when i was little, i always knew my mother's "sound" when someone died. someone famous...not someone we actually knew. for some reason, the one that most clearly stands out was when Red Skelton died. i'm fairly sure i remember her shedding a tear and moaning, "awwww...red skelton died." and then she or my daddy would launch into a story about said dead person. if they were a big deal, the stories could get lengthy. if it was a little-known-dead-person, there wouldn't be a story. just a qualifier. like, "oh, so-and-so died. they starred in this show i watched when i was seven."
i remember thinking: i will know i am old when i know the folks that die.
so...when we were in cancun, john hughes died. i will always remember that death as the one where i thought, "awww...john hughes died. insert qualifier." i felt old. i learned how to be a teenager at the hand of molly ringwald...who was at the at hand of john hughes.
and michael jackson (i think that happened first, but for some reason, john hughes's death touched me more. maybe the lack of drama.)
and ted kennedy.
i found out about jack-o's death on facebook.
and tonight, i found out that patrick swayze died on facebook, too.
weird to think that my kids will not be hanging out around the tv when they announce someone dies. they'll probably update me on the deaths of the icons that shaped my child-and-early-adulthood.
i'm finally at the age when i grieve over icons. and i'm living in the age when the nightly news is not where....wicky, wicky, wicky...you hear it...first.
i'll get used to it. i'm sure it's just where we are. but i've gotta tell you...after someone really cool like patrick swayze dies and you hear it on facebook...you're a little scared to log on. just a little.
hearteningly, i found out about teddy kennedy's death on the today show. i am so thankful for matt and meredith...meredith, in this case. they break death to you like a good friend would...with respect for your family and the families of all involved. no 140-character posts to hide behind. in fact, matt and meredith don't hesitate to spend a couple of hours breaking the news.
....pause....
i'm watching kanye west on leno. i'm uncomfortable. maybe live is not a good idea. maybe artists should be edited.
i am sad for kanye. i don't think he's completely crazy. only a little.
good job, jay...it takes a seasoned interviewer to save that.
...and...action....
matt and meredith, after their two hours of breaking the news, they get to hand the torch to ann curry who does at least two dateline specials on the departed.
i think i prefer the nbc way of breaking the news. it helps you move through. when facebook breaks it, you kind of move on. i miss my emotions.
3 comments:
Now that you mention it, I did cringe when I saw the "tribute" status updates about Patrick Swayze.
"OMG! RIP Patrick Swayze."
Personally, I think we lost the grace, eloquence, and respect that are due in situations like these when we poo-poohed the art of the hand written letter.
I think I'll go work on my penmanship.
totally agree. the other day, someone asked me to think about a letter someone wrote me. i had to think WAY back. to the 5th grade. when i had stationary and a stamp pile and would write my best friend in mississippi.
darn you, e-mail. you are so speedy and so heartless.
when I shuffled into the house Thursday at 5:30, the news of
Mary's(Peter, Paul, & mary). death. She's the one singer whose songs I know every word...from Puff the Magic Dragon to Michael Row Your boat Ashore. i just sat down in my chair and let the tears roll...It was too much to take after Patrick's death.
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