What celebrity death affected you the most?

[yurbud]

I just read that Abe Vigoda STILL isn't dead.

I was surprised how much it bummed my out when George Harrison died.

It wasn't anything about him except realizing he was the guy who wrote "Something" and "My Sweet Lord."

Which celeb death pushed your buttons?

[KitchenWitch]

1. John Lennon

[raccoon]

93. Me too. It took me years to get over being angry that he was dead. nt

[sendero]

152. Same here....

... it was just so senseless. Only the good die young - it really seems true sometimes.

[benny05]

180. That's my first vote

Others:

John Belushi
Jack Lemmon
Stevie Ray Vaughn
Jimi Hendrix
George Harrison
Chris Farley
Linda McCartney
Ray Charles

[qnr]

2. Carl Sagan, for one. Peter Jennings for another. n/t

Edit: added Peter.

[Robeson]

48. Bingo on Carl Sagan. That was like a gun shot, and a loss to....

...reason and science in this country. When was the last time an admitted atheist and scientist could go on TV, and still be loved or respected by most in America?....

[Mutley]

70. Same here...

I watched reruns of Cosmos (I'm too young to have seen them when they first came out), and read his books for as long as I can remember.

[proud2BlibKansan]

3. Bing Crosby died about the same time as Elvis

and Elvis got all the attention. I found that sad at the time.

[WI_DEM]

131. Elvis died in August and Bing in October 1977

I remember quite a bit when Bing died, but probably not as intense as Elvis.

[WI_DEM]

132. Natalie Wood--totally unexpected

so young (only in her early 40's) and still so beautiful.

[leftstreet]

4. Hunter S Thompson

And no, I don't know why. Just felt like we lost the last insane sane person on earth.

[ghostsofgiants]

5. Hunter S. for me, too

In hindsight, I'd have to say Joe Strummer as well, but I wasn't all that familiar with him when he died.

[leftstreet]

7. Same here. It wasn't until after he died.

[Sugar Smack]

127. It was Hunter Thompson for me as well.

I lost it. I was crying at work, which I never do. He was my hero. I've started several threads since about the good Doctor. He was a gentleman to the end, no matter what his behavior. You can tell from his writing where he lay; in the middle of insanity, brilliance, and sensitivity. Shit, I'd better stop this or I'll cry again.

[question everything]

181. Hi Sugar Smack.

Was great meeting you. Hope the trip home was uneventful.

[Sugar Smack]

200. Question everything, it was an honor to meet you.

I want to see you again some day soon.

:hug:

[SlavesandBulldozers]

172. HST totally.

I had just read "Kingdom of Fear" on my first visit to NY, and had been reading his Hey Rube column on ESPN.com for some time. It was really a painful thing to get that news in the morning.

[jus_the_facts]

186. May he rest in peace....

....bought the collectors edition of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas yesterday....lot's of extras with him bein' interviewed....sigh. :cry:

[koneko]

6. John Ritter

I have always been a huge fan of his. His comedic timing and affable nature struck a chord with me.

That, and he bore a striking resemblance to my older brother.

[gardenista]

27. Yeah, me too. Plush he just seemed like a nice guy.

I loved him in "Slingblade"

[kick-ass-bob]

96. He died of the same thing that my father barely survived.

And only a few months after it happened to him (my father)

[YellowRubberDuckie]

112. I sobbed when he died...

He was like a goofy uncle that I got to see occasionally.
Duckie

[pbartch]

182. great cartoon

[Left Is Write]

125. That tore me up.

[lizziegrace]

8. George Harrison

and (don't throw anything at me!) John Denver.

Denver's music was such a part of my HS years that it really hit me hard.

[last_texas_dem]

175. George for me, too

In fact, his death is the only celebrity death that has really bummed me out quite a bit. Even though the Beatles broke up more than a decade before I was born, his music (solo and with the Beatles) was a major part of my childhood.

[maveric]

9. Phil Hartman

For some reason his death hit me hard. He was so funny and talented and then he was just taken away from us.

[nashbridges]

21. He really hit me too

And I don't know why. Chris Farley was like an "expected" celebrity death.

Phil Hartman was just tragic. I think it was because of the children.

[yurbud]

28. Phil Hartman's death was like a bad skit--he told his mentally unbalanced

wife he was leaving her, then instead of leaving the house, goes to bed.

