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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?

My tops never got threads, so screw it! Screw it with a bitter lime!

For me, personally, in no particular order:

1) Vince McMahon
2) Hulk Hogan - Both of these men were responsible for a large portion of my childhood and younger years.
3) Stan Lee - Despite my feelings on how he screwed over Jack Kirby, I'd still miss him.
4) Morgan Freeman - Which, sadly, I know is coming sooner than later.
5) Mick Foley
6) Bret Hart - Both he and Foley formed a lot of my love for wrestling as I got older.
7) Neil Gaiman
8) Dan Jurgens - I doubt either of these guys are dying any time soon, but I'd greatly miss them.
9) Bryan Adams - The only musical performer I've ever seen live. Also the only musical performer I had any interest in seeing live.
10) Alan Moore - Nuff said.

Can't think of anyone other than my family and friends who I would honestly mourn.
That is not to say I wouldn't be sad to hear of the passing of some people who have already been listed. I have fond memories of watching Bill Cosby on TV and his death will affect me, but not to the extent where I would say I'm in mourning.

First off, I would like to say that for those on the board who are nearing (or getting further away!) from the 60yr mark, the "must be 15-20yrs older than you" restriction is pretty stiff, eliminating people like Neil deGrasse Tyson or Gary Oldman from contention, for instance. I mean, if there was someone on the board who, say, was in his 80's or something, it would pretty much eliminate everyone of any consequence. That said...

-Elvis Presley
-Tupac Shakur
-Anastasia
-Andy Kaufman
...
Oh, wait...y'all aren't supposed to...
...anyway, here's my 10 (in no particular order, not heavily researched, and not counting family members and such):

1. Frank Welker - The guy probably does more voices than Mel Blanc and Jim Cummings combined. Additional animal voices? Frank. Freddy? Frank. Smurfs? Dolphins? Monkeys? Frank, Frank, Frank. I have tremendous respect for the guy and his ability to "go silly" without a moment's hesitation.
2. Robin Williams (*died Aug 11, 2014) - Since George Carlin and others are already beyond the veil (and Cosby has already been mentioned), Robin Williams will have to stand in as my comedic choice. Dude's seen some serious shit, but he's managed to come through the fire and flames scarred but undiminished. I would love to have even half his mental resilience.
3. "Weird" Al Yankovic - (This will be my "except for one" exception). Probably one of the smartest parody artists out there, and quite likely one of the smartest people period out there, too. Al's brain (and therefore his humor) operates on an entirely different level from the usual slapstick or deprecation. Some people spin yarns, Al weaves Afghan rugs.
4. Alan Parsons - "From the Alan Parsons Project?" I hear you ask. Sure, from there...but also as an audio engineer from Dark Side of the Moon, Abbey Road, and lots of other influential albums. He is an accomplished musician and knows what sounds good, in my opinion.
5. Warren Buffett - This man demonstrates behavior I would like to emulate. Wealthy, but not avaricious. He narrowly edges out Bill Gates for this position. When he dies, the markets will go nuts.

Ugh. Taking too long. The other 5 will have to come later.

--Patrick

I can only think of two right now. Maybe ill post more later if I think of them.

Weird Al- if I go through life without ever going to a Weird Al concert, I will have missed out on something important to me. I have had so many near misses, but assuming he announces a tour soon, I am finding a way to go to a show, cost and travel be damned.

Jim Kelly - particularly tough right now given his current fight with cancer, but even though I never got to watch him play, but there isn't a better ambassador for Buffalo or the Bills. Apparently he was something of a jerk when he played, but I know many people that have met him and all of them say he's incredibly nice.

jwhouk said:

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).

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That's not fair, Dave doesn't get to make a list with these rules!

From what I understand, Dave's 'rents are still alive.

I am with Wasabi on this one. I don't really "mourn" a celebrity death, but I would be seriously bummed at the loss of any more Python alum.

Like others said above, I generally don't get mournful over celebrity deaths. Maybe and little bummed and a lot disappointed. I think the only time I shed a tear/s over one was when George Harrison passed. (Dammit, George, with the smoking...). Otherwise tears are usually for friends and family.

