Sam Rubin, a beloved entertainment reporter at KTLA in Los Angeles, passed away from a heart attack at the age of 64. Known for his engaging celebrity interviews, Rubin was a standout in his field. Just two days after his passing, Rubin's 16-year-old son, Colby, gave an emotional tribute live on air, touching hearts across the internet. Sitting in his father's chair, Colby shared a heartfelt eulogy about his father's profound influence on his life.
Image Source: Sam Rubin attends the GRAMMY Gift Lounge during the 65th GRAMMY Awards At Tom's Watch Bar on February 02, 2023, in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
In a touching YouTube video, Colby joined his late father's colleagues to honor Rubin's legacy. After a heartfelt discussion, Colby was invited to look into the camera and share the letter he wrote for his dad.
Image Source: KTLA Entertainment Reporter Sam Rubin at the 24th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards - Behind The Scenes Day 2 at The Shrine Auditorium on January 19, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Turner)
With a slight pause, Colby began, "Hi, Dad. I wrote this under the desk in your cubicle where you used to catch me sleeping." He added, "Only you weren’t there when waking up this time. Dad, I can’t believe you’re gone. You're never going to pick me up from school again. We’ll never get to go biking. We will never argue about food. You won’t be at my wedding."
Image Source: Sam Rubin at Critics' Choice Real TV Awards, portraits by TAP The Artists Project, June 02, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Michael Bezjian/WireImage for The Artists Project )
Colby held back his tears and continued, "You were the kindest soul, you were the light in every room. I can’t imagine my life without you. You were part of my everything. On the day you died, I hope you heard me say that...You took me to every Scout Boy meeting, to every therapy session." Sharing an anecdote, the teen said, “I remember on a Boy Scout trip, I was the only kid in our group who didn’t have a kayak and partner and you were there for me," adding how his dad always supported him.
He then shared a screenshot of his conversation with his father after he received negative feedback for a performance during his school play. The chats showed Rubin telling Colby who wanted to back out, “Ignore the noise. You will get bad reviews for every show." The text eventually ended with an encouraging tone with the father saying, "You have excellent genes. You have every gift. Respect your talent."
Colby, in tears, read the final part of his eulogy: "You always knew what to say and... you encouraged me, and you loved me every day and built me up. I am completely who I am because of you...I had more of a father in 16 years than people have had their entire lives." Grateful, he added, “Dad, I love you. I am so lost without you. I’ll miss you every day. I hope you know how loved you are.”
After reading the letter, Colby took out a cupcake from his pocket and paid tribute to his late father by eating it. "For you, Dad," he said. Sam Rubin was famous for his cupcake-eating method and had never shied away from showing his audience the "best way" to eat a cupcake. Rubin's untimely death left an impact on renowned celebrities, as well. Guillermo Del Toro, Viola Davis, Tom Hanks and Ryan Reynolds among others offered their condolences on social media.
A woman deprived of her sleep.Image via 
A Looney Tunes classic. 
Artist's rendering of a brain overlaid a woman's head.Image via 
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A teen boy having a hard time. 
Why do some folks use social media but don't engage?
Psychologist says people who never comment on social media share these 5 positive traits
For over 20 years, social media has developed into a staple in many people’s day-to-day lives. Whether it’s to keep in communication with friends and family, following the thoughts of celebrities, or watching cat videos while sipping your morning coffee, there seem to be two types of social media users: commenters and lurkers.
The term “lurker” sounds equally mysterious and insidious, with some social media users writing them off as non-participants at best or voyeurs at worst. However, mindfulness expert Lachlan Brown believes these non-commenters have some very psychologically positive and healthy traits. Let’s take a look at how each one of these traits could be beneficial and see how fruitful lurking might be even though it can drive content creators crazy.
1. Cautious about vulnerability
Consciously or not, making a post online or commenting on one puts you and your words out there. It’s a statement that everyone can see, even if it’s as simple as clicking “like.” Doing so opens yourself up to judgment, with all the good, bad, and potential misinterpretation that comes with it. Non-commenters would rather not open themselves up to that.
