Page created 1 Jul 2003 by pedro
URL: http://www.king.igs.net/~bdmlhm/obit_links.html
"No man is an Iland, intire of itselfe; every man is a peece of the Continent, a part of the maine; if a Clod bee washed away by the Sea, Europe is the lesse, as well as if a Promontorie were, as well as if a Manor of thy friends or of thine owne were; any mans death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankinde; And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee." (MEDITATION XVII., Devotions upon Emergent Occasions by John Donne)
Buddy Hackett was one of my favorite things about It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World.
She was in so many great movies that I can't even think of one, it's that overwheliming, but she lived a long fullfilling life. I wish I could make it to 96.
the philadelphia story. god, she was so elite.
Roy K. McLean1937-2003
Roy Kenneth McLean, 66, passed away at home on June 28 after a courageous battle with cancer, with his family by his side.
He was born May 31, 1937.
Roy K. McLean, U.S. Army (ret). joined the Naval reserves in 1953 for three years and then served 20 years in the United States Army Signal Corps. He participated in 4 campaigns in Vietnam. During his military career he was awarded two Bronze Stars for valor and was a senior parachutist.
In 1981, he moved to Cheyenne with his wife Judie, where he worked for the United States Postal Service for 20 years. He was a member and one time president of the local chapter of the National Association of Letter Carriers, a member of the Cheyenne Philatelic Society, the Scottish Society of Southeastern Wyoming, the Disabled American Veterans, and a volunteer at Meals-On-Wheels.
He is survived by his children, Dennis Roths (Treva), Stephan Roths (Barbara), Melanie Weil, Bianque McLean and Michael McLean; four grandchildren, Nicole, Elizabeth, Jessica and Kelly; and his brother, Kenneth Joseph McLean.
Mr. McLean (Mac) was preceded in death by his wife, Judith Ann, and his son, Roy K. McLean Jr.
A Rosary will be 7 p.m. Wednesday at Schrader Chapel. A Funeral Mass will be 10:30 a.m. Thursday at St. Mary's Cathedral.
Mr. McLean will be interred with his wife at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, with full military honors, in the spring.
The family expresses their deepest appreciation to the oncology staff at Poudre Valley Hospital, as well as Hospice of United Medical Center, for their help and compassion.
Friends may contribute to the Cheyenne Chapter of Meals-On-Wheels
cancer, 57.RIP.
lung cancer, 56RIP
He was a gifted song writer.
Country music legend Johnny Cash died early today of complications from diabetes at Baptist Hospital in Nashville, hospital spokeswoman Nicole Bates said. He was 71. Cash was sent home from the hospital Monday after a week's stay for a stomach condition, according to his official Web site. Bates said he was sent home to "rest and recover." (From CNN)
Actor and comedian John Ritter has died unexpectedly after he was rushed to the hospital for a "dissection of the aorta," his publicist Lisa Kasteler told CNN.
johnny went home to see june.
Sad! And Johhny too. I like both of them.
CNN's story on Johnny
From Johnny to Warren... truely a dark month in my mind. Makes me paranoid about my other musical favorites. Now that Johnny is gone who will be our spokesman when the aliens invade?
If we ever launch another gold record-carryin' space probe (which will then return to the solar system to destroy the Earth and provide opportunities for William Shatner to do that thing he does) "Folsom Prison Blues" should be on it.Cash was a colossus, and I am ashamed to admit that I love his music, but own nothing by him, because I haven't yet taken the time.
Requiem in pacificat, John R. Cash. Find some peace at last.
he died in the same hospital my nephew was born in
has really good stuff on johnny
NOthing really new here...Johnny Cash to Be Buried Today
By Associated Press Published September 15, 2003, 8:42 AM CDT
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The man in black will be laid to rest today. Johnny Cash will be buried in Hendersonville, Tenn., next to his wife, June Carter Cash.
Cash, 71, died Friday of respiratory failure brought on by complications of diabetes. He will be laid to rest after a private service at noon.
RedEye Cash, who won 11 Grammy Awards, was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1980 and inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. The late 1960s and '70s were Cash's peak commercial years, and he was host of his own ABC variety show from 1969-71.
Cash was a peer of Elvis Presley when he began recording in Memphis in the 1950s, and he scored hits like "I Walk the Line" during that era. He had a longtime friendship and recorded with Bob Dylan, who has cited Cash as a major influence.
Cash said in his self-titled 1997 autobiography that he tried to speak for "voices that were ignored or even suppressed in the entertainment media, not to mention the political and educational establishments."
Former Vice President Al Gore and singer Kris Kristofferson will be among the speakers at the private service in a Hendersonville church. Performers will include Sheryl Crow and Larry Gatlin.
"He was so modest and humble, and so willing to live with his pain and not make anybody else pay for it," said daughter Rosanne Cash during the 21/2-hour service Monday.
The private event at First Baptist Church will be followed by a public memorial still being planned. A service for Cash's wife, June Carter Cash, was held at the same church after her death in May.
More than 1,000 mourners listened to tributes from Rosanne Cash, Kris Kristofferson, preacher Franklin Graham, former Vice President Al Gore, and other family members and friends.
Emmylou Harris and Sheryl Crow performed two songs, "The Old Rugged Cross" and Bob Dylan's "Every Grain of Sand."
Emmylou and Sheryl singing "Every Grain of Sand" . ..yowsah . . .
http://www.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/TV/09/22/obit.jump.ap/index.html
Rock singer Robert Palmer dies at age 54Rock singer Robert Palmer, known for his sharp suits and hits including "Addicted to Love," died Friday in Paris of a heart attack, his manager said. He was 54.
Did anyone ever see Gordon Jump as a guest star on Diff'rent Strokes? It may have been the creepiest show ever. I think he owned a bike shop or something and -- nearly molesting Arnold and Dudley, terrifying an entire generation of kids in the early '80's. I don't know why I remember this stuff, but it must have really scarred me. Sorry, I don't mean to bash the deceased...
Did he actually do something bad in the show? Or was he just creepy?
WOw...: " He had his first hit album and single, "Sneakin' Sally through the Alley," in 1974."!
Also, from the article it sounded like he was a pretty stand up dude... sucks that he had a heart attack!
non "stand-up dudes" should have heart attacks... you know.
He brought Dudley and Arnold into the back room of his store to watch dirty cartoons with them. Then, Arnold brought Mr. Drummond with him the next time and caught Gordon Jump's character alone with Dudley (w/ Dudlery's shirt off). Pretty creepy, I'd say. (Even more so that I saw it when I was in middle school/jr. high) Don't ask me how I remember this stuff. Just a random memory.