But now that I think about it, there is one I'll probably be heart broken about: Bruce Springsteen. My parents are huge fans from the days of seeing him playing in bars, I grew up a huge fan, I've seen him more in concert than anyone else, the "Jersey Pride" thing. But I've also gotten to meet him recently. I knew he lived in the next town over, but I recently discovered, he's also a a member at my gym! He's been there a number of times when I've been there, and I have bumped into him and spoken with him. (No, not stalking. It wasn't planned.)
Ever really like a celeb/athlete/whatever and gotten disappointed when you find out they're a jerk? Bruce is nothing like that. He is such a friendly, laid-back, unassuming guy. You wouldn't even realize it's him unless you look carefully. He'll chat with anybody, and he was super-nice to Li'l Z when we ran into him when we were leaving one day. He's nice and polite to everybody there. He doesn't get mad when people are pulling out their cell phones, but he has politely declined to pose with people. (I think he just doesn't want to get in the habit of stopping his workout to take photos.) From what I've heard from employees, because he also sometimes uses the other local locations in the chain, he never makes a fuss or calls ahead or acts like a celeb at all. He'll just show up, do his workout and leave like he's any other member. I hate to think of ever losing The Boss, though I know it's a possibility sooner rather than later.

As folks said before me, mourning would be too strong a word. I am sad there's no more Groucho, Jim Henson and Freddie Mercury; those are the tree I mention regularly. I'll also be sad when there's no more John Williams, though his works will still be here.
I don't think too much about who might pass or stay longer, but Sirs Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewrat sure will be a bummer when they leave the stage forever.
And then there's almost legendary figures like Christopher Lee and of course Betty White and Abe Vigoda.

In no particular order

1. Harrison Ford
2. Roger Daltrey
3. Neil Gaiman
4. Terry Pratchett
5. Stephen Fry
6. George Lucas (yes, I will still be sad when he goes)
7. Mark Hamill
8. Carrie Fisher
9. Terry Gilliam
10. John Cleese

Honorable mentions (AKA me cheating to get more names):
The rest of the surviving Pythons, Eric Idle, Michael Palin, Terry Jones
Old school Star Trek alums, Shatner, Nemoy, Takei, etc.
Patrick Stewart
Bruce Campbell
Bill Murray
Jon Stewart
Stephen Colbert

...ok, I think I should quit now

I dismiss your rules about age, because I'm only a couple younger than Dave.

Brian Henson (Henson's Creature Shop and all that goes with that)
John Lasseter (Pixar/Disney)
Terry Pratchett (unfortunately close, he just canceled his appearance at the Discworld convention in England because the Alzheimer's is catching up with him)
Peter David (author)
Geddy Lee
Alex Lifeson
Neil Peart
Willie Nelson
Chip Davis (Mannheim Steamroller founder and composer)

jwhouk said:

​

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.

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I wonder if this has changed since last year.[DOUBLEPOST=1440949552,1440949356][/DOUBLEPOST]As for me, this list has only one name on it. See if you can guess who that is.

Bowielee said:

As for me, this list has only one name on it. See if you can guess who that is.

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David Crosby.

None of the persons can be younger than myself? Old enough to be my Parents? One generation older? Still alive?
Now let me think...

PatrThom said:

if there was someone on the board who, say, was in his 80's or something, it would pretty much eliminate everyone of any consequence.

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Grytpipe-Thynne said:

None of the persons can be younger than myself? Old enough to be my Parents? One generation older? Still alive?
Now let me think...

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See, @jwhouk? I told you!

(I actually had considered linking SirG-T directly in that first post, but figured this was more subtle)
--Patrick

Eichiro Oda
Frank Welker
Rob Paulsen
Stan Lee
Kevin Eastman + Peter Laird
Shigeru Miyamoto
Jim Cummings
Tara Strong
Scott Kurtz(shut up)
David Willis

In no particular order.

Stan Lee's death is going to hurt. I met him once in the late 90s. He's a really nice man or at least he was at the time.

WasabiPoptart said:

Stan Lee's death is going to hurt. I met him once in the late 90s. He's a really nice man or at least he was at the time.

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Well you're going to get your second chance. He's in his early 90's right now.

--Patrick

Bowielee said:

I wonder if this has changed since last year.

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Mmmmmmaybe.

Yoshimickster said:

Eichiro Oda
Frank Welker
Rob Paulsen
Stan Lee
Kevin Eastman + Peter Laird
Shigeru Miyamoto
Jim Cummings
Tara Strong
Scott Kurtz(shut up)
David Willis

In no particular order.

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OMG I am going to be in tears when Miyamoto goes.

PatrThom said:

The other 5 will have to come later.

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More than two years later. Figured I'd better hurry and get them in before 2016 sneaks one in on me in its last moments.
EDIT: Welp, so long, William Christopher.

