Uncle. Grandfather. Father.
I write a thousand words where three would suffice. He is dead. When it comes to thinking about my father who died when I was a boy it is a subject that I return to again and again. He is my life's greatest mystery, and as he is dead I can explore him only in the manuscript of my mind.
In other words, sometimes a death can impact as greatly as a life and sometimes when you didn't really know the person you can spend your own days trying to make a connection. That's what usually happens with celebrities. Exceptions such as admiring qualities from authors, singers other than physical beauty, can be made. I'm under the impression it's better when you you're aware of that.
John Spencer, the actor who played Bartlet's chief of staff in the West Wing died Friday of a heart attack. He was still very much a part of the storyline - as a vp candidate. I was just incredibly sad on hearing the news; beyond proportion for a man I'd never met. One I didn't really know. Screw that, didn't know at all. His was a life interrupted. At 58 he was still young and looked younger.
Richard Pryor passed away; he meant a lot more to people older than I - who lived the years I'm living now - when he was at his most alive and when he had an impact on his times.
Many famous people died this year; many more less fanous people died this year and many more of those had a more local impact on the small or smaller neighborhoods around them.
Let us hope you had closer connection to the friends and family members of yours who died.
Perhaps you can take a deep breath and share of those you knew and those who were close only to you. Perhaps, like the family of a 5-year-old cancer victim I knew briefly, death is a welcome occasion; they knew he would die but they believed he was in a much happier place. If I recall correctly, he died on Christmas Day.
Perhaps the death happened 39, 49, 15 years ago and you can't stop yourself asking "What if?"
Others who died in 2005 include more than a 1,000 soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, 200,000 regular people in the Indian Ocean tsunami, 1,800 as a result of Hurricane Katrina.
Also:
AAA ::: world's oldest woman Hendrikje van Andel-Schipper, age 115 years, 2 months and 1 day, gay rights activist Wanda Alston, matriarch Carmen Allen, 89, Alfred Anderson, 109; last survivor to witness spontaneous "Christmas Truce" of 1914, journalist Jack Anderson, actor Don Adams, crash test dummy inventor Samuel W. Alderson.
Article comments
1 - Matthew T. Sussman
V: John Vernon (Dean Wormer in Animal House) who was put through double secret cremation.
2 - Aaman
A close friend, closer than any friend should be, disoovered her baby is on borrowed time. Another work colleague lost his wife on delivery, and all the thousands in all the wars and disasters - a true annus horribilis, and yet we hope tomorrow is another day
3 - Temple Stark
Aaman, thanks, and I'm sorry. Those three I listed are the only family deaths - or friends' deaths - I have experienced. Ever. I am very lucky.
Suss - yes, I should have added - I'm 100 percent sure I missed people so please do add names and context. Thank you for the reminder.
4 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
"EEE ::: radio pioneer Bob Edwards."
Temple, are you sure you didn't mean Ralph Edwards?
"Ralph Edwards, 92. Broadcasting pioneer who spotlighted stars and ordinary people as host of the popular show 'This Is Your Life.' Nov. 16."
Looked up your citation to Fox News because I remember the gravelly voice of Bob Edwards so well from NPR before when he hosted "Mornng Edition" there.
Other than that, this was a very well written piece.
5 - Temple Stark
Uh - yep. Thanks. Bob is off his programs but still very much alive. I'll fix that later today ...
6 - Christopher Rose
not Dean Wormer too, aaaaaaaw man!
7 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
Nobody should go unmourned Aaman, or unthought of. That you've mentioned these people - a baby and a woman giving birth - is a kindness done that will be repaid...
May you not hear bad news in the future.
Blessings from Jerusalem
8 - Temple Stark
I started to attempt to go to blogs and link to deaths mentioned at various blogs. But it was far too time consuming. Hence the appeal here for others to share a little.
9 - uao
Re #8 Temple:
The teaser to your comment on the comment list at the footer said I started to attempt to go to blogs and link to deaths...
I thought this article was going to be about bloggers who died last year, with links to their blogs. That'd be an interesting piece; there have been some notable ones...
But this is a great piece, too.
I'm still broken up about Don Adams...
10 - Temple Stark
i an't tihn of any bloggers who died but one - and I can't remember his name.
Oh two, the one who left a post saying he was just going to check on noise downstairs, and one other, who's name I can't remember.
