad taste".

'Extremely grateful'

Not surprisingly, OK! has been busy defending itself against the public outrage and issued a statement, claiming that Goody's family back the tribute and were "extremely grateful" for the support they had received from the magazine.

"OK!'s tribute issue is a celebration of Jade's amazing life. Jade's family have spoken to OK! today to reiterate that they understand the tribute issue and view it as being very kind to Jade.

"They would like to also state that they are extremely grateful for the support that OK! has provided during this distressing period," the statement said.

However, in an interview with BBC Radio 1's Newsbeat programme, publicist Clifford admitted that Goody's mother-in-law "was not happy" with the issue.

"Jack's mum had seen it," he explained, "and, you know, she wasn't happy" he said.

Meanwhile it's been revealed that OK! magazine could face an official inquiry after publishing the tribute issue.

Mail Online reports that Britain's Press Complains Commission has received 60 complains from members of the public who expressed outrage over the issue.

A PCC spokesperson said the organisation is now evaluating whether to investigate the complaints.

"Quite a few of the complaints refer to the impact of the magazine's [coverage] on Jade's family," he said.

"We need to discuss the matter with Jade's family to see if they want us to take the complaints forward to investigate."

Fans have also flooded a Facebook page dedicated to Goody with messages of disgust.

"How on earth can OK! magazine publish Jade's tribute and say 'in loving memory" while she is still alive?

"That is so sick!!!! Will they stop at nothing to sell their magazine?

"How must that make her family feel? I just hope Jade doesn't get to see it.. and I for one will never buy it again," writes Dawn Gibson.

"I am horrified. Heads should roll," says another.

Nice tribute, OK!, but surely you knew eyebrows would be raised when the person you're eulogising is, rather inconveniently for you, still alive. Talk about jumping the gun.

Do you think the magazine's Jade Goody issue is a tasteful tribute or just bad taste?

BBB

Pictured: Jade Goody and her husband Jack Tweed. Photo / AP