I totally remember that episode. It was very scary. It's amazing how they used to create suspense and disturbing themes on shows without actually showing anything. Who would have thought that Different Strokes could have pulled off such a powerful episode?
Diff'rent Strokes... pushing the envelope!
I totally remember that episode, and it creeped the hell out of me! In fact, I was home in Denver last Christmas and aimlessly flipping through channels and that very episode came on, and I was reminded of how freaky that show was in general. It's sad how in the 80s for a child the boogeymen were kidnapping and pedophiles, now it's that and a million more things...I feel sorry for kids today. I worry about my little brother.But sorry, this is the wrong entree for this. Should be in "The World is Going to Pot(Pie).
Very sad.they say that God makes problems just to see what you can stand before you do as the devil pleases and give up the thing you love but no one deserves it
That is sad.
CNN's story
that is sad. Elliot Smith was a great performer. I saw him perform before. I can't remember if i saw him twice or just once, the concerts blur in my memory after so many. but he was good. i liked his music a lot. the album XO was the one we listened to all the time when we used to play poker over at Tony's dad's place. i also had the habit of listening to it every time i went to the casino. it calmed me. He was a great songwriter and performer. what a tragic story.
elliot smith is one of my favorite artists. i never got the chance to see him live. it is obvious from interviews i've read and his lyrics that he was really depressed, but didn't think it'd go this far. this makes me really sad.
Robert Ray "Rod" Roddy
ReRun from What's Happenin' kicked it the other day.
six degrees of fred berry and john ritter. One TV show link allowed. Ill be damned if rerun was in a movie.
i know most of you don't know jeremiah. pedro does, and perhaps alaric has met him, too. about two months ago his father had an aneurysm and nearly a stroke as a result. the break in the carotid artery was quite wide and so the patching had to be redone a day or two later as the original began slipping into his brain. i had run into jeremiah on the street about a week afterward and he told me the whole story. his father was in a coma, and the doctors said he would continue to be in a coma for many months, perhaps years. about a week ago, he had a second rupture and hemmorhaging in the brain. doctors were able to shore him up, but his long term hopes were essentially nil. he and his mother had him taken off of life support.
link
except for Sheryl Crow doing 'Hurt'. i mean, sure Johnny did a haunting, authentic cover of it, but it's a NIN song. cover a CASH song at a tribute to Johnny Cash.
rip
my mother told me about art carny last night and in her thick ri accent it sounded like she said aunt connie. (i don't have an aunt connie)so after about 15 seconds of silence while i thumbed through my mental files, she asked what's wrong? i said for the life of me I don't remember her...she then explained who HE was and my family (who were sitting around the dinner table)had a good laugh at the displaced rhode islander who not only has lost her accent but no longer even understands it...very sad. time to move home!
i always liked this guy. It might have been the bow-tie. Or maybe something the bow-tie represented.
My step-grandfather (My grandmother's second husband) died earlier today. My grandmother was widowed before I was born, and she remarried when I was 10 at the most, but I guess I never really thought of him as my grandfather, just Marv, the guy who married my grandmother. His condition had been noticeably deteriorating over the last 5 years or so. He had been having trouble walking and started kinda swelling up a bit. A bit over 2 years ago he entered the nursing home and couldn't really move without a walker or a wheelchair. This Christmas he had got to the point where he couldn't really use the walker anymore and having him home for Christmas dinner wan't really possible. In a way that was less depressing than the previous Christmases when we had to help him up the stairs.Anyway, shortly after Christmas he got the flu and was transferred to the hospital. His breathing wasn't that strong to begin with and the flu just made it worse.
Captain KangarooThanks for the early morning memories.
That's sad. My only cognizant Captain Kangaroo memory is Gary Gnu, but I know that I enjoyed the show regularly as a child...
I don't know how to create a link.....http://www.northpark.edu/sem/academics/faculty/bnelson.html
I heard he was in failing health. The man was an absolute genius, and a kinder gentler man never existed.
again with the link thing.http://www.covchurch.org/cov/news/item3560.html
But if you want to learn, read this, and skip down to "If you cant to link to another page...".but seriously, no pressure. We can all cut and paste.
I had two classes with him this semester. He never forgot to tell a story, to pray, and to laugh when it was obvious how much pain he was in. God rest F. Burton Nelson, called home 22 March 2003.
There was a 150 year old turtle who died in Enland recently. I think it was sort of a mascot. That's an old turtle.
McDonald's CEO dies of a heart attack
RIP
mostly for all of their employees.
most of them will keep working for GM... just not making Olds' anymore.
Warning: This is negative. A friend sent this to me and although I personally never have had any strong opinions one way or another for the late President Reagan, I think this should be said along with all the happy parts.
"On Friday our nation lost a former President, Ronald Reagan. We have had all weekend to reflect on the myth and legend of Reagan. I think we should all take a moment to reflect on the man and his policies.
Part One of the Reagan Economic Plan (1981): Reagan asks Congress to cut federal spending on Medicare and Medicaid, the food stamp program, welfare, and school meals (ketchup a vegetable?). Congress endorsed most of Reagan's requests.
Economic Recovery Tax Act (1981): cut tax costs for corporations and the affluent in the attempts of causing a "trickle down" effect; the corporations would save money, invest it, and the money would trickle down to the middle-class and eventually the poor. The tax cuts, which totaled $750 billion over five years and a 25% reduction in personal income taxes, were the largest tax cuts ever in American history, and didn't balance the budget like Reagan hoped.
Economic recession, unemployment at 8 percent (1981): due to declining inflation and the falling of the GNP by 5%, unemployment rates hit their highest in six years, and the nation was on the verge of a full-blown recession. Prime Rate of Interest at 14 Percent (1982): by lowering its rate for bank loans from its record high of 21.5%, the Federal Reserve Board made it easier to borrow money.
Unemployment at 10.1 Percent (1982): the highest since 1940, this percentage was composed mostly of adult male blue-collar workers, with African Americans being hit the hardest.
Voting Rights Act of 1965 renewed (1982): despite the opposition of Reagan's civil rights' chief in the Justice Department. Many African-Americans alleged that the Reagan administration wasn't doing enough to protect civil rights.
Prime Rate of Interest at 10.5 Percent (1983): making borrowing money even easier.
Ronald Reagan begins second presidential term (1985)
Tax Reform Act (1986): lowered personal income taxes and eliminated around six million poor people from the tax rolls, appeasing both supply-side conservatives and liberals.Republicans lose control of Senate (1986): the result of the people's unrest with the Iran-Contra scandal.