That's way too trusting.

[Broken_Hero]

47. I thought it was tragic

also, no one saw it coming...guys like Farley and Candy, you could see their deaths coming...but Hartman...took me by surprise big time.

[Awsi Dooger]

29. Hartman for me also

I remember where I was when finding out. I flew to Miami to vist my parents in late May and the news was on the AOL splash screen when I logged on. I was stunned. He was incredibly talented.

Also, JFK Jr. I think he had a chance to be an elected politician if he wanted that direction, If not, a great voice on our behalf for decades.

[Arugula Latte]

187. Me too. I think about him often. And John Lennon. And Paul Wellstone.

:(

[Ladyhawk]

10. Michael Landon, only because he filmed in this county all the time

and I'd seen him in person.

[hfojvt]

11. Roger Zelazny

sad to note that he was not a celebrity. I found out unknown months later when reading a book catalogue that said "the late Roger Zelazny". It's kind of a shock when they are fairly young and you did not even know they were sick and they did not die in an accident. Same thing with Karen Carpenter, and that is also probably why Elvis got so much more press than Bing.

[hickman1937]

18. I remember him. I know that I read a couple of his books in high school.

Damn. I just goggled him, and thanks. I'll revisit him.

[qnr]

20. I felt the same way about Gordon R. Dickson n/t

[Book Lover]

126. I thought I was the only one here

who knew who Zelazny was :-) His "Doorways in the Sand" is still one of my favorite books to reread.

[hfojvt]

135. How soon I am forgotten

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=105&topic_id=2655255#2656752

I thought we had something special.
:cry:

Maybe we could have "another" first date. ;-)

[Book Lover]

136. Dude!

Yes, my mind is a sieve, I admit it. I am full of shame. Or something :-)

[hickman1937]

12. Maybe Dwayne Almond, but probably more JFK.

I need to think about this awhile.

[Ladyhawk]

13. Also, I miss DeForrest Kelley. He seemed like a nice old "curmudgeon." :)

I grew up on Star Trek. When Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner and DeForrest Kelley were making the convention rounds together, I decided to nerd out and go. It was a very entertaining event. "Bones" struck me as very old at the time and it should have entered my head that he probably didn't have much time left. I know you can't judge people based on "on-stage" performances, but he seemed very touched by fan support. :shrug:

[In_The_Wind]

14. Marilyn Monroe & Hunter Thompson

[Robb]

15. Kurt Cobain.

I was amazed how much it affected me. I can even remember where I was when I heard. :(

[Kire]

39. ditto

Gus Van Sant's Last Days is a religious experience

[Broken_Hero]

45. I was at a

wrestling tournament in Juneau Alaska, when i heard Cobain was dead.

[Kire]

57. I was watching TV in my dorm room.

I broke the news to all my friends at the cafeteria.

[cedahlia]

158. me too

I remember my mother calling me at my grandparents' house, when I had just gotten there after school. She knew how much Kurt and his music meant to me, and she broke the news like she was telling me about friend.

I remember I immediately called my best friend, and when we got off the phone, I was crying. My grandma came in the room and wanted to know what was wrong. But I couldn't even explain it to her, because I knew she would think it was silly. But my mom definitely understood.

[Broken_Hero]

16. Cliff Burton...

bass player for Metallica...:( Christopher Reeves...truly, a man of steel...:(

[SixStrings]

118. And metallica has sucked ever since.

He was a huge part of their original sound. "And justice..." was OK, 'black album' was OK, but everything since is utter garbage. They're just a sad caricature now...

Dude can't sing to save his life.

[Oeditpus Rex]

17. My gut reaction is Lennon

but I never thought of him as a "celebrity." More of a god.

So I gotta go with Lucille Ball.

[hfojvt]

40. I might have said Lennon too

but when I heard about his death I had no idea who he was.
18 years old and I had barely heard of the Beatles, much less knew their names.

[tjdee]

19. Hasn't happened, but I'm not looking forward to it.

Celebs are like the pals I have that never call me on the phone or do anything with me. :silly:

John Ritter I'd say, if pressed... but I am far more connected to others that are thankfully still alive..

Note to Bono: Live forever. Thank you.

