In a twist of fate, icons from separate generations passed away this week - Ed McMahon, Farah Fawcett and Michael Jackson.

Their life stories reveal the risks, burden and limitations of fame.

Acclaim and success proved to be no bulwark against misfortune and misery for the three stars. Sometimes the suffering was self-inflicted. Sometimes it was cruel chance.

One thing the three had in common was being immediately recognizable to virtually everyone in the country.

For decades, Ed McMahon played the role of the lovable sidekick on "The Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson, a favorite in living rooms across America. His obituary in The New York Times described him as one of the most recognizable men in America, with "broad, genial, regular-guy features."

Yet the millions McMahon made - he earned a reported $5 million a year on "The Tonight Show" - were not enough to keep him from financial difficulties at the end of his life. Plagued with health problems, including bone cancer and pneumonia, McMahon faced foreclosure on his home in Beverly Hills.

Fawcett's famous poster showing her in a red swimming suit with gleaming smile and tousled mane of hair outsold every other pinup in history, including Marilyn Monroe and Betty Grable.

Her trademark hairstyle and look was imitated by millions of women across the country. It led to a one-year stint on the television show "Charlie's Angels" that turned out to be so memorable it was reprised on television and decades later in movies.

Although Fawcett earned critical acclaim for portrayal of an abused wife in "The Burning Bed" and other film and theatrical productions, she drew scorn for a rambling, disjointed appearance on "The Late Show" with David Letterman, where she tried to promote a body painting video.

Her last role was a fight against cancer, depicted with agonizing openness on the NBC documentary "Farah's Story," watched by 9 million people this spring.

Of the trio, Jackson was the most influential, dubbed by the Guiness Book of Records as the "Most Successful Entertainer of All Time." His 1982 "Thiller" album and music video were hailed as masterpieces. The album remained in the top 10 for 80 weeks, a record that may never be broken.

Jackson also became one of the most ridiculed figures in show business because of his bizarre behavior. He altered his appearance so drastically with plastic surgery that he no longer looked anything like the enthusiastic child that burst on the pop scene as a preteen.

Some attributed his apparent psychological distress to the pressures of child stardom. The nadir of his life and career was winning aquittal on charges that he had molested children on his "Neverland" estate in Los Angeles.

Commenting on her fame as a sex symbol in a 1986 interview, Fawcett said, "That's life. Everything has positive and negative consequences."

Americans watching from outside the limelight would have to agree, and perhaps thank their lucky stars that they are allowed to live normal lives, perhaps without fan clubs, but connected to friends and family in ways that are sustaining and real.