One day drop of 508 points in the stock market (1987): worse than the 1929 crash, stocks plummeted 508 points in one day, October 19. This time, government rules and regulations kept the economy from entering a depression on the level of the one in the 30s.
"Understanding AIDS" Mailed to 107 million households (1988): created under the leadership of Surgeon General Dr. C Everett Koop, the pamphlet educated Americans on AIDS, telling how it was transmitted sexually, that heterosexuals can contract it too, and that it was 100% lethal. The pamphlet also stressed safe sex.
Major foreign affairs events of the Reagan administration:
U.S. Steps up role in El Salvador (1981): this poor Central American country was in the grips of a civil war, with poor revolutionaries fighting the American-supported military regime, whose "death squads" killed thousands of dissidents, including American missionaries. Seeing the revolutionaries as a Communist threat that could result in another Soviet-allied port, Reagan decided that beefing up the funds to the regime would win the war faster. Congress decided to increase funds.INF Talks Begin (1981): talks between U.S. and Soviet officials to limit the presence of intermediate-range nuclear forces in Europe. The Soviets had SS-20 missiles aimed at Western Europe, and the U.S. had cruise missiles and Pershig-IIs aimed at Russia.
U.S.Troops ordered to Lebanon (1982): following a PLO shelling from Lebanon in 1981, Israel bombs supposed PLO bases outside of Lebanon, killing many civilians. Israel then annexes the Golan Heights, a Syrian territory. In 1982, Israel invades Lebanon, seizing the capital of Beirut in the midst of a Lebanese civil war. Lebanon asks for aid from Syria, and the Israelis are fighting the Syrians, the Lebanese regime, and the Lebanese rebels, making refugees out of one million civilians. To promote peace, Reagan orders U.S. marines to Lebanon. Unsure of what to do, the marines get embroiled in the war.
U.S. aid to Contras in Nicaragua revealed (1982): in Nicaragua, the Sandanista rebels, lead by Daniel Ortega, overthrew the Somoza dictatorship. After buying weapons from the Soviets and asking Cubans to work in their hospitals, schools, and army, the Sandanistas appeared to be a Soviet client. In 1981 the CIA begins the training, arming, and direction of more than ten thousand counterrevolutionaries, or contras, most of whom supported the Somoza regime. From CIA bases in Honduras and Costa Rica, the contras raided Nicaragua, killing innocents and destroying oil refineries.
Strategic Defense Initiative (Star Wars) announced (1983): Star Wars? What is this, an attempt to get kids interested in national defense? Actually, Reagan, believing the more arms we had the better negotiations with Russia would go, authorized the development of many new weapons, including the MX missile, the B-1 bomber, and an anti-missile defense system from outer space, or the Star Wars project.
Terrorist kill U.S. Marines in Lebanon (1983): in October, terrorist bombs go off in a marines barracks, killing 240 marines.
Invasion of Grenada (1983): after a pro-Cuban leftist regime takes power in the Caribbean island of Grenada, Reagan decides to overthrow it.
U.S. Marines leave Lebanon (1984): realizing defeat after the terrorist bombing, Reagan pulls the remaining marines out of the Lebanese war.
CIA mines Nicaraguan harbors (1984): destroying numerous merchant ships. The World Court decides that the Nicaraguan government has the right to sue the U.S. for damages. At the same time, Congress votes to stop aiding the Contras militarily, but decides to send "humanitarian" aid. The U.S. also lined up its allies, including Saudi Arabia, Panama, and Korea to fund the Contras. In 1985, Reagan placed an economic embargo on Nicaragua.
Reagan Doctrine announced (1985): the open support of anti-Communist regimes fighting Soviets or Soviet-backed governments. This justified U.S. aid to Nicaragua, Afghanistan, Angola, and Ethiopia. This was all in the best interests of the U.S.
Gorbachev comes to power in Soviet Union (1985): following the removal of Khrushchev, the Soviet Union was led by a trifecta of men. The one with the most modern ideas, Mikhal Gorbachev, eventually became the top Soviet leader. Realizing that cutting back on military expenditures would help revitalize other aspects of the Russian economy, Gorbachev started talks with Reagan to reduce arms. He also downsized the Soviet army.
U.S. economic embargo against Nicaragua (1985): since military aid to the Contras wasn't enough, Reagan hoped that a full crippling of the Sandanista economy might win the undeclared war.
U.S. bombers attack Libya (1986): a crusading Islamic nation out to make a point, Libya supported the terrorist bombing of a U.S. marine barracks in Lebanon that killed 240. To punish Libya for supporting terrorism, the U.S. openly bombed them.
Iran-Contra Scandal breaks (1986): during a time when the U.S. was prohibited from sending arms to the Contras, the government improvises. The U.S., thanks to the idea of John M. Poindexter, Oliver North, and CIA Director William Casey, sold arms to Iran and diverted the profits to the Contras so that they could purchase weapons. At this time, the U.S. was condemning Iran as a terrorist nation for it's support of the Shiite Muslims in Lebanon (who had U.S. hostages), urging it's allies to not trade with them. The scandal made Reagan look bad. Really bad. And stupid too, because he acted oblivious to the entire thing.
U.S. begins attempt to oust Manuel Noriega from Panama (1987): a General that was on the CIA payroll and helped train the Contras, Noriega was also one of the biggest drug lords in Central America, cutting deals with cocaine producers and laundering drug money in Panamanian banks. When the American people gained knowledge of this, Washington attempted to overthrow Noriega. They wouldn't be successful until 1989.
Washington Summit Meeting (1987): between Gorbachev and Reagan. The two agreed to eliminate their medium-range missiles.
U.S.-Canada Free Trade Agreement (1988): put Reagan's preaching of private enterprise into practice, allowing trade between the U.S. and Canada without any tariffs.
Agreement on Soviet Withdrawal from Afghanistan (1988): part of the downsizing of his army, Gorbachev withdraws troops from Afghanistan, and presses Vietnam and Cuba to withdraw from Cambodia and Angola, respectively.
Moscow Summit Meeting (1988): again between Reagan and Gorbachev. This time, the two agreed on a treaty regarding intermediate- and short-range missile, as well as the establishment of a Nuclear Risk Reduction Centers in Moscow and Washington to reduce the risk of an accidental nuclear missile firing.
INF Treaty Signed (1988): the U.S. and the Soviets agree to remove intermediate range missiles from eastern Europe.
U.S. warship downs Iranian airliner (1988): thanks to an overeager captain, a U.S. warship outfitted with new technology downs an Iranian commercial airliner, killing hundreds of Iranian civilians.
