"Every man's death diminishes me." - John Donne
The Brazleton Tag has been much maligned as of late, and sometimes rightfully so. However, I'd have to believe that if each one of us sat down and thought about it, we could come up with a list of persons of some notoriety of whom we would truly mourn their passing - for one major reason or another.
So I would challenge us all to provide a list of ten individuals whose untimely demise (or, in some cases, sooner to happen than we'd care to think) would have a profound effect on our lives.
A few ground rules, though: The person in question has to be, of course, still living. And none of the persons on the list can be younger than yourself. And, as the ultimate cherry on top, the personae in question (with one exception) have to be in the "Old Enough To Be Your Parents" category (they have to be at least one generation older than you - 15-20 years or so).
With that all said, here's my list:
1. Paul McCartney - I think, of all the people on this list, Sir Paul would be the one whom I would open weep upon hearing of his passing. His music probably affected me more than any other living musician, and the idea that I may never actually hear the man play live and in person hurts me.
2. Ringo Starr - This one wouldn't be as bad as with Sir Paul, but it would hurt - especially since it's pretty likely he'd be the last one of the Fab Four to pass on.
3. Jerry Lewis - Growing up, I actually enjoyed watching the Labor Day Telethon, and saw Jerry as a funny, talented, if somewhat annoying person. He has grown a bit jaded as he has grown old, but his passing would be the end of an era.
4. Bill Cosby - The man from whom I learned comedy. And yes, I watched Fat Albert regularly on Saturday mornings. I still have "Why Is There Air?" on my iPod.
5. Frank Oz - I am the first generation of Sesame Street children. If you need to ask anything more, you are not paying attention.
6. Hank Aaron - Being from the Milwaukee area and being a Brewers fan, I grew up hearing of the exploits of this man. My first vague memory of pro sports is of him hitting his 715th home run. All the crap and racist BS that he had to put up with should never, ever have to be dealt with by anyone on this earth ever again.
7. Bart Starr - He was the first real "superstar" athlete whom I ever met. I admire his class and handling of the ups and downs of life - from winning the Super Bowl to losing his son to suicide, to running a ranch for "difficult" boys to being a mostly useless head coach. Through it all, he was Bart Starr. A Southern Gentleman with Midwest Sensibility.
8. William Shatner - For all the crap everyone. Ever. Gives. HIM. About his acting skills, his portrayal of James Tiberius Kirk was a major part of this Trekkie's life. That he takes his position in life with aplomb and without taking himself too seriously makes him admirable.
9. Leonard Nimoy - Sadly, Spock is not doing so well. He has had lung issues from his smoking habit (which I understand he quit a decade ago), and may not be long for this world. But for many of the same reasons why I would miss Shatner, Nimoy has added that he was a brilliant talent, both when it came to acting or directing.
10. Julian Lennon - the youngster on the list, and yet he's older than me (by about three and a half years). Much of what he has gone through in his life I think I could understand - save that he lost his father and I lost my mother within about a month's time. The passing of "Jude" would be a major blow to me - because how soon thereafter could I expect Brazleton to be calling me?