[Nevernose]

22. Freddy Mercury -- I was homophobic until I discovered he was dying of AIDS

I led a sheltered life in the South. I had only the vaguest intellectual notion of what gay people were -- I only knew I wasn't supposed to like them. I was so sheltered, in fact, that I thought the lead singer in a band named QUEEN was straight -- he had big muscles, right? He must surely be a heterosexual? And how do you account for all the hot women and stylishly dressed men in the videos? "Queers" and "faggots" were something to be feared and reviled. I didn't know any better, if that makes it any better.

Finding out Freddy Mercury was gay, and had AIDS, and hearing that he'd died a few weeks later -- it was, to paraphrase Harry Truman, like getting kicked by a mule, and made me really rethink my attitude toward those "different" than me. I hope his music changed the way people thought about the world, but, at least in my case, I KNOW his death did.

[I Have A Dream]

197. This is a really heartfelt & honest post, Nevernose.

I'm glad that something good came out of this really sad situation.

[Flaxbee]

23. Ray Charles, George Harrison

Johnny Cash, too. And John Lennon. All musicians.
Ray's death was overshadowed by Boob Reagan's death.
My husband was very upset when we heard that Douglas Adams had died.

[Kathryn STone]

24. Kurt Cobain nt

[mohinoaklawnillinois]

25. John Lennon

It's been almost 25 years and I still can't fathom why anyone would want to murder John Lennon.

[China_cat]

26. Isaac Asimov

[RevCheesehead]

30. Robert Preston.

I don't know why, but when I heard he died, I cried like a baby.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

32. The Music Man...

I love that movie!

[RevCheesehead]

33. and his performance in "Victor, Victoria"....

funniest shit ever!

[GoddessOfGuinness]

35. That was another great movie

all around. I laughed til I cried!

[Broken_Hero]

46. can't forget

The Last Starfighter either...:)

[GoddessOfGuinness]

141. Yes!

Preston really made his roles twinkle... :D

[0007]

134. I saw the play with Stan Freeberg.

Never forget his thingy, "Ya Got Trouble" "Just cuz its modern times, its 1912 doesn't give your kid the right to walk around using a pool stick as a crutch" We got trouble here in River City that start with "T" that rhymes with "P" that stands with pool." Great play.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

142. Meredith Wilson

wrote the music. I don't think I know of any other musicals he did...
I guess it was a one-hit-wonder!

[hfojvt]

36. I loved him as Centauri

in The Last Starfighter!

[kwassa]

121. My favorite Preston quote in a movie, from S.O.B., 1981

Polly (Loretta Swit), standing at the studio door:
"You're gonna let that SHYSTER on?"

Robert Preston playing the studio doctor:
"I could sue you for calling me that, Polly! A shyster is a disreputable lawyer. I'm a QUACK!"

[astonamous]

31. Red Skelton and Johnny Carson.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

34. Kumari

The baby elephant... :cry:

[Syncronaut Seven]

37. Douglas Adams

one towel wasn't enough.

[CatBoreal]

94. I think I cried for a week..

I still have the Get Fuzzy cartoon that appeared after he died on my desk cabinet. I see it every day, and I always spare a quick thought for Douglas.

[realisticphish]

107. i'll agree with you there

a fantastic writer that far too few people have read

[Dukkha]

38. Jim Henson

My childhood died when he left us :cry:

[YellowRubberDuckie]

115. Did you hear about his funeral? It was beautiful.

After doing the eulogy, Kermit the Frog started singing It's Not Easy Being Green. Then the guys who did the other muppets start singing along with their muppets and Big Bird starts down the aisle singing too, it was beautiful. Everyone loved that guy.
Duckie

[carpetbagger]

169. Henson.

The guy was a giant, doing more good in our nation than all the Sunday School classes put together. If you're ever in Greenville MS, where US 82 and 61 meet along the Mississippi River, go to the Leland Chamber of Commerce Museum, which has a terrific exhibit on hometown boy Jim Henson.

http://www.lelandms.org/kermit.html

Henson's death didn't hit me as hard as Harry Chapin's death, but I knew Mr. Chapin.

[khashka]

191. Henson's death hit me hard

But I didn't include him in my list because I knew him. His kids and I went to the same school and knew each other and that meant I got to to hang out in the muppet factory - which is just about the coolest thing in the world when you're a kid.

I heard about his death at work and started sobbing uncontrollably.

He was a good man and he is very much missed.