So in summary: 8 years of tax breaks, and national debt, 8 years of preemptive military strikes, backdoor weapons spending, record cuts on social programs, poorer schools and record homeless populations, 8 years of ignorance to the growing aids epidemic, 8 years of blind ideology. Think of what Bush can accomplish with four more years.
Reagan was however the first and only president to be an active member of a labor union, the Screen Actors Guild."
Ray Charles dead at 73
dead at 80. goodbye godfather.
died of heart failure at 52. so long superman.
rodney dangerfield died last week.Rodney: Wanna go out with me Wednesday night?
Professor: Sorry, I have class that night.
Rodney: Oh, well, how about Friday?
Professor: I have class that night, too.
Rodney: Oh. Well, then, why don't you call me some night, when you have no class?
A Super Man Nonetheless We pause to grieve because Chris Reeve just lost his earthly life. This super man had countless fans and one heroic wife. Courageously Chris let us see he WAS a man of steel. Though paralyzed he realized what matters most is will. And though confined he never whined about his tragic plight. He learned to cope while boasting hope that day would follow night. But with the dawn we learned he'd gone unlike the way he'd planned. His dream to walk by death was blocked. Still Chris WAS Superman. by Greg Asimakoupoulos Naperville(Greg is pastor of a Covenant church)
Deconstruction icon Derrida diesJacques Derrida, one of France's most famous philosophers, has died at the age of 74, it has been announced.
Derrida died in a Paris hospital on Friday night, news agency AFP reported. He suffered from pancreatic cancer.
The Algerian-born philosopher is best known for his "deconstruction theory" - unpicking the way text is put together in order to reveal its hidden meanings.
Fellow academics have charged that Derrida's writings "deny distinction between reality and fiction".
Derrida is one of the most influential philosophers of the late 20th Century.
In his long career, he taught at the Sorbonne and at several American universities.
Multiple layers
The deconstructionist school of philosophy he heralded holds that the meaning text is not definite and unchanging - it depends on how each reader interprets it.
Derrida's prolific writings - including Speech and Phenomena, and Of Grammatology - argue that in literature, as well as in art, music, architecture, there are multiple layers of meanings not necessarily intended or even understood by the creator of the work.
The academic community has often taken exception to this interpretation, correspondents say.
In 1992, staff at Cambridge University in the UK protested against plans to award him an honorary degree, denouncing his writings as "absurd doctrines that deny the distinction between reality and fiction".
Jacques Derrida also campaigned for the rights of immigrants in France, against apartheid in South Africa, and in support of dissidents in communist Czechoslovakia.
He was so influential that lat year a film was made about his life - a biographical documentary.
At one point, wandering through Derrida's library, one of the filmmakers asks him: "Have you read all the books in here?"
"No," he replies impishly, "only four of them. But I read those very, very carefully"
Russell Jones, aka Ol' Dirty Bastard aka Drit McGirt aka Osiris aka Big Baby Jesus died today shortly after complaining of chest pains. His birthday was monday. He was known to say, "I like it raw, oooh baby, i like a raaaaaaaaaw" and "got burnt once but-that-was only gonorrhea".
I can't believe he died. He was wise beyond his shoe size.
"we do stuff for the kids" ODB when puffy won the grammy, not wu-tang.
cause it might offend some people, so let it be known that that is not my desire.
The next time i have a forty, i will pour a sip on the concrete for my fallen comrad...not that he was my comrad, but you know.
i really, really, really liked ODB's stuff. he wouldnt be able to hold his own album, but any of his parts in any wu tang tracks, his guest spots with the neptunes, wu-tang offshoot albums, that ghetto superstar song, etc., were phonemenal. I miss him.
unfortunately, Deacon Tryba is unknown to most everyone here. He died on Saturday, Nov. 20th at the age of 87. He leaves his wife, Dorothy, 12 children, and countless grandchildren.He was by far the most gentle, respectful man I've ever met. Someone who could look right through your soul, find only the good in you and then find a way to reflect it back when you most needed to see it. A true Deacon.
He is dearly loved and missed!
I had a dream the other night that I was buying the new Bjork album that's mostly accapella, and I realized I didn't want it after my credit card went through. The cashier said I could get something of similar value so I looked through this weird obscure section and found the Mike Knot album that was released just before Aunt Bettie's Ford. Some of the songs are the same but many are not. I think the first album had a very limited printing. Anyway, the song I remember the most had the line "John Barrimore Jr is a weird guy". And then today I found out that JB Jr just died. Very strange coincidence. I haven't thought of that album and song for years.
my thoughts on that to be posted ASAP (but not tonight) in the dream entree.
so sad.
My friend has this to say on it. And I think he has some good thoughts, since I am not knowledgable enough on heavy metal to write on it."I looked on a news site and read about that club shooting in Ohio. One of my favorite guitarists of all time, Darrell Abbot, was shot dead in it. His brother Vinny was wounded too and was on stage with him. He had to see his brother get shot point blank only a few feet in front of him. I was struck with a great sadness when I found out about Darrell's death. I don't listen to heavy metal much anymore, but when I did, Darrell Abbot and his brother Vinny were like musical idols to me...I would say that of the metal bands that came after Pantera, nearly ALL of them were influenced by the stylings of the band, headed by Darrell. People who aren't/weren't metal fans don't understand that. The incident's been all over the news, and the media is trying to make it out that Darrell almost deserved to be murdered. That his heavy rock lifestyle and the dark lyrics of his music is what caused it. I was spewing all sorts of obscenities at TV and the news people who were implying that. You can't fucking create art in any form nowadays without ignorant assholes misinterpreting it. Yes, metal is hard. Yes, it's about dark subjects. Because that's what they see around them and they write about it. It's completely fucked up that anyone would imply that someone like Darrell deserved to be murdered because of the kind of music he played. That's complete bullshit. That sort of spinning by the media is one of the things that Pantera always rallied against. The guitar stylings of Darrell definitely aren't for everyone, but in the genre of heavy metal, Darrell was one of the best. And his death was senseless and cruel."
RIP, Darrell Abbot.
More on the shooting
R.I.P. Dimebag DarrellI met Darrell once. Pantera was signing autographs for the new album Far Beyond Driven at Rolling Stone Records at Harlem and Irving. oldpossumus and I stood in a line that started 4.5 blocks away from the front doors of the store when we entered it. I don't remember how long we had to wait, but my parents drove us there and came back to get us like 4 times while we waited. but they let us go through the line.
