Keen observers will note I haven't been as omnipresent as usual here over the last several days. Besides a new baby and Christmas, I have been working on year-end stories for MSNBC. This one is a whopper - profiles on almost 30 entertainers who died in 2003:
- Some of the names are massive — Bob Hope, Katharine Hepburn, Gregory Peck, Johnny Cash, Mr. Rogers — others less so, but we lost many a great performer in 2003.
The keen observer will note that year by year the list of deceased celebrities grows larger — if this keeps up, we won't have any performers left alive to amuse and edify our children and grandchildren, but the hereafter will be one ripping entertainment fiesta!
On a less flippant note, the age of mass entertainment — which began with sound recording in the late 19th century and shot into hyper-drive with the advent of film, radio and television in the 20th — is now more than 100 years old, and with more engines of celebrity-creation came, logically enough, more celebrities. Over time these "extra" celebrities have been aging and expiring, as we are all actuarially prone to do, so there really are more dead celebrities these days.
We come not to bury but to praise those performers of screen, stage and song for whom the year 2003 was their last. We recognize them in the order in which they exited for the last time.
Maurice Gibb
The death of Maurice Gibb, 53, was particularly difficult to take: he collapsed with a congenital intestinal condition of which he was previously unaware at his Miami home, had surgery and showed signs of recovery before dying three days later of complications on January 12.
One-third of the Bee Gees ("Brothers Gibb") from Manchester, England, and Brisbane, Australia, with his twin Robin and older brother Barry, Maurice played bass and keyboards and harmonized behind their unique, quavering leads on great, lush Beatlesque pop-rock songs of their own creation in the late-'60s including "Massachusetts," "To Love Somebody," "Holiday," "I've Gotta Get a Message to You," "I Started a Joke" and "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart."
Article comments
1 - duane
Some real greats there, Gregory Peck, in particular. Good call, Eric, with Bronson and "Hard Times." My favorite Bronson movie by far.
2 - Eric Olsen
Thanks Duane, you are wise beyond your years.
3 - Anita Campbell
Nice article, Etic!
Let's also remind our readers that Nina Simone's music was a sub-motif in 2 riveting movies (the French La Femme Nikita and its American remake with Bidget Fonda, Point of No Return). Those movies in turn spawned a TV series, La Femme Nikita which was pretty good in its first season.
Since the movies and the series centered on a strong and unconventional female character, they must have fit Nina Simone very well.
4 - Eric Olsen
Thanks Anita, very good points.
5 - BB
I especially like the title. BTW, who's "Etic"?
6 - Eric Olsen
one of my many pseudonyms
7 - BB
Kinda like BB?
8 - Natalie Davis
Great sum-up and tribute to some terrific performers who will be missed, Eric. Wow, this has been quite a year of losses.
9 - Dawn
I think the biggest blow is still Warren Zevon, not so much that he is such an amazing guy, but more the poignancy of how stoic and full of grace his departure was.
It still makes me want to cry. Nice job Eric.
10 - Eric Olsen
very similar to BB
thanks Nat, your Gregory Hines was great
thanks Dawn - Warren was the most touching
11 - Craig Lyndall
I agree with Dawn about Zevon. The whole story surrounding that is just about as gut-wrenching as anything I have heard. The lasting memory for me will be Zevon's son bitching about doctors and how dare they put a time limit on someone's life. Powerful and appropriate based on what I have read about Zevon.
12 - visualsimplicity
Canto-pop also lost 2 huge stars this year, Leslie Cheung and Anita Mui, not that anyone here really knows who they are probably...
13 - Natalie Davis
Surely people are familiar with two of China's biggest, most beloved stars (or at least saw Farewell, My Concubine. This is the first I've heard of Anita Mui's death, though I knew she had cancer. Good lord, what a year.
What a talent Leslie Cheung was, both as singer and actor, and what a tragedy to have him die by his own hand. Depression is a horrible thing. His death hit Mui hard, I recall. Wow.
And now she's gone too... I hope the two are duetting again in the great beyond.
14 - visualsimplicity
I'm impressed Natalie, very cultured you are. Leslie Cheung was my first idol as a child, so I remember him fondly and was greatly saddened when I heard about his sudden death. Anita Mui's death was only a day or two ago, also very sad. Her sister died from cancer about 2-3 years ago also. I suppose it ran in the family.
Indeed, it is tragic to lose them both in 1 year. "I hope the two are duetting again in the great beyond." Couldn't have said it better.
Of course I'm not discounting any of the American passings. Mr. Rogers was a complete surprise and really hit home for me. One of my friends grew up watching Mr. Rogers and learned English from watching his show. Let's just hope next year will be less of a loss.
15 - Cheryl
Eric,
Thank you for your kind comments about Maurice Gibb. To me, his loss was one of the hardest to take. It was so unexpected and he was such a talented, lovely man. Many of the other tribute shows or articles barely mention him. He and his brothers were the sounds of so many of our lives. I'm 45 and I grew up with the Bee Gees music, before, during and after disco. The world lost a legend when Maurice left us. I just hope he and Andy have joined that "rock and roll heaven" band. Thanks again Eric....
16 - Eric Olsen
Thanks very much for your kind words Cheryl - the combination of circumstances and artistic contributions made his death stand out more than most. The Grammy ceremony with his family made it very clear that this is a man who will be sorely missed by those who knew him best. I was very touched.
We will miss them all but those taken "early" are always harder to understand and accept.