Khash.

[carpetbagger]

198. I was at Henson's alma mater (U Maryland) at the time.

I heard people cry three times in my dorm in college. One was a family death, one involved squirrel-hunting from the windows, and the third was Jim Henson's death. Everyone (and we were mostly the children of Sesame Street, born around 1966-1973) was hammered by it.

The coolest thing when I was a kid was when we all got lined up to see Joe Namath, who was attending a barbecue down the street. The wierd thing is that we never really thought of Harry Chapin as some kind of star. Brian Trottier's kid went to my school as well, and we knew he was famous, but not Mr. Chapin.

(PS I moved to Florida before the Stanley Cup came to our street. I'm still green with envy).

[JuneInJax]

41. Gilda Radner

I'd just finished reading her autobiography about her struggles with ovarian cancer. At the end of the book, she seemed to be winning the race. Then my then-husband comes in and tells me she died. I had the same precursor symptoms she had. Between her death and a few other factors, I decided to head off the high likelihood at the pass. And I never looked back.
Moni

[lady raven]

42. Michael Hutchence

[tuvor]

43. None that I can remember.

I've been bummed--Link Wray a couple of weeks ago, maybe Kurt Cobain a bit--but I don't think I've ever been actually affected by the death of a celebrity.

It's too abstract. The celebrity is not the body of work that creates interest in the celebrity in the first place.

(Yeah, Phil Hartman's death was a really sad one, too.)

[Broken_Hero]

50. I use to be that way, until

Christopher Reeve died...his death, was sad/tragic what have you. It effected me the most, I actually felt sad/morose. I grew up as a huge fan of superman, and to me, he "was" superman, and to see someone of his stature be so humbled/crippled like he was, but to keep his chin high and keep smiling(at least in public) is a sign of strength, to me. I also stated in this thread that Cliff Burton had an impact also, but not as much as Christopher Reeves....

[serryjw]

51. Christopher Reeve & JFK Jr

They lived with so much grace. ....the good do die young.

[SoCalDem]

44. Natalie Wood.

She was blossoming into such a fantastic person, and she and RJ were happy..great kids..great life....

[Seabiscuit]

54. She was the first Hollywood actress I had a crush on (4th grade).

[AntiCoup2K4]

49. John Lennon & Joe Strummer.....

....because they were political "heroes" as well as musical for me.

Kurt Cobain's death affected me even more so, but I still find it hard to think of him as a "celebrity".

[Seabiscuit]

52. dupe deleted

[Seabiscuit]

53. JFK, MLK, RFK, John Lennon, JFK, Jr., Paul Wellstone

JFK, MLK, RFK - all traumatized me.

Lennon's death made me cry.

JFK, Jr. and Paul Wellstone's deaths made me angry - I'm still convinced they were murdered.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

116. Me too...

Also, I still get so angry when I think of the lives they struck down when they were killed. JFK saved the world HOW MANY TIMES, and they freaking killed him? What gratitude. Would they have been more content being vaporized by a nuclear bomb? BASTARDS!!
Duckie

[DanCa]

55. Christopher Reeve - as a disabled person he's my hero

As a disabled person you couldn't find any better role model than christopher reeve. Seriously the man would not give up. And after readding his books I was impressed. Funny as a kid he taught me a man can fly - as an adult with parkinson's he taught me that a man will walk with stem cell research. Chris Reeve will always be my superman and the S will stand for stem cell.

[Enraged_Ape]

77. Me too, and I'm not disabled

I was a huge fan of the original Superman movie and enjoyed Reeve in his many other performances. I was shocked and depressed for a long time after his accident. I just couldn't understand why it should happen to a cool guy like him.

But in the years following his accident, he absolutely impressed the hell out of me. From his and his family's tireless activism for stem-cell research and SCI issues, to his brutally honest candor about his condition (about how he had seriously contemplated suicide, about how he pathologically watched "Superman" over and over and over again after his injury), to his many books of wit and wisdom--he became a true living hero to me. I wept at his passing and was sad for several weeks after, but now that he's gone, I don't have to constantly feel sad about his struggles with his disability. I can smile and remember him the way he was in his prime--both pre- and post-injury.

I know that his dream of finding a cure for spinal-cord injuries and other neurological disorders in the relatively near future will come true, because he had such amazing faith and well-focused energy on this subject. If he touched me in such profound ways, I know he touched a lot of others who have the power, money, etc. to make his dreams come true.

