Weekend Roundup...
It ALWAYS seems to happen in THREES, doesn't it?
My parents often said that "Bad things come in THREES".
And that is just as true these days in the celebrity world, as it was around our home.
When ever one celebrity of not passes away, they are usually followed by TWO more.
Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the “Big Bopper" all died together in a plane crash in 1959.
Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendirx and Jim Morrison all died in close succession in late-1970, early-1971. In 2003, Johnny Cash, John Ritter, and Warron Zevon all died within the same week. In 2005, King Fahd, Peter Jennings, and Robin Cook died within a week of each other.
The following year brought the closely timed deaths of Don Knotts, Darren McGavin, and Dennis Weaver. Heath Ledger, Suzanne Pleshette, and Brad Renfro all died within a week of each other in January, 2008.
I've seen this time and again, and yesterday was certainly no exception to the rule.
As everyone knows by now, Michael Jackson died from cardiac arrest yesterday afternoon, right on the heels of Farrah Fawcett's passing earlier yesterday morning.
Add those to Ed McMahon's passing just 2 days earlier, and there you go...another threesome.
Tell you one thing, my wife sure didn't expect THAT kind of birthday, that's for sure.
(and neither did I)
Now, as you recall, Farrah started out on commercials before landing the role of "Jill" on Charlie's Angels.
And what self-respecting young male did NOT have one of her posters (in that red swimsuit) in HIS room, hmm?
(yeah, I did...right alongside my SERPICO poster)
And you can say what you want about Michael Jackson, but he DID do it "his way" as far as life goes.
I will go on record as being a fan of his earlier work, such as THRILLER and MOONWALKER.
But, like many creative geniuses, as he got older, he got more eccentric, just like Howard Hughes.
With all the constant media attention, who could blame him?
As to his involvement with children, I personally believe it was nothing more than trumped up charges by some money-seeking gold-digger, nothing more.
And yes, as with any eccentric person, his personal life was a train wreck. He definitely suffered from a BAD case of "Peter-Pan Syndrome".
Those personal demons just never seem to go away, and you don't have to be an American icon with millions of fans and a multi-millionaire to realize that. We ALL have some...somewhere...lurking about.
Now we say goodbye to Ed...and Farrah...and Michael, but let's NOT remember their last days, dwelling on the manner in which they met their maker. Rather, let us recall their achievements, their victories, and their successes in life, taking time to reflect on the impact they've all had on OUR lives. Let history act as it should.
The icons we see leaving us ARE unique, and displayed that uniqueness in their careers. Like many that have passed before, they are special in the craft they chose to pursue, and we shall never, I repeat, NEVER see their likes again.
Given the current crop of "talent" these days, I doubt if people will be able to say or feel likewise. The people passing away these days have broken new ground. They have conquered the mountain, and have made an indelible mark on our society, if not the world by being WHO THEY WERE. And they affected our lives on many levels.
Sounds a bit like a cherished member of our OWN family, doesn't it?
I will say that one of the worst things about growing older, is seeing many of the special people in your life take their leave of you way too soon. There is never enough time to say ALL that you wanted to say.
And the grief one can feel at such losses can be overwhelming, causing some people to simply "shut down", or even refuse to acknowledge it. I know...Ive been down that street too many times for my own good.
I've lost too many loved ones over the years. Doesn't matter whether they were dear friends, parents, relatives, co-workers, acquaintances, or even beloved pets. It all becomes similar after a time.
Every loss will diminish us...that's a certainty, but we decide to deal with that "can" make us stronger.
We can never have them back, but we CAN remember them as long as WE are alive, and make our lives something they could admire and be proud of. We can be a testament to THEIR life, as we knew it.
I'd like to think that THIS life is but a "proving ground" for eternity, and although that sounds a bit on the sappy side, it works for me. Everyone has to find their particular manner in working through such times of grief, and that's just another way of showing how UNIQUE each of us is.
So, we turn another page in our life, and bid farewell to some fellow sojourners, as they close the book on their lives here.
Like I said...sounds sappy, but each of us needs an anchor to root us to the here and now.
It will be interesting to see who will be the NEXT three celebs to move on.
One thing's for sure...the missus will not soon forget THIS birthday!
To all of you out there in "blogosphereland"...Have a good weekend.
And, as always...
Stay safe out here, America.