I was on the Maryland campus for National History Day in the sixth grade when that happened.

that was an amazing moment.
ironicly, if it was in a movie i would have called it cheesy.

Our church band just played "Awesome God" yesterday.

Yeah. I was at a show and one of the band members announced it as if it were a joke. I was pretty sad.

Jim Henson = definitely very sad, he was one of my childhood heros.


I recently saw an interview with Noam Chomsky and realized how he's getting on in the years... whoa, I don't even want to think about a world without Chomsky in it.

joey ramone

Curiously, Cobain's death didn't move me much. Maybe cause that last year seemed like it was only a matter of time.

I remember hearing Brian Jones was dead and thinking rock was dead. I remember hearing that Hendrix (insert Joplin, Morrison) was dead and thinking rock was dead.
I remember the exact moment when I heard John Lennon was murdered, and something truly was changed inside forever.

I remember when Jerry died (I, although having seen the Dead a gazillion times always thought they sucked and laughed at the car-wreck that was Garcia) was terribly moved. The hippie dream was indeed over.

I can't imagine Neil Young, Keith (more than Mick), or John Wooden's death.

But kids, I am old enough that the light at the end of the tunnel is getting bright... in contradiction to Dylan's recent "it ain't dark yet, but it's gettin' there..."

I want to go out with Bob.

And thanks for the lovely, uplifting Goth moment on a day off... fuck,

other ones that bugged me a bit at the time:

Jimmy Stewart
Raymond Burr
Elvis Presley (I was at Bible camp; the dean broke down and cried in the chapel. literally)
Michael Hutchence
George Peppard (frickin' Hannibal wasn't supposed to DIE, man)
John Lennon (thought he was a dick, but he didn't deserve to be killed by a damaged dork)
John Wayne (only because it bothered my dad a lot)

also, William S. Burroughs.

He was walking death for decades, but he was supposed to be immortal walking death.

Yeah, now that HST is gone, its fucking Keith and Bobby.

And...like how the fuck is a dude like Greg Allman still alive?

elliott smith bothered me more than it should have.

And it STILL sucks that Henson died from something so ridiculous.

cher turned him into a vampire.
he's been dead for years.

ive seen the house that they lived in down in Macon. I guess it did have a certain haunted house quality.

I'll second all the thoughts regarding Jim Henson and Phil Hartman.

Joe Strummer - My boss at the time - also a devoted Clash obsessive - called me at 7 a.m. on a day I was supposed to go in late. Usually he called when I was tardy and he was wondering what I was up to that day, so I was kind miffed to see him on the caller ID at such a ridiculous hour.
Me: "God John, waddaya want?"
Him: "Have you heard? Joe Strummer died."

That shut me up. Say what you want about him growing up priviledged and putting on a front later in life, the guy made wonderful music, championed other great lesser-known music and seemed like an all-around good dude. And the stars looked like they were aligning for a reunion performance at that year's RNR Hall of Fame induction — a ceremony I had saved several thousand dollars to obtain a ticket to.

This will sound corny but... Owen Hart. I grew up watching him wrestle in Stampede Wrestling. I watched him and Bret and Chris Benoit every Saturday from about 1982-1988. I felt like I knew him and his family. When he died, it was a totally senseless death that could have been prevented with a little common sense. Every time I watch him in the ring, I tear up a bit. Considering I just bought the Bret Hart DVD, I've been doing that a lot lately.

John Peel is another one. I get a bit misty every time I pick up and play a Peel session, knowing that John isn't out there finding great new bands for us to listen to.

i never cared when a celebrity died until eddie guererro died this year
surpisingly i cried a few times

Warren Zevon is about the only one, and it probably is because of all the shit he lived, and he then succumbs to mesothelioma—not the misattributed lung cancer from cigarette smoking.

"Keep Me In Your Heart" fucking kills me.

Also, when on "Knocking On Heaven's Door" when he starts with the "Open up! Open up! Open up!" is good shit.

Elliott Smith -- it still hurts!

I was bummed when I heard about Chris Acland (Lush) but I guess besides Elliott, I was really upset when Mary Hansen (Stereolab) was killed because it was sudden and seemed unreal.

Zevon actually got me a few months beforehand when Imus played "Carmelita" and talked about how he was dying. I went out and bought that Genius comp. that very day. Shit, BillyG...I never sent you that. I'll fix that bro. Sorry.

"Dirty Life and Times" still ellicits a lump in the throat.

jeff buckley
phil hartman
joey, johnny and dee dee ramone all dying within 4 years
wilson pickett
bill hicks

Sh*t, how did I forget Jeff Buckley! Wow, that was really hard and another senseless thing.

Robert Moog

Watching the Grammies, and they do the "these people croaked this year" list, and I saw Gatemouth Brown. I had no idea.

I saw that guy in athens in about 1997 or so. He was tiny, old as hell, could barely stand for more than 3 songs in a row (and in the meantime would sit on a tall stool). I walked into the place from the side of the stage, and when I got alongside, I stopped and looked over. The guy looked like the mummy of Chuck Berry. I can't stress that enough. Anywho, I walk up alongside and he's ripping the fuck out of some blues standard, but he *looks like an ancient, tiny black man who shouldn't be able to stand up*, and it's just unbelievable. And he's just tearing up an old Gibson Firebird with a leather pickguard. Just tearin' it up.

My jaw dropped. And right then, he looked over and saw me, standing there, clearly. He couldn't have missed me. And he started laughing. Just looking at me, still ripping up that guitar without missing a beat, and just laughing, like "yeah, you didn't see that shit coming, didja?"


No, sir, I did not. God rest ye.

for me, jeff buckley for some reason.

Not to be grim, nor to echo Klosterman from "Killing yourself to live" -- since I'd had the thought pass my mind years ago, age seventeen maybe -- but Bias's example will lead me never to try cocaine.

As to celeb. deaths that hit me, I don't know... Maybe Rabin, in '95?