Are you working on that post uao?
My list is fairly boring without input from others. Ah well ....
11 - Temple Stark
Er, that area that looks like typo hell? That's just the Scottish in me coming out.
Yeah, that's the ticket. ......
12 - Natalie Davis
THANK YOU for recalling Wanda Alston and Jack Nichols. Both meant the world to me and to many who believed in their work for equality and justice for all. And Jack was my friend and mentor; I miss him so much.
13 - Natalie Davis
Oh, here is one: You can add Charles Socarides, the psychiatrist and anti-gay activist who died Dec. 28. Can't say I miss him, though I have prayed for him a lot over the years, but despite his vile and disgusting life's work (and his treatment of his gay son Richard), every death is a diminishment.
14 - Matthew T. Sussman
For a more irreverent take on notable deaths this year, stiffs.com seems like a one-stop shop for snarky obits.
15 - Natalie Davis
More 2005 deaths: actor Brock Peters, Musician R. L. Burnside, musician Jon Clarke (Loggins and Messina and other bands), musician Jimmy Smith, musician Michael Botts (Dan Fogelberg Band and others), author M. Scott Peck, actor Lane Smith, film director Robert Wise, former NOW chief Molly Yard, actor Eddie Albert, architect Philip Johnson, activist Andrea Dworkin, novelist Guillermo Cabrera Infante, actor Sheree North, musician Hasil Adkins, novelist Trevanian (AKA Rodney William Whitaker), actor Geraldine Fitzgerald, televangelist Rev. Gene Scott, activist C. Delores Tucker (I guess you'd call her a "race pioneer," but that phrase is all kinds of stupid and offensive if a speed contest isn't involved), actor Ruth Warrick, actor Virginia Mayo, musician Derek Bailey, novelist Evan Hunter, vocalist Bobby Short, author Larry Collins, actor/cookbook author Vincent Schiavelli, actor
Ruth Hussey, journalist Jack Anderson, actor
Matthew McGrory the VERY tall guy in Big Fish), actor Teresa Wright, actor June Haver, musician Martin Denny, Togo dictator Gnassingbe Eyadema, former Chinese premier Zhao Ziyang, actor
Mason Adams, actor Nicole DeHuff, Muppet Show head writer Jerry Juhl, capitalist (tough man who sold tender chicken) Frank Perdue, bowling champion Dick Weber, politician William Proxmire, militarist and Perot running mate James Stockdale, journalist Shana Alexander, actor Lamont Bentley, author Andre Norton, The Doors' manager/biographer Danny Sugerman, politician Howell Heflin, JFK sister Rosemary Kennedy, mafioso Vincent Gigante, actor Michael Vale (time to make the doughnuts), novelist Mary Lee Settle, architect (designed Hiroshima's Peace Memorial Park) Kenzo Tange, erstwhile McDonald's CEO Charlie Bell, physicist/anti-nuke activist Joseph Rotblat, Bollywood actor Parveen Babi, poet and publisher Robert Creeley, TIME's former publisher
Henry Luce III, actor Howard Morris, photographer
Patrick Lichfield, actor Simone Simon, musician and former Tonight Show bandleader Skitch Henderson, actor Barney Martin, painter Zdzislaw Beksinski, chorale leader Harry Simeone, socialite Nan Kempner, US football coach/hall of famer Hank Stram, actor Debralee Scott, politician Jim Exon, cartoonist Dale Messick...
(with help from nndb.com)
Trust me, there are more.
16 - Matthew T. Sussman
Nope. That's everyone. Nobody else died on the planet.
17 - Temple Stark
I had a lot of those Natalie already listed. I couldn't quickly think of a phrase that meant the same thing as "race pioneer" and I agree with your assessment of that phrase.
18 - Natalie Davis
Did I overlap? I can only find two cases of overlap. Apologies for those - I was attempting not to do that. Exhaustion and a stomach bug are a bad mix with this sort of activity.
That said, I'll add one more: former ABC sports announcer Chris Schenkel. I had the privilege of working with him once 20 years ago, and what a gentleman. Pure class.
Oh, and one correction: Artie Shaw died on 12/30/2004.
19 - gypsyman
Hey Temple, just in response to your comment over at my post about the death of my father, no I had not read this in advance of that. Just one of those year end or year beginning coicedences I guess.
gypsyman