These silent users are connected to a concept of self-protection by simply not engaging. By just scrolling past posts or just reading/watching them without commentary, they’re preventing themselves from any downsides of sharing an opinion such as rejection, misunderstanding, or embarrassment. They also have more control on how much of themselves they’re willing to reveal to the general public, and tend to be more open face-to-face or during one-on-one/one-on-few private chats or DMs. This can be seen as a healthy boundary and prevents unnecessary exposure.
Considering many comment sections, especially involving political topics, are meant to stir negative emotional responses to increase engagement, being extra mindful about where, when, and what you comment might not be a bad idea. They might not even take the engagement bait at all. Or if they see a friend of theirs post something vulnerable, they feel more motivated to engage with them personally one-on-one rather than use social media to publicly check in on them.
2. Analytical and reflective mindset
How many times have you gone onto Reddit, YouTube, or any other site and just skimmed past comments that are just different versions of “yes, and,” “no, but,” or “yes, but”? Or the ever insightful, formerly popular comment “First!” in a thread? These silent browsers lean against adding to such noise unless they have some valid and thoughtful contribution (if they bother to comment period).
These non-posters are likely wired on reflective thinking rather than their initial intuition. Not to say that all those who comment aren’t thoughtful, but many tend to react quickly and comment based on their initial feelings rather than absorbing the information, thinking it over, researching or testing their belief, and then posting it. For "lurkers," it could by their very nature to just do all of that and not post it at all, or share their thoughts and findings privately with a friend. All in all, it’s a preference of substance over speed.
3. High sense of self-awareness
Carried over from the first two listed traits, these silent social media users incorporate their concern over their vulnerability and their reflective mindset into digital self-awareness. They know what triggers responses out of them and what causes them to engage in impulsive behavior. It could be that they have engaged with a troll in the past and felt foolish. Or that they just felt sad after a post or got into an unnecessary argument that impacted them offline. By knowing themselves and seeing what’s being discussed, they choose to weigh their words carefully or just not participate at all. It’s a form of self-preservation through restraint.
4. Prefer to observe rather than perform
Some folks treat social media as information, entertainment, or a mix of both, and commenting can feel like they’re yelling at the TV, clapping alone in a movie theater when the credits roll, or yelling “That’s not true!” to a news anchor that will never hear them. But contrary to that, social media is a place where those yells, claps, and accusations can be seen and get a response. By its design, social media is considered by experts and the media as performative, regardless of whether it is positive or negative. Taking all of the previously mentioned traits into account, one can see why they would prefer to “observe the play” rather than get up on the stage of Facebook or X.
On top of that, these non-commenters could be using social media differently than those who choose to fully engage with it. Using this type of navigation, there may be nothing for them to comment about. Some commenters are even vying for this for their mental health. There are articles about how to better curate your social media feeds and manipulate algorithms to create a better social media experience to avoid unnecessary conflict or mentally tiring debate.
If you go on a blocking spree on all of your accounts and just follow the posters that boost you, it could turn your social media into a nice part of your routine as you mainly engage with others face-to-face or privately. In terms of commenting, if your curated Instagram is just following cute dogs and all you have to offer for a comment is “cute dog,” you might just enjoy the picture and then move on with your day rather than join in the noise. These non-commenters aren’t in the show and they’re fine with it.
5. Less motivated by social validation
The last trait that Brown showcases is that social media users who browse without posting tend to be independent from external validation, at least online. Social media is built to grow through feedback loops such as awarding likes, shares, and reposts of your content along with notifications letting you know that a new person follows you or wants to connect. This can lead many people to connect their activity on social media with their sense of self worth, especially with adolescents who are still figuring out their place in the world and have still-developing brains.
Engaging in social media via likes, shares, comments, and posts rewards our brains by having them release dopamine, which makes us feel good and can easily become addictive. For whatever reason, non-commenters don’t rely on social media as a means to gauge their social capital or self worth. This doesn’t make them better than those who do. While some non-commenters could have healthier ways to boost their self worth or release dopamine into their systems, many get that validation from equally unhealthy sources offline. That said, many non-commenters’ silence could be a display of independence and self confidence.
Whether you frequently comment online or don’t, it’s good to understand why you do or don’t. Analyzing your habits can help you determine whether your online engagement is healthy, or needs to be tweaked. With that information, you can then create a healthy social media experience that works for you.