When I got inside, and over to Dimebag, I mentioned his column in Guitar World Magazine. He stood up and shook my hand and was so genuiniely enthusiastic about encouraging me to keep playing guitar. he looked like I had just made his day by mentioning the guitar and his column. he signed a few things for me (which got lost in the move from Chi to Lockport), and gave me a box of PanterA guitar picks (which are all gone). I am not a big fan of Pantera these days, but I sure remember how genuine and cool DD was when I met him. he wasn't a big rockstar at all. His influence on metal music is most certainly running through the blood of just about every metal guitarist still making music in today's music industry. He wasn't the greatest shredder of all time, but he was great and had his own recognizable style.
anyway, i pretty much agree with your friend, Cinn. the guy just liked to play music, and he liked it raw and loud and fast and agressive. that doesn't mean his 'deep dark music' somehow was a causal element in his own death. that's just ludicrous. the shooter was crazy, methinks. nobody can attribute reason to the acts of a crazy man, nor can you blame the music for the violence. if music made people violent, then all people would be violent when they heard the music. violent people like violent music, but does that have to ruin it for the non-violent people who like violent music?
sad day in metal history.
R.I.P. Dimebag Darrell.
My aunt, bones (B0nnie J. Peters0n), died today, December 14th, 2004 at about 1:50 PM after a long battle with cancer. She was a tough cookie and full of faith who looked forward to the next life, which she referred to as her "promotion." She lived in Poplar, California, and the Twin Cities and worked primarily as a high school math teacher. I have rarely met anyone more generous in my life, which she managed at least partly by enjoying to shop while also being incredibly thrifty. In the last few months she spent most of her active time giving away her things and finding people and places who could use her belongings. She passed away surrounded by friends and family. There will be services in the Twin Cities and Poplar. God rest her soul.Incidentally, although she is being cremated, she said that if she has a marker, it should say, "See Ya' Later". Also, This weekend, when her cousin told her that she was going to miss her, bones said, "I don't think I'm going to miss you!". She was a kidder and down to earth to the last and if I die with half the dignity she had I will be doing alright. Thanks to all for your prayers -- continued thoughts for my family in the next few weeks would be appreciated.
On Sunday morning, my mother let me know that my Great Aunt Elsie had passed on Saturday. She was at least 95, maybe more; a small, wirey woman. I was shocked, for though she was 95, it was unexpected. She was still active: baking for her church on a weekly basis, playing chauffeur to all of her friends, and caring for her increasingly demented husband, my Great Uncle George. The ironic thing is that I've never really thought about Aunt Elsie like a "real" aunt (whatever that is) because she was George's third wife and my mom always talked about her differently when we were growing up-- not in a bad way, but in a removed way. She didn't consider her a "real" aunt because she was not familiar, and she passed that emotion to me somehow without ever verbalizing it...I last saw her in August. She made pancakes for my mother and me while prompting my Uncle to tell me scattered stories about his childhood with my grandpa who passed away 10 years ago. I am certain that she has gone to heaven and has happily left all earthly burdens behind, but I feel so much sadness for my Uncle George who is certainly lost without her.
Ol' Dirty Bastard Died From Drug Overdose, Medical Examiner's Office Says
Rapper found to have died from fatal mixture of cocaine, prescription drug Tramadol.
more if you really need more
Johnny Carson
Jimmy Smith passes away at 76.I had the honor of seeing Jimmy Smith play at Green Dolphin Street several years back. He played two sets of smokin' organ jazz and was truly one of the great jazz musicians. After the show he just walked through the crowd and we bumped into him on our way out and shook his hand and thanked him the incredible show. I'll be cranking up The Sermon when I get home tonight.
arthur miller.
Hunter S. Thompson. link
My heart is broken.If ever I needed his voice, it was now.
Not how I'd have pictured him going out. Shouldn't he have been taken out by the cops in one final mad escapade or something?
but somehow I was not surprised when I read the article, in an almost deja vu-esque way.
I somehow feel a strange obligation to at least try and make the world a stranger place now that H.S. Thompson is gone. I agree with Shred, this country, this world, just got a lot more bland. Hunter, we may be less lost without you, but what fun is there in always knowing the way?
Hans Bethe dies at 98Truly a giant of the field. He tought at Cornell for almost 70 years. Worked at Los Alamos on the atomic bomb and then became a staunch supporter of nuclear disarmament. He won a nobel prize and was still publishing at the age of 91. And he seems to have enjoyed his life:
Dr. Bethe's elan seemed to confirm that judgment. "I am a very happy person," he said with a relaxed smile a few years ago. "I wouldn't want to change what I did."
Lynn Collins dies at 56She was one of James Brown's funky people and everyone should spin up "It Takes Two" tonight and groove to her soulful vocals.
Rod Price (Foghat)
since I still do not know how to create a link and you can probably find the story anywhere i'll only post this much....PINELLAS PARK, Fla. (March 31) - Terri Schiavo, the severely brain-damaged woman who spent 15 years connected to a feeding tube in an epic legal and medical battle that went all the way to the White House and Congress, died Thursday, 13 days after the tube was removed. She was 41.
...
...and a little surprised that no one posted this....Pope John Paul II
I could say a TON, but I wouldn't know where to begin or end...
I'm not Catholic, and if I was I probably would have disagreed with some of the man's policies. However, when I saw him in St. Peter's square a couple of years ago-- I felt/thought to myself, "Here is a true disciple of Christ." So, let the heavens rejoice, and may he hear, "well done."
The man was instrumental in more things than I think any of us will ever know. I mean come on he basically started the Polish revolution against the Soviets, that takes major cojones. He was an amazing man and a great church leader. We can only hope his sucessor will come close to matching him.
RALEIGH, N.C. - Robert A. Moog, whose self-named synthesizers turned electric currents into sound, revolutionizing music in the 1960s and opening the wave that became electronica, has died. He was 71.
as a caveat to the above.
i heard about it in an email at work. wish i knew more about the MOOG sound.
What died with Pope John Paul II is only his body. His spirit shall live on in different way. As some say, one sure thing about the new Pope is that he definitely will slow down the pace of beautification and canonization made by John Paul II during his reign. Do this world need more saints and miracles than it has known? Definitely. But how this world may come to know saints without names and miracles not attached to any physical limitations?
A good bluesman died today, Mr. R.L. Burnside from Holly Springs, MS. A man with a mouthful of jokes and not many teeth. In his last years, his hands shook so much he could no longer play guitar, but his voice became even steadier, deeper, wiser. Some of us got to see him a few years back play in Chicago, a concert that was to be one of his last ever live performances, in a city he hated to come to because its violent streets had taken the lives of his father, brother, and uncle in the span of one month in the 40s. I was blessed to see him. Rest in piece, R.L. I hope you're finally sitting down.www.fatpossum.com
man, R.L. Burnside? I was just listening to the North Mississippi All-Stars festival live album...And no word officially on Fats Domino, either...
when the levee breaks, mama, you got to move ....
they did find him. .