Chris Reeve was and will always be the one true Superman. I have a fantasy about the afterlife: that when we die our souls get to go to a place that our karma in this life has prepared us for, a place where the laws of physics may be different than ours and where literally anything can happen. When Chris Reeve died, I pictured that somewhere else far off in this vast multiverse, a crying baby in a crystalloid spaceship crash-landed in a cornfield...

[DanCa]

78. The last sentance was so cool

That week was very very hard for me. I feel in a three month depression after his death and when the election was stolen.
I couldn't eat sleep and I could barely move.
I just wanted to say that I really liked your last paragraph. Kudos.

[Broken_Hero]

106. excellent post...

and your last sentence, was fantastic...i'm sure it happened out there...somewheres...:)

[ForrestGump]

56. Elvis. John, too. And a few others hit me extra hard.

Too many of the greats are gone.

[DanCa]

58. What was the rock and roll plane crash that happened?

I know we lost alot of stars but I wasn't sure of whom. Were the big bopper and richie vallance among them?

[Maddy McCall]

60. Lynard Skynard?

;-)

[ForrestGump]

62. Yeah, Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens

Air travel also did in the heart and soul of Lynyrd Skynyrd (darn...did I spell that right?), Otis Redding, John Denver, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. :-(

[DanCa]

66. That was the tradgedy that inspired rock n roll heaven wasn't it.

Jim Croche is on the list as well right?

[ForrestGump]

68. Yep, Jim Croce died in a 'plane crash, too (in 1973)

The 1959 crash that took Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens inspired "American Pie" (the day the music died). I don't know about "Rock 'n' Roll Heaven," because by the time the Righteous Brothers recorded that there were plenty of others to add inspiration, such as Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Jim Morrison.

[Bridget Burke]

113. Plus Miss Patsy Cline...

Before my day, of course.

[Maddy McCall]

59. Elvis. I was but a 12-yr-old babe. And Dean Martin, who was so f'n fine.

Both remain entertainment icons.

[DanCa]

61. Johnny Horton was killed in a car wreck by a drunk driver

One of the few country singers i liked. Is frankie avalon and fabian still living?

[Maddy McCall]

64. I think they are both still alive. Both are too white-bread for my taste.

Better to burn out,
Than to fade away.

:)

[DanCa]

65. Or rust but give me credit i know who they were :D

It's amazing that peter noon is still alive. "mrs brown you had a lovely daughter."

[Maddy McCall]

67. You get credit. :D

Would you like a Twinkie as a reward? :P

[DanCa]

72. Sure and a strange fact about a twinkie

Did you know that if you get a can of redding whip you can expand that twinkie to twice it's size before it explodes? The things we learn after a bong hit :D

[DanCa]

63. dupe self delete

[Rising Phoenix]

69. Kurt Cobain

[ET Awful]

71. Jerry Garcia

I was never a hardcore touring deadhead, but I was a big fan, for a long time. It was a pretty big shock to have someone who was a regular part of my life (insofar as entertainment goes) just pass suddenly, especially when I already had tickets to see them again just a month or so after his death.

RIP Jerry.

[Lochloosa]

83. I agree ET. It was a sucker punch the day I heard he had died.

Going to Atlanta every year in April was my vacation for 10 years. I felt that I had lost my favorite Uncle.

[fight4my3sons]

124. Me too. - just saw him 2 weeks before he died.

RIP Jerry.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

73. All F1 drivers KIA while I was following the series, plus...

Picasso
Elvis
Chaplin
Dali
Garrincha

Edit: Grace Kelly. How could I forget THAT one?

[caty]

74. Natalie Wood....

She died alone-- in the dark, cold water-- and before her time. I found her death very upsetting. I always loved her movies.

[calico1]

122. And she also died in the way she feared most..

She was afraid of the water. That has always bothered me.

[evlbstrd]

75. Frank Zappa.

Music is the best.

[sendero]

153. So sad....

... and a perfect example of why you have to question your doctor and if you don't like his answers, get a second opinion.

[johnnie]

76. A few

Elvis - I became a fan at the age of 5 and he was the reason I wanted to be a musician. I was 12 when he died and it was very sad for me.