Anyway, here's the remaining 5. Again, in no particular order, not counting family members, etc (and I can't get the list to start at #6):

1. Paul Williams - This ended up being an almost accidental choice. I knew Paul was an actor (Appearing in Babylon 5, Planet of the Apes, and more), but I had no idea just how much he's actually done. Beyond his almost 100 acting credits, he has composed more than a dozen soundtracks, written music for SNL, The Muppet Show, Glee, MST3K, and collaborated with acts like The Carpenters, John Denver, and even Daft Punk. Yet in spite of this, he still has a relatively low-key image. Everyone knows him, and everyone knows how good he is, but he's still the kind of guy who wouldn't look out of place at a table in a McDonald's, or waiting in line to renew his driver's license.
2. Steve Martin - Genius. Actual, literal genius. Musically talented, at times wild & crazy, projecting confidence and commitment beyond all reason, Steve can be successfully funny on a level that appeals to intellectuals as much as it does the average Joe (The Man with Two Brains, Roxanne). His brilliance will be long remembered and his name spoken with as much reverence as that of Jack Benny, Steve Allen, or Red Skelton. Here he is in action (I think this was also once posted to the videos thread)
3. Dick Van Dyke - Before Tom Hanks, it was probably Dick Van Dyke that held the title of Nicest-guy Actor. He had his own demons, primarily of his own making, but you'd be hard-pressed to find a more genuine person in acting. From Mary Poppins to Diagnosis Murder and even as a startlingly effective villain in Airwolf, he's had quite a history, and now that Cesar Romero and Vincent Price have both passed on, Dick may be the last remaining truly gentlemanly gentleman in Hollywood. When he finally goes, most of America and all of Hollywood will mourn.
4. Bill Watterson - Much like Paul Williams, above, Bill gets added to the list for being wildly successful while somehow managing to remain a relatively ordinary person, and did so via giving up a thing he did for security's sake to go and pour himself into a thing he loved--a feat I admit I would love to emulate. That endeavor was, of course, the "Calvin and Hobbes" comic strip, ostensibly a strip about a boy and his tiger but WE knew it was actually about us. We all saw plenty of ourselves in that oft-misguided little kid, and anyone who says otherwise is lying to themselves. I also think he may be a troll on the order of Tom Lehrer, for which he gets even more admiration from me.
5. Her - She remains unnamed, because using her name would be saying more than I really want to out loud and in public, but I couldn't not mention her. Her position at #10 in this list is no accident, and for more than 30 years she's been THE epitome of the sort of lengths a person can go to when dedicating one's self to the pursuit of a goal, regardless what other people might think of that goal. Many people look upon her with the same expression they might use when watching someone drink fermented fish oil blended with raw eggs*, but she did not do what she did for these people, she did it for herself and for the others who cheered her on. I admit I even wrote her a letter, once (in 1985. Pre-Internet and all, y'know), but I did not receive a response. Ah, well.

And then, an honorable mention:

• @Dave - Thanks, Dave. Presumably through primarily your actions, a community was formed, a place where people come together to care about other people they've never met (and maybe pick a fight or two). When people who see me reading/posting ask me what this forum is about, I usually reply, "What isn't it about?" I usually describe it as a sort of virtual bar, a sort of cyber Callahan's Saloon, and though I've talked the place up to many people, including my wife and Cranky, I haven't been able to convince anyone to join. They (and my coworkers) still live on in my anecdotes, though.

--Patrick
*a combination which should actually be really good for you, assuming no salmonella.

Aw thanks, man. I do like the Callahan's Crosstime Saloon reference. I like it a lot.

Dave said:

Aw thanks, man. I do like the Callahan's Crosstime Saloon reference. I like it a lot.

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It's funny because it's true.

--Patrick

I'll start my list...need time to think the rest of it out.

1. Stan Lee: I am the person I am today in part due to the characters he created.
2. Peter Cullen: He's the voice of Optimus Prime and Transformers is basically my favorite thing ever. Cullen is the living embodiment of that.
3. Frank Welker: See about, but substitute Megatron for Optimus Prime.
4. Kurt Vonnegut: Yes, I know it's too late for that, but that one hit me HARD.
5. Regis Philbin: I've watched him a lot over the years. By all accounts, he's a very nice, genuine man, and very entertaining.

Zappit said:

5. Regis Philbin: I've watched him a lot over the years. By all accounts, he's a very nice, genuine man, and very entertaining.

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I thought he already died. Guess I was confusing him with Casey Kasem.

--Patrick

Bowielee said:

I wonder if this has changed since last year.[DOUBLEPOST=1440949552,1440949356][/DOUBLEPOST]As for me, this list has only one name on it. See if you can guess who that is.

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Aw... I has a sad now, This one actually happened in 2016