What celebrity deaths have affected you? (Read 349 times)

mab411


Proboscis Colossus

    What celebrity deaths, if any, have affected you the most?

     

    The latest, for me, has been Kidd Kraddick...his show has been a regular part of my morning for years, including those that included an hour-and-a-half commute (one way), and it's kind of trite, but he and his crew were such an ingrained part of my day that I'll feel the loss in a similar way that I would a family member (albeit an extended family member, one that I mainly only read Facebook posts from).  And besides that, he did so much for a very vulnerable group of people with his "Kidd's Kids" charity...I feel confident saying the world will be a worse place without him (though I suspect they'll try to keep that program going in his absence).  By most accounts I've heard, he was a genuinely warm guy.

     

    The other one, which seems a little silly even to me, is Adam Yauch, "MCA" from Beastie Boys.  That group was so unique in a genre that has become so regimented...so goofy, yet socially conscious, and it worked because of the three different styles playing off each other.  Even though they had such a, um, "relaxed" release schedule, every time they did drop an album, it was a real bright point for me.

     

    Last on the big three for me is Freddie Mercury.  Such a huge talent, and IMO, nowhere near the peak of his career.  The songwriting in that group was arguably hit-or-miss, but anytime Freddie was on the mic, you could at least count on a performance better than just about any other frontman out there.  He really raised the bar for the genre, and I'd say it's slipped down a few notches in his absence.

     

    Honorable mention goes to Andrew Wood, lead singer of Mother Love Bone, who I discovered after his death from a heroin overdose.  His group was all set to blow up just before every other "grunge" band did in the early 90's, and I hear more more talent and charisma on their scant recordings than the guy who fronts the band that rose from the ashes afterward.  I mean, I like Eddie Vedder just fine, but every time I listen to MLB, I'm saddened by what could have been.

    "God guides us on our journey, but careful with those feet." - David Lee Roth, of all people

      Andy Whitfield from the first Spartacus season. I was bummed. Only really knew him from his character, but I loved the character and I wasn't a fan of the actor who replaced him.

      Chris Farley. Made the mistake of looking at the picture of him of when they found him. That image affected me. Damn morbid curiosity.

      That's all that popped into my head just now.

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        This morning, I'm realizing that I might be the only person in DFW (or Texas, or Region, or USA?) that didn't know who Kidd Kraddick was until yesterday afternoon.

         

        MTA: regarding the subject, though....

        Dale Earnhart.  The day before he died, I was at Daytona for the "Busch" race with Mark Martin and his group.  Mark Martin purchased about 100 tickets to the race for young mid Florida race car drivers and their families.  My son and Mark's son raced quartermidgets together in Florida.

        A week earlier, Mark Martin opened a new track for young racers near Daytona, and all of the NASCAR racers were there to watch our kids race as well as sign autographs and raise money to fund the track.  (Rusty Wallace, Dale Jarret, Bill Elliot, Michael Waltrip, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Matt Kenseth, Jeff Gordon, etc.).

        When Dale Earnhardt died that day, the racing community felt for our 'friend' that we got to see every week at the track (Mark Martin).  We got to see one of them weekly through our kids sports, and having his friend die during competition was tough for that community.

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          .

          Not so much a "death" in my case, but the realization that Madonna is over 50 years old now.  -- -Seems like not all that long ago in my youth that she was singing "Like a Virgin".

           

          On deaths, Dick Clark.  That fellow never aged for decades.  Then it caught up to him all at once it seems.   That is what scares me.  Someone seeming super vibrant one year, and no where close the next year...

           

          Also, Michael Jackson.  I grew up with his music and thought he would outlive me.  The National Enquirer said he slept in a special chamber and was supposed to live to be 125.  Big grin   

          .

          The Plan '15 →   ///    "Run Hard, Live Easy."   ∞

            Kidd Kraddick got to me, too, even though I rarely listened to his show. (I was all about Terry Dorsey and country radio)

             

            The biggest hit to me was John Kennedy Jr. and his wife in the plane crash in 1999. My generation never forgot the image of John John at his father's funeral.  It just seemed like one tragedy too many for that family when that plane crashed.