John Lennon - He was such an influence on my songwriting and my political views. I was in complete shock when he was gunned down. I still get bummed out during December when they play Happy Christmas (War is over).

George Harrison - Another Beatle and another influence musically and spiritually. He also died with such dignity.

Johnny Cash - Johnny was one of the few people I consistently listened to from the time I was a child up until his death. He was larger than life but seemed so down to earth to me.

[noonwitch]

79. John Lennon-so sudden and tragic

And ironic.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

80. Princess Diana

Princess Grace, Jackie Kennedy, Chris Farley, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Captain Kangaroo, Mr. Greenjeans


and the biggest one

JIM HENSON

[AngryAmish]

81. William Jennings Bryan

You should have been there in the Coliseum when he gave the Cross of Gold speech. He should have won that election.

[WCGreen]

82. Micheal Landon....

HE was battling Cancer about the same time my mom was... She looked to him for inspiration...

When he passed on, she seemed to give up....

[prozacnation]

189. wow I could have written the same reply

My mom was diagnosed around the same time with the same type of cancer as M.L. We tried to hide his death from her but someone ended up telling her. She lost her fight very soon after... M.L.'s death was very hard for me because I knew it wouldn't be long until I had to say goodbye to my mom.

[WCGreen]

190. That is wierd how that happens now isn't....

Mom was never a big fan....

[bigwillq]

84. 2PAC

I was obsessed with him. His death was a hard hit for me. :(

[CBHagman]

85. Definitely Paul Wellstone.

I should mention that I'd met him once and that some of my relatives volunteered for him.



God rest his soul, and that of his wife, daughter, and the staff and crew who died with them.

[mattomjoe]

86. Jim Henson and Kurt Cobain

And closer to home in Minnesota, we've had tragic deaths of Wellstone, Korey Stringer (Vikings), Herb Brooks ('80 Olympic Hockey), and Malik Sealy (Wolves).

[freestyle]

87. Phyllis Hyman. The tears were just flowing.

She was an amazing singer and a stunning woman. I was really hurt when I heard about her suicide. I just could not believe it, especially since she was finally getting some richly deserved wide recognition. She never really recovered from the untimely death of her closest friend.

[Lannes]

88. John Lennon

I grew up not far from where he died.Remember going to his memorial service in central park.

Would get emotional whenever I heard "watching the wheels".It seem to fit in with his passing.

[calico1]

89. Natalie Wood.

She had been my favorite actress for years. She and RJ had gotten back together and seemed so happy. I had just seen her in an inteview shortly before it happened. I was shocked to hear the news.

[Rabrrrrrr]

90. Zappa hit pretty hard. Bill Hicks. Phil Hartman was really sad

especially given the circumstances. I really liked him, and murder was the last thing he deserved.

Though for Bill Hicks, I never knew of him when he was alive. Had I been aware of him, his death would have really hit me because now, even though I only know him after death, his death really saddens me.

[TheMightyFavog]

91. Jom Henson.

I was a kid then and absolutley loved the muppets.

[Rob H.]

92. River Phoenix

He reminded me in a lot of ways of my late brother. Both of them died far too young, and with much yet left to do. :(

[robbedvoter]

177. Me too.

[ThatsMyBarack]

95. Samantha Smith

The 10-year-old girl who wrote to the Soviet PM in 1983. This was especially significant in an era in which most of us feared we would all perish in a nuclear war so we'd never grow up. She then became a goodwill ambassador or something like that.

In 1985, she got a part on the short-lived TV show Lime Street. On the way home from London, after filming an episode there, she and her dad died in a plane crash.

[DS1]

97. Today I can't honestly say I give a shit about any of them, or miss them

People die, tough luck

[Daylin Byak]

98. John Ritter

He affected me the most cause he did such a good job on threes company, the problem child movies and my teenage daughter and the movie bad santa.

It was a sad day in america when him and johnny cash died.

[MsAnthropy]

99. Stevie Ray Vaughn, Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix

[bertha katzenengel]

100. Lucille Ball.

:cry:

[terrya]

101. None

Celebrities are...celebrities to me. Nothing more. They're not family or friends. I'm not going to be affected by someone I see on television or films.

[BigMcLargehuge]

104. I'm with you there

like mourning The Pilsbury Dough Boy or Mr. Clean...

[NoPasaran]

109. OMFG! Mr Clean is dead?!?!?

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooo!!!

