In the eyes of the public masses, many celebrities tend to appear as these ‘larger than life’, great figures that are sure to be flawless and excellent – that is, after all, in the eyes of the masses, how they became celebrities in the first place. However, despite their love for the celebrities, the public’s encounters with them can sometimes prove to be quite the opposite of what they initially expected – the excitement turns to gloom, and the realization sets in that things weren’t as they used to be.

One individual got the golden ticket – a chance to meet his childhood idol, Muhammad Ali, at a restaurant in Florida. For him, this would have had to be one of the best moments in his life – the opportunity to meet the man who has for so long inspired you and shaped your views on the world that surrounds you. This fan details the toll that Parkinson’s disease had taken on his idol, and the difficulty with which Ali even wrote his signature. He want on to exclaim that this man, who conquered not only the boxing ring, but also millions of hearts all over the world, was now only a decaying shell of his former self – he used the word “heartbreaking” to describe the sight.

Getty Images/ Getty Images Entertainment/ Amy Sussman

Another individual, alongside her sibling, had the chance to meet ex-Disney star turned singer, Demi Lovato at a restaurant. The individual’s 9-year-old sister noticed that, just a few booths away, sat one of her favorite media personalities – Demi Lovato. As anyone would, the little girl decided to go and meet Lovato in order to get her autograph. What she received instead was a rude, mean reply, and it immediately put her to tears.

Moral of the story is that one must always be cognizant of the fact that every human being, regardless of status, power, or fame, is at the end of the day just a human being. They are bound to make mistakes.