Thanks for the yuks, Li'l Buddy. gilligan some may also remember him from "Dobie Gillis"
23 November 2005 Singer-songwriter Chris Whitley dies at 45 American singer-songwriter and guitarist Chris Whitley has died of lung cancer, aged 45.Brandon Kessler, owner of independent label Messenger Records, who released Whitley's final album, 'Soft Dangerous Shores', said that he was diagnosed with the disease five weeks ago and died on Sunday in Houston.
Whitley got his big break from famed producer Daniel Lanois, who helped him get his initial deal with Columbia, which released his acclaimed debut', 'Living With the Law', in 1991 as well as 1995 follow-up, 'Din of Ecstasy,' and 1997's 'Terra Incognita.'
He has been credited with pioneering the alternative country movement, combining roots-based music with punk and rock influences.
Whitley is survived by his daughter, brother and sister, ex-wife and father.
r.i.p.now i need to quit smoking.
Singer/songwriter and guitarist Chris Whitley passed away of lung cancer on Sunday, Nov. 20, in Houston, Texas, at age 45.
Chris is survived by his daughter, Trixie Whitley, 18, of Belgium, whose voice could occasionally be heard in the background of Chris's records over the years, as well as on stage with him. He is also survived by his brother, singer/guitarist Daniel Whitley (who contributed guitar to several of Chris's albums); his sister, Bridget Whitley Anderson, of Vermont; his ex-wife, Hélène Gevaert, of Belgium; and his father, Jerry Whitley, of New Jersey.
A man of rare poetic honesty, Chris maintained a resolute musical integrity throughout his career. His 12 albums, ranging from raw-boned folk-rock to lush electro-blues, had the thread of intense emotion and constant invention running through them.
Chris's hit debut LP, Living With the Law, came out on Columbia in 1991. His final album, Soft Dangerous Shores, came out in June 2005 via Messenger Records, the independent label he worked with most. The discs now seem like spiritual/aesthetic book-ends. Both mix roots-rock grit with heat-haze atmospherics and were produced/engineered by Malcolm Burn. If his beloved debut still contains some of his best-known songs, Soft Dangerous Shores has the elusive intertwining of organic and synthetic that Chris often held as an ideal.
Christopher Becker Whitley was born Aug. 31, 1960, in Houston, to a restless, artistic couple: His mother was a sculptress and painter; his father worked as an art director in a series of advertising jobs. As a family, they traveled through the Southwest, with many of the images the young boy absorbed finding their way later into songs. He once described his parents' music taste as formed "by race radio in the South." The real deal -- Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf -- seeped into their son's soul, eventually leading to Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix.
Chris's parents divorced when he was 11 years old, and he moved with his mother to a small cabin in Vermont. It was there that he learned to play guitar. Hearing Johnny Winter's "Dallas" was the seed for what would develop as Chris's keening instrumental style. Inspired by the naked, crying sound of the acoustic dobro in "Dallas," Chris bought a National steel dobro and taught himself how to play the blues with a bottleneck slide. He quit high school not long after, moving to New York City.
In Manhattan, Chris worked odd jobs and played on street corners in the West Village. Then, the owner of a travel agency who had long loved his playing offered Chris a free ticket to Belgium. During his sojourn there, he scored some minor success by playing dance music in a group called Oh No Rodeo (with Hélène and Alan Gevaert), even covering Prince tunes. The European experience was seminal in many ways, including his developing an abiding taste for Kraftwerk and other Euro-avatars. Belgium is also where his daughter was born.
Back in New York, Chris Whitley was working in a picture-frame factory when a photographer friend invited him along for an outdoor shoot. It was in a park that Chris was introduced to Daniel Lanois, producer of such top acts as U2 and Peter Gabriel. Lanois was a fellow guitarist, and his eclectic tastes mirrored Chris's own. Lanois helped Chris get his initial deal with Columbia to record his debut in the producer's New Orleans studio with Malcolm Burn (a Lanois protÈgÈ, who went on to work with Emmylou Harris and the Neville Brothers).
One of the all-time classic debuts, Living With the Law mines romance and regret, beauty and brooding in a vein of archetypal Americana. Cinematically produced, the album features fine detail players from the Lanois circle, but the focus rests firmly on Whitley's fallen-angel falsetto and his rustic virtuosity on National steel. "I Forget You Every Day" and the title song are aching dust-bowl ballads. "Make the Dirt Stick" whines and moans like a forlorn train whistle through the dark woods. "Big Sky Country" is a yearning plea for wider horizons, borne along by the virtual call-and-response of gospel harmonies.
Regarding his state-of-affairs when writing these initial songs, Chris once said: "The songs on Living With the Law were fatalistic, hopeless. My marriage was breaking up. I was working in a factory in my late 20s. But desperation can be a good impetus for writing songs." Those songs struck a chord. Rolling Stone magazine praised Chris as "a visionary. . . a bona-fide poet." Another admirer described Chris's songs as "haunting, like a Robert Frank photograph." Director Ridley Scott chose a song from the album, "Kick the Stones," for the "Thelma and Louise" soundtrack.
A long lull kept Chris from capitalizing completely on the success of his debut. Moreover, the four-year gap between Living With the Law and his sophomore disc sounds more like 40, as he sought to break free of any business-as-usual restrictions. With a psychosexual caterwaul redolent of power trios from Cream to Nirvana, Din of Ecstasy won Chris new hard-rock fans -- even as its mix of existential pain and poetic noise put off some listeners more attuned to the bucolic beauties of "Big Sky Country." The album's brazen masterstroke was to drag urban blues screaming into the late 20th century, conflating the spirits of Elmore James and Kurt Cobain with such riveting standouts as "Narcotic Prayer."
Chris's Sony swansong, Terra Incognita, saw his sound continuing to combust at the crossroads of Hendrixian drama and Delta soul. The album's ghostly psalm "Cool Wooden Crosses" would become a staple of his solo shows. Chris's departure from Sony could've been a defeat, but it ended up the best sort of medicine, as he stepped up to the indie challenge. The little New York label Messenger ended up selling more copies of his next album, 1998's Dirt Floor, than Sony had of Terra Incognita.