[YellowRubberDuckie]

119. There is nothing wrong with mourning the loss of someone...

who touched you with their music or made you laugh when you feel like shit passes away or is murdered. We feel close to those who bring us joy. It's human.
Duckie

[dannofoot]

102. Bob Marley...

...When I heard on the radio that he had passed, I had to pull off onto the shoulder of the 134 freeway in Pasadena to cry...

[edbermac]

103. Stanley Kubrick

Was watching Full Metal Jacket DVD last night; Stan was the Man!

[momophile]

105. Dave Blood of the Dead Milkmen...

For those of you who don't know, he committed suicide in March of 2004. Very sad.

[CatBoreal]

144. OMG! I didn't know...

...listened to the Dead Milkmen as part of my misspent youth.

That's so bloody sad!

[Initech]

108. Frank Zappa

I've been listening to his music almost my whole life... man he was way ahead of his time.

[LadyAziz]

110. .

Aaliyah, JFK jr., Princess Diana and John Garang.

[Metta]

111. Ernie Kovacs although John Lennon for sure.

Lenny Bruce, too. They made me what I am today. Here's to their spirits and to those like them. Go well and be well.

[khashka]

114. Colleen Dewhurst, Frank Zappa, Kurt Cobain

Ms. Dewhurst because she was a stunningly wonderful actress and gave me many moments of pleasure. And was outspoken and open-hearted.

Zappa - fiercely talented, he could be wierd and strange one moment then devastatingly intelligent the next. A real loss when he died.

Kurt Cobain - talented beyond belief and his death was so unnecessary.

Khash.

[CatBoreal]

145. Colleen Dewhurst will always be...

Marilla Cuthbert to me.

She was a wonderful lady and an outstanding actress.

She and Richard Farnsworth made such a wonderful team on the Anne of Green Gables movies. It was sad to hear that he crossed over by his own hand as well.

[Blue_Roses]

117. John Ritter and JFK jr.

:cry:

[Burma Jones]

120. John Lennon

followed closely by Jerry Garcia

[LostinVA]

123. Karen Carpenter -- I was a freshman in college

VERY upsetting. Especially since it was so needless...

[Jamastiene]

128. Joey Ramone and Kurt Cobain

Joey more than Kurt because Joey was such an influential and helpful member of the punk community and politically he was left leaning. I really looked up to him and his views about things. Kurt's death didn't surprise me. I like Kurt Cobain a lot, but I could tell from both his lyrics and his self destructive activities that he wouldn't live long. I actually predicted it about 2 months before it happened and people told me I was nuts. I wish I had been wrong.

[philosophie_en_rose]

129. Princess Diana

Not because I was a huge fan, but because her death was so senseless and unexpected. I was just starting out in high school and her death over the summer was startling.

[histohoney]

130. Greggory Peck

The ultimate father in "To KILL A MOCKINGBIRD"

[SOteric]

133. Richard Avedon

[mwdem]

137. JFK.,Sr., JFK, Jr., John Lennon, George Harrison, Princess Di.

and quite a few more.

[jen4clark]

138. Jerry

I was at work and someone in the office told me and I lost it. First time someone's death hit me that hard. Was never a Deadhead but saw Garcia Band every chance I got. Even now listening to him I tear up.

The memorial in Golden Gate Park was awesome.

[nytemare]

139. Ronald Reagan.

:hide:

Actually, from his death, hopefully Nancy Reagan can eventually get something done for stem cell research.

And I think his son should run for office, he is nice and liberal. I have a feeling he may be gay, though, so that might mess up his chances if he were to run. Shame that who one sleeps with would make a difference.

[Daylin Byak]

149. Wait A minute...

Last time I checked Regan's son Michael isn't liberal he's conservative. he has his own show on XM right and spoke at the RNC convention.

[qnr]

154. Talking about Ron

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Reagan

[nytemare]

165. I like the guy.

Well spoken, bright, and even handed. Too bad he never wants to run. His idealogy is more democratic, but his Reagan name could get the center-right votes, as well.

But, he is probably right. Being an atheist probably would not bode well for a candidate.

[Daylin Byak]

166. Oh yeah the american public would have a problem with that

Espically the religious fanatics we have in this country.

[nytemare]

184. Really, they are a minority

But, a well financed one.

