Sad Day

I still remember where I was and what I was doing the day I heard that Elvis Presley had died. The radio was tuned to a station that never played anything remotely close to Elvis when Love Me Tenderly began playing. The DJ announced that the late, great Elvis Presley had been found dead early that day. Although I wasn't a huge Elvis fan, I still felt sad, as if I lost something dear. Silly as it may seem, it was life altering -before Elvis/after Elvis. On a different note, I like to tease that the spirit of Elvis is in Melissa and Kelsey because he died exactly one month to the day that they were born. So far they haven't shown any extraordinary musical talent or a pining for drugs and I'm pretty sure it will remain that way so I'm probably wrong on that one.

Today another iconic musician died and that makes me feel sad too. No one can really dispute Michael Jackson's talent or his impact on the entertainment world. He was a strange person but I'm not going to judge him, who knows how I would act if I lived in a glass house. I feel especially sad for his children who will not have him to help cushion the world at large who seem insatiably curious about the lives of celebrities and of their children. I feel sad for his mom and dad. I can't imagine a greater pain than losing one of your children.

Farrah Fawcett gone today too. Another iconic figure - especially if you're a 50+ age man. I remember reading that when she was in college boys used to line-up outside her sorority just to talk to her. It all just sort of makes me feel old in a roundabout way. With Ed McMahon completing the celebrity death count I guess that give credence to the old adage that everything happens in three's.

I am facinated by news items like this - when I heard about Michael's death I wanted to call up my children and my friends and talk to them about it. BZ called me almost immediately so I know she was feeling the same way. Somehow these celebraties become part of the fabric of our life. I'll have to ponder that and why this happens. I guess we're all somewhat voyeuristic about the lives of others. When they die, a part of us die along with them. Funny-odd-curious.