The folk-blues songs of Dirt Floor were recorded in a single day at his father's Vermont barn-cum-bike shop with producer Craig Street (known for his work with Cassandra Wilson, for whom Whitley provided studio guitar). Such sepia-toned songs as the title lament and "Scrapyard Lullaby" were powered by just the time-honored tools of voice, guitar, banjo and rhythmic boot. Recorded the next year in Chicago, Live at Martyrs' documents a great night of solo Whitley, including his sharp-edged cover of Kraftwerk's "The Model."
Around the same period, Chris also covered "I Can't Stand Myself" for a James Brown tribute disc, setting off sparks against a beat-box. But he painted a fully evocative picture of his influences with the 2000 all-covers set Perfect Day. Teamed with the earthy, empathetic rhythm duo from groove-jazz trio Medeski, Martin & Wood, Chris not only beautifully reanimated songs by Muddy Waters ("She's Alright"), Robert Johnson ("Stones in My Pathway") and Bob Dylan ("Fourth Time Around"); he also cut to the poetic heart of the Doors' "Crystal Ship" and Lou Reed's "Perfect Day" in a way that rivals the originals.
Rocket House, a 2001 release on ATO, was perhaps the most ambitious of Chris's career. Tony Mangurian's production opened new sonic vistas, from the buzzing electro-rock of the opener "To Joy (Revolution of the Innocents)" to the aching dreamscape of the closing "Something Shines." A Sony Legacy compilation, Long Way Around: An Anthology 1991-2001, not only traces Chris's Columbia years; it includes the lyrical Rocket House single "Say Goodbye" and highlights from Dirt Floor, as well as previously unreleased demos and alternative mixes.
In recent years, Chris had found romance and inspiration in Dresden, Germany. These days yielded some of his best work, with the albums Hotel Vast Horizon and War Crime Blues, as well as Weed (a set of solo remakes of early songs) and his only film score (for the German film Pigs Will Fly). In particular, War Crime Blues is a solo electric masterpiece of sympathy and antipathy by turns; such emotionally acute song suites are notably few and far between in the post-Iraq invasion era. The heartbroken title track, the raging desert storm of "God Left Town" and the Clash cover "The Call Up" serve as both salt and salve for collective wounds.
Chris recorded Soft Dangerous Shores last year with a supple German rhythm duo, bassist Heiko Schramm and drummer Matthias Macht. The album mixed deep-blues feel and rich jazz harmonies with erotic rhythm beds and electronic ambience. The idiom was the "universal blues," where the spirits of Robert Johnson and Jimi Hendrix, Keith Richards and Kraftwerk bond. "The blues sound different in different places," Chris said just prior to the disc's release. "But on a lonely, rainy night -- whether you're in New Orleans or New York or Dresden -- they feel the same."
Like most bluesmen of any era, Chris had his share of hellhounds on his trail. He chased a lot of them down in song and on stage; other times, demons got the best of him. But whether up or down in his career, Chris's sweet, generous nature and pure sensibility earned him lifelong friends and, as he put it, "guardian angels."
Although fully aware of his capabilities as a musician, Chris was a humble man, always cognizant of the standards set by his peers and predecessors. To sit with him backstage at a club or at a street-side café in the West Village, it was soon apparent that he considered each admirer and well-wisher who came up, known or new, something of a gift.
Chris recorded an a cappella rendition of the pop/jazz standard "Nature Boy" as the haunted close to War Crime Blues. The words may not be his, but his voice reveals wisdom hard-won over his time here: "The greatest thing you'll ever learn/Is just to love and be loved in return."
-- Bradley Bambarger
cnn
my uncle Ken passed away last saturday in a phoenix hospital. He had just moved back to the states and was living with my mom in AZ while his divorce in Brazil was being finalized. He left behind to children in Brazil. I hadn't seen him since our wedding and was looking forward to seeing him when we went to Arizona this month. He was only in his early-to-mid fifties and while he was ill, the death came as quite a schock. Please pray for his children as well as his wife and my mom. Services will be in Miami tomorrow and then he will be cremated and his ashes will be spread out on a mountain somewhere.
Lucas...I am so sorry to hear of your loss. i will be praying for your family and for your Uncle Ken
One of the seniors at the school where I worked passed away last night. His name was Aaron. He had persistent flu-like symptoms, went to the doctor, was told to stay hydrated, and was released. It is very unlikely that he died of the flu; an autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of death. The students here are shaken--this graduating class had not lost a student until yesterday, a feat very rare in a community were accidents and suicides are common. And, of course, the fact that the cause of death is unknown in so young and seemingly healthy a victim is another contributor to a general sense of unease... I didn't know him personally, but I've very nearly been in tears three times today. Please pray for his family and friends as they seek to come to terms with this loss.
blvd: that's really hard. kids dying, kids grieving; feels like that shouldn't have to be.it was probably meningitis, which is usually deadly because it's pretty unknown and feels exactly like the flu. before you know what's happening... you hardly have a chance. unless you know to a] go to the doctor b] tell them to check you and treat you for meningitis instead of sending you home.
Kirby
RIP Misty.
My parents put down their (our) oldest dog today... She had bone cancer and was in a lot of pain. She was a good dog. And, whether this sounds sacriligeous or not, I hope that dogs go to heaven...
Now it would be sacriligeous if you wished that Jesus would go to hell, but a dog to heaven, that's just kindness to animals.
Granted I'm only on my first cup of coffee... but I really don't see anything wrong with hoping Bridget is chasing Misty somewhere. I think they'd both like it. And really, if heaven doesn't have animals there is something seriously wrong with everything I believe in.
in fact, when i was a freshman in high school i led a youth group meeting into a battle over whether or not animals went to heaven. i'm pretty sure that's when i broke with the church.status: no coffee, but i'm not much of a morning drinker.
was more in reference to the whole Jesus going to hell thing. It was a little over the top of me.
Pink Floyd legend Syd Barrett dies
he was a very talented, tortured person.
R.I.P., Walter M. Gibbs
my eyes teared up when i heard about robert altman's passing. he was a director i'd always wanted to work with and now will never get the chance to. not to mention, no more of his films will be made...
genghis cow ("cow") was euthanized this morning at the animal house of chicago. he was 11-ish.cow was tara's favorite cat... ever. he was a tuxedo cat, but in the household vernacular his breed was "shorthaired awesome". he never bit and never scratched, knew where to do his business and how to get what he wanted. he played and hunted with feral vigor until his eye got the better of him. he loved to cuddle on laps and have his head and belly rubbed, but not to be picked up or carried. he greeted tara at the door when she came home. he howled at her while she showered (in a voice that conveyed some combination of the sentiments "i know you're in there and you're not paying attention to me" and "my god, how can you stand all that water") and at the break of dawn when he could no longer stand that we were sleeping and knew we would be up soon anyway.
tara referred to him by many names, chief among them cow, cowbot, muffin, pretty kitty, punk, and "my fan club". he will be greatly missed.