             

            Jim Croce was another one that really bothered me.

            Out there running since dinosaurs roamed the earth

             

              Last on the big three for me is Freddie Mercury.  Such a huge talent, and IMO, nowhere near the peak of his career.  The songwriting in that group was arguably hit-or-miss, but anytime Freddie was on the mic, you could at least count on a performance better than just about any other frontman out there.  He really raised the bar for the genre, and I'd say it's slipped down a few notches in his absence.

               

               

              Agree on Freddie leaving us way before he should have. Queen's Live Aid performance was stunning -- mind-blowing. Watch Freddie work the crowd during Radio Gaga, if it doesn't give you goosebumps you probably don't have a pulse.

              Docket_Rocket


                I agree.  Although I was OK with the new Spartacus, none were like Andy Whitfield and his career was cut too short.

                 

                Andy Whitfield from the first Spartacus season. I was bummed. Only really knew him from his character, but I loved the character and I wasn't a fan of the actor who replaced him.

                Chris Farley. Made the mistake of looking at the picture of him of when they found him. That image affected me. Damn morbid curiosity.

                That's all that popped into my head just now.

                Damaris

                 

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                  The death of Michael Hutchence, frontman of INXS, bummed me out when it happened back in 1997.

                  I've been an INXS fan since 1982, and their music always put a smile on my face.  Hutchence's death came out of the clear blue.

                   

                  The double-whammy loss of Ray Bradbury in 2012 and Ray Harryhausen in 2013 moved Earth a few notches down on the awesomeness scale.

                  Nobody leaves this place without singing the blues.

                    Forgot to mention Comedians also.    Mitch Hedberg, Sam Kinnison, John Candy, Bernie Mac....   Those are the first 4 I thought of, but I could list several dozen comedians who died way before their time.

                    Being a funny guy seems to carry with it a much higher risk of an early demise in many cases...

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                    rectumdamnnearkilledem

                      Every time I watch Blazing Saddles I find it quite bittersweet (so few of the primary cast members are with us, today).  Funny people passing before their time pains me.  I still get a bit choked-up watching Gilda Radner on old SNL episodes.  When Betty White and Mel Brooks pass I am going to be a mess.

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                      mab411


                      Proboscis Colossus

                         

                        Chris Farley. Made the mistake of looking at the picture of him of when they found him. That image affected me. Damn morbid curiosity.

                         

                         

                        I didn't even know that picture was out there.  Yeah, I think that's one Google Image search I'll pass on.

                        "God guides us on our journey, but careful with those feet." - David Lee Roth, of all people

                          Every time I watch Blazing Saddles I find it quite bittersweet (so few of the primary cast members are with us, today).  Funny people passing before their time pains me.  I still get a bit choked-up watching Gilda Radner on old SNL episodes.  When Betty White and Mel Brooks pass I am going to be a mess.

                          x,<V

                           

                          On Betty White...  No worries there, she is going to outlive us all. Smile  (Enjoyed her new comedy show "Off their Rockers" last yr).

                          The Plan '15 →   ///    "Run Hard, Live Easy."   ∞

                            Depends what you mean by "affected", I don't really get emotionally involved with the death of anyone I don't know personally.

                            stadjak


                            Interval Junkie --Nobby

                              The only person I really felt the world was lesser for his passing was Tim Russert.

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                                Kind of an eclectic group that popped into my head when I started to think about it.

                                 

                                - Walter Payton - a superstar for any football fan, but a true icon for those of us who grew up in Chicago in that era, when there was really not much to root for in local sports. And seemingly a down to earth great guy (although some unflattering stuff has come out more recently)

                                 

                                - Phil Hartman - not mentioned in the previous list of comedians, but a highlight of SNL for many years & hilarious on NewsRadio

                                 

                                - Joey Ramone - godfather of punk rock; the Ramones just played, one of the best bands ever, and somehow managed to avoid much controversy & bad behavior.

                                 

                                - Tim Russert - Meet the Press was not the same before or since. One of the last guys out there who did not make it obvious which side he was on.

                                Dave