All summer long, my childhood has been dying.
First it was saying goodbye to to Ed...
No more joking that he was going to show up on my doorstep with a check, or discover me on Star Search... At least Johnny has his intro-man back...
Then it was saying goodbye to Farrah...
The Charlie's Angel I had the doll for, the one I totally wanted to be, with her head of huge winged hair. The one who first introduced me to the plight of abused women and burning beds and turning the tables on a psychopath inside her own home. And she fought her illness like a warrior, but none the less, a warrior that was eventually defeated.
And then, of course, there was Michael...
Who's never-ending-death-coverage almost made us crazy enough to forget the Thriller album in the basement played so many times it was damn-near see through by the time you moved onto another album. Or the incredible breakthrough of We Are The World and it's British predecessor Live Aid and all that life was in the early 80's...
Then there was Walter...
Who'd been off the air for a while, but was still the icon of American news that I remember watching on the evening news in my youth at my grandparent's house.
Then, to throw a "What? Are you serious?!?" into the mix, John Hughes...
Who made us all want detention and taught us the right way to play hooky, and how to deal with foreign exchange students and geeks who want to borrow our underwear and all the angst that occurs when you lust after someone who's out of our socio-economic class or your name is Ducky or you look like Kelly LeBrock...
Then Teddy...
Who we grew up with... our last link to Camelot even if we all knew he wouldn't be president because of what our parents whispered about Chappaquiddick but still turned into the elder statesman and an incredibly effective member of congress... "The Lion of the Senate" roars no more...
And now, this week, it was Patrick...
Who made us young girls all wish we were Baby taking dance lessons and sitting in a corner (even with that nose OMG) and later on, made us want to punch Willie Lopez and take up pottery just to figure out the why of his untimely death and watch him descend to heaven... and now he has. For real. And I'm pretty sure he isn't haunting Whoopi Goldberg this time.
Thank you for my many, many memories, I'll miss you all.
Goodbye childhood and all the people you're taking with you...
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5 comments:
This certainly has been a year for loss. Wow, so many in one year.
I know, I feel the same way. It's been a sad year for celebrities that were a huge part of my youth. Wait...does that mean I'm OLD?!
A nice tribute, Aria. I am saddened by all the losses, too. And everyday in our local paper, there are many, many people much younger than I am passing away. I think as you age, you start looking at the "last half" of your life and noticing death a lot more. You are a lot younger than I am, but I am at the last half of my life and believe me, it only goes faster and faster.
and did you hear? Mary Travers (of Peter, Paul and Mary) died today, too. I LOVE her. i was most affected by her death because I grew up raving over her group's music. so sad.
btw, great tribute :)
and i missed being here!!
That's an interesting perspective, that these passings represent our childhoods. I realized the other day, while thumbing through a People Magazine, that the only stars I recognized in there were all forty or over.
and... I just subscribed to More magazine.
End of story.
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