Pedal Steel Player of the Flying Burrito Brothers
ripThe character's death came as a blow to co-creator Simon, the Associated Press reported.
"We really need him now," Simon, 93, told The AP.
I sure hpe that Marvel had a point.
The Nicest Guy in Rock n' RollTough week. First Captain America and now this.
(for chester)
Family: Delp's Death Was Suicide Mar 14, 3:32 PM ESTThe Associated Press
CONCORD, N.H. -- The family of Brad Delp, the lead singer for the band Boston, said his death was a suicide.
"He was a man who gave all he had to give to everyone around him, whether family, friends, fans or strangers," the family said in a statement relayed by police Wednesday. "He gave as long as he could, as best he could, and he was very tired. We take comfort in knowing that he is now, at last, at peace."
Delp, 55, died Friday at his Atkinson home. Fiancee Pamela Sullivan found him.
Toxicology tests by the state medical examiner's office showed that Delp committed suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning, said Lt. William Baldwin. Delp also left two notes taped to a door and letters to his family and Sullivan.
Baldwin said police do not know the contents of the letters.
The family's statement said Sullivan, Delp's children and their mother, Delp's ex-wife Micki Delp, were grateful for the sympathy they had received.
Brad Delp joined Boston in the mid-1970s and sang two of its biggest hits, "More than a Feeling" and "Long Time."
Delp had planned to marry Sullivan this summer during a break in a tour with Boston. A lifelong Beatles fan, Delp also played with a tribute band, Beatle Juice.
Beatle Juice performed a benefit last year to help build a new public library in Atkinson, a small town of about 6,000 residents on the Massachusetts border.
The family said last week it planned a private funeral followed by a public memorial to be scheduled later.
To lighten things up and to prove Yahoo! news is a mediocre source of actual news. This was their top story when I go in this morning:
Wikipedia falsely reports Sinbad's deathdarn.
adios for now, fair tralfamadorian.
Sweetest boy you'd ever meet. I'll miss him.
i'm really sorry to hear that. :(
:( what a sweet boy. he really was one of the greatest dogs I've ever met.
I'm speechless.
and he was amazing, truly a gifted performer.
Sept. 6th-- Madeline L'Engle, aged 88. Her website has more details... I am currently in the middle of the first book of her memoirs, A Circle of Quiet, and I was thinking of writing her a letter (something I've never actually done with an author I admire, though I don't know why). And then, while I was shelving magazines the other night, I came across her obit in a sci-fi magazine--and I felt a bit devastated that I wouldn't be able to let her know how much I appreciate her writing. Not that I imagine she'd care much about that at the moment.
Nov. 10th--Norman Mailer, aged 84. His obituary. Mailer is one of those authors who I keep meaning to read, but who I've continued to ignore. Anyone have any recommendations on his work one way or another?
Seamus. Keep his parents in you thoughts.
I'm so sorry to hear that, Smax. I am saying a prayer. Thanks for letting us know. I'm so terribly sorry.
Billy Poole died yesterday. From what I understand it was a skiing accident during a Warren Miller shoot. Didn't really know him personally, more of a friend of friends, but it still makes this week suck a bit more.Careful out there kids. Hug the ones you love.
my grandfather died this morning. i'm so glad that i stopped for a brief visit on my way into town last night. my uncle dan and grandma were there when he died, and it's miracuous the way he died. the whole left side of his body has been paralysed for a week, but as grandma sat next to the bed holding his right hand, he raised his left arm and placed his hand over his heart. then he let go of grandma's hand and put his right hand over his left, and took his last breath.when i told this to my brother in spain over the phone, his reaction was "wow, that's style." my cousin in oregon, hearing the news from his mother said "a class act to the end." and it's true.
everyone here is sad that he is gone, but his death was a great relief to him. he said goodbye to each of us and that he was ready, and he was.
so truly, it is done.
I'm so sorry for your loss! I will keep you, your grandfather, and your family in my prayers.
Thanks for sharing inkblot... we'll likewise be thinking of you guys. I hope I go in as much style!
I know from my grandparents and father-in-law that it's harder to watch them suffer than anything else. To me it makes the sting of loss a little easier. It still hurts to lose a loved one, but to know that suffering has ended has always been a bit of a relief to me.
A few days ago my parents sent an e-mail that a woman which Jules and I call Grandma Reele died the other day. She was 91 or so and led a very good life. Good kids, good grand kids, well except us semi-friend-o-family adopted grandkids. She was the nice old woman that makes me think of pleasant summer afternoons and not trash when people mention the Jersey shore. She'll be missed with a smile.My girlfriend called crying about an hour ago. Her brother in law, a sweet former 49ers player died today. I've never met the man, but she had recently visited and was reminded how good family is. He has a couple kids and a wife that will certainly miss him.
So in less than 10 days I have 4 deaths to report. I would like to formally request no one I know, or my friends know dies in the next couple weeks. Also, this should go in the prayer one cause he's not dead, but a friend has tried to kill himself accidentally by hitting a tree while skiing in Tahoe. He has a messed up pelvis and knee or two. So I'd like to add to the no death rule a no getting seriously fucked up rule too.
Thank you.
MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin (AP) -- Gary Gygax, who co-created the fantasy game Dungeons & Dragons and helped start the role-playing phenomenon, died Tuesday morning at his home in Lake Geneva. He was 69.He had been suffering from health problems for several years, including an abdominal aneurysm, said his wife, Gail Gygax.
Gygax and Dave Arneson developed Dungeons & Dragons in 1974 using medieval characters and mythical creatures. The game known for its oddly shaped dice became a hit, particularly among teenage boys, and eventually was turned into video games, books and movies.
Gygax always enjoyed hearing from the game's legion of devoted fans, many of whom would stop by the family's home in Lake Geneva, about 55 miles southwest of Milwaukee, his wife said. Despite his declining health, he hosted weekly games of Dungeons & Dragons as recently as January, she said.
"It really meant a lot to him to hear from people from over the years about how he helped them become a doctor, a lawyer, a policeman, what he gave them," Gygax said. "He really enjoyed that."
Dungeons & Dragons players create fictional characters and carry out their adventures with the help of complicated rules. The quintessential geek pastime, it spawned a wealth of copycat games and later inspired a whole genre of computer games that's still growing in popularity.
Funeral arrangements are pending. Besides his wife, Gygax is survived by six children.
I fall down and take 10 points damage.
a provacative futurist and an excellent writer...