Meet 10 Superfans Over 50

Fan of: Cher

Phae Wolber, 55

Spokane, Washington

Bartender

My earliest memories are of Cher. My room was cluttered with Cher dolls. The biggest punishment my parents could give me was to ban me from watching Sonny & Cher.

When I was a young woman, there were no other women in the media or in my own life owning their sexuality so unapologetically. And any of her supposed imperfections made me love her even more. Cher showed me that you can wear braces and still have people swoon. She’s like the big sister I never had — even though we’ve never met.

Standing behind the bar, I imagine I’m Cher. She aims to entertain, but she doesn’t take crap, and neither do I. And anyone who bad-mouths Cher gets kicked out of my bar.

Fan of: The British royal family

Helen Yuu Gates, 62

Boston

Nonprofit consultant

I’ve been a “royals watcher” since the marriage of Diana and Charles in 1981. It was the fairy-tale romance of the time, and I was simply swept up in it. Of course, it ended sadly. I watched Diana’s funeral and was devastated. But I have seen her sons grow, marry and have families of their own.

On a torrentially rainy day this past November, I waited for more than three hours to catch a glimpse of Prince William and Princess Kate at City Hall Plaza in Boston. Despite the weather and having to stand for hours, it was a thrill — my first time seeing the royals in person in all these years.

They’re just magnetic. They have that royal posture and bearing. Even on a cold and rainy day, they were ramrod straight, not one hair out of place, clothes unwrinkled. William spoke about environmental advocacy, an issue I care about deeply.

There are so many celebrities nowadays because of social media. Anyone can be a hero. For me, I want to believe in something. I want to believe in people. I believe in the royal family. I know they’re controversial. They’re flawed, like any human beings can be. But they have persisted through time. I’ve lived through their heartaches, their missteps and their flaws. Yet still they carry on.

Fan of: The Atlanta Falcons

Tom Dunn, 65

Oviedo, Florida

Retired air traffic controller

When my wife and I got married and moved to Atlanta 40 years ago, we got season tickets for the Falcons. Everything kind of grew from there.

For tailgating, we eventually came up with the Fanbulance. We wanted to have a vehicle that I could load all the gear into at the start of the season and be done. My first idea was to buy a hearse. But my wife said she was only going to take one ride in a hearse and it would not be to a football game. So in 2003, we bought a used ambulance and decorated it with the team logo.

When we retired and moved near Orlando 10 years later, we had to retire that original Fanbulance. I didn’t trust it for the drive to Atlanta, so I bought a new Ford passenger van. We drive it to all the home games and meet up with friends there.

I’m not one that gets upset all week if the Falcons lose, but I do jump and yell. I work out a lot of my aggressions. I’m not in condition to play anymore, so this is the next best thing.

Fan of: Friends

Stacy Brumley, 55

Conroe, Texas

Bartender

When my daughter, Treya, was stillborn in 2006, I fell into a deep depression. My husband had to return to his deployment in Iraq. I was broken, but I still had three sons to look after.

My oldest son, who was 19, had been lent a few DVDs of the show Friends, and he urged me to have a look. “It will make you feel better,” he promised. That show made me laugh for the first time in what felt like forever. I suddenly had six companions who could distract me and never need anything in return. The grief of losing my daughter has never gone away, but I’ve learned to live with it.

My sons are adults now and are total addicts of the show too. I have a tattoo of the logo’s colorful dots, and my son has a Friends-inspired tattoo too. To me, those six characters really are my friends. They helped me through the darkest period of my life.

Fan of: Earth, Wind & Fire

Linda and Mark McFerren, both 60

Riverside, California

Administrative assistant (Linda) and retired high school math teacher (Mark)

Mark: We found the band before we found each other. We both attended the same event they played at in 1980, before our paths crossed.

Linda: We’re both big kids at heart, dancing and singing at any Earth, Wind & Fire concert we attend …

Mark: … to the horror of our children.

Linda: At this band’s concerts, you leave your ego and identity at the door; there are young, old, different races and even people with oxygen tanks, and everyone has invested their time to feel joy for joy’s sake.

Mark: You’ve got the horns doing their thing; you’ve got the bass player doing his thing; you’ve got the guitars. It’s so full, and it harmonizes beautifully. An Earth, Wind & Fire concert is my happy place. No matter what’s going on in life, no matter how crazy things are, we can go to a show and know that, for two hours, we’re going to have a good time.

Fan of: BTS, a K-pop boy band

Dana Schulman, 76

New Preston, Connecticut

Owner, gift and stationery shop and candy store

When I first became interested in the band in 2021, I was in a fragile place. It was the sixth anniversary of my husband’s death, and the weight of the loss felt heavier than usual. Mindlessly scrolling through a mishmash of videos on Instagram, I noticed these young men doing amazing choreography and singing pop tunes in Korean. They gave me a jolt of energy that helped pull me up out of my grief.

I started listening to BTS whenever I was low — in the car, at my desk or dancing around my store. It’s a world far removed from my own that I escape to — a private, joyful place. What has surprised me most is that I’m finding comfort from songs written in a language I don’t even speak. Regardless of cultural differences, the band’s message breaks through: It’s going to be all right.

I think everything comes into your life for a reason. Listening to the band’s music made me feel good about myself. It gave me my mojo back again. I could be flirty. It made me feel more positive about things. My friends said I looked happier. It pulled me out of thinking, Who am I without this man? No matter what life throws at you, you can still find joy.

Fan of: Seinfeld

Kim Mazur, 64

Palm Harbor, Florida

Human resources professional

Seinfeld is my family’s way of communicating. My kids, all in their 30s, span states and continents. But when we quote the show, it immediately connects us as a family.

We began watching Seinfeld when the kids were in their early teens. The sarcasm and snark shaped our family’s sense of humor and provided a ready response for any situation. What message do you leave when someone doesn’t answer that damn phone? “Hi, Jerry. Mr. Steinbrenner’s here. George is dead. Call me back.” What do you say when a family member gets upset? “Serenity now!”

As families grow up, kids have their own interests, friends and eventually families. But it takes only one funny line to immediately reconnect you and put you back in the groove, no explanation needed.