I have no doubt they would have a big cow, though.

:)

[nytemare]

164. Maybe the right wing has gone so far right that he seems liberal.

Any time I have seen him speak, he doesn't seem much of a fan of Bush or really right wing idealogy.

Of course, I haven't listened to his radio show, but on MSNBC, he doesn't seem very conservative. Maybe he is a liberal in sheeps clothing, the clothing being the name Reagan.

Wasn't the RNC deal over stem cell research? I thought he went on there rather begrudgingly?

I could be wrong.

[Ramsey]

140. Kevin Smith

Kevin Smith was a Kiwi actor who played Ares on Xena.

A friend of mine who was a real fanatic talked me into going to a Xena fan convention. Now, I have never ever been to something cheesy like that in my life, but I'll use any excuse to got to New York for the weekend.

Kevin Smith was there and gave a little talk about the show, answered innumerable ridiculous questions from the audience and then signed autographs for hours. He was so kind and resepctful and humble towards all of us total geeks and freaks.

That night the actors at the convention put together a little band and did a few cover songs. Kevin sang a few rock songs like a pro!

Kevin was really good looking, very buff and sexy, and really funny, but he was just a regular down-to-earth, guy-next-door in person. I chatted with him a bit at a small charity breakfast. He talked about his wife, who was his high school sweetheart, and his 3 kids. He was just the nicest guy!

Keving died in a stunt accident while filming a movie in China called The Warriors of Virtue. He fell from a 3 story building. He had been cast to act in his first major US movie after that. He was only 38.

[BelleCarolinaPeridot]

201. I remember him .

I had no idea about his passing .

[graywarrior]

143. Lennon & Cobain.

But I'm still not over Lennon.

[NNadir]

146. Hans Bethe. He was only 99. He had so much to live for.

[Giant Robot]

147. Warren Zevon

Because...well listen to his music and his words. Wow. And he died of the same type of cancer my dad did.

Freddie Mercury. He was a wonderful performer and I was always so proud and humbled by the fact that he was dying and still making music. A performer to the end.

Jim Henson. I can't hear "It's Not Easy Being Green" without crying some.

[ChoralScholar]

148. John Ritter

something about him was so genuine and sincere.

Even when I watch Clifford on PBS with my son, I get a little sad hearing his voice.

[adriennui]

150. jacqueline kennedy

for her grace, beauty, and the 2 fine children she raised.

[Err]

151. WWE Wrestler Eddie Guerrero.

:(

[Giant Robot]

160. Agreed there too

If seeing a 7 foot tall man bawl like a baby doesn't break your heart...

[cedahlia]

155. Kurt, definitely

My close friends and I, we sort of went through it twice. He almost died of an overdose two months before his suicide. I remember my one friend being particularly distraught over that first incident. And then, two months later, it really was over.

He just meant so much to us music-obsessed teenage girls. I remember such a sense of loss. It was like our whole world had been torn apart. I was glued to MTV for days, with the VCR going. I think I may even still have the tapes somewhere, too. I hope I do, anyway.

[UncleSepp]

156. Lida Baarova.

When I found out Lida Baarova had died, it just blew me away. My first reaction was "Oh my God, how come nobody told me?"

Like who, exactly!

[Flying Dream Blues]

157. I think James Stewart, Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn were the saddest.

[Lilith Velkor]

159. Johnny Cash

[swag]

161. Andy Warhol, I suppose.

[BrotherBuzz]

162. Gilda Radner

just selecting a picture choked me up....I feel Gene Wilder's pain

[Tikki]

163. I think about Joey, nearly every day....I keep expecting to...

hear him in an interview, talking about the music today and talking about something that's going on.

....and I miss D. Boon for who he was and what would have been; his words and music and all.



Tikki

[Lydia Leftcoast]

167. Janis Joplin, Paul Wellstone

I was a rather conventional college junior at a rather conservative Lutheran college, and Janis Joplin was one of my favorite singers, as much for her gutsy personality as anything.

I was so sad when she O.D'd, and I was surprised to find that many of my equally conventional friends felt the same way.

Even though I lived in Oregon during all of Paul Wellstone's time in the Senate, his fame had spread to the West Coast, and I know of several people who cried when they heard of the plane crash.

The suspicions about the cause of the crash, and the disastrous election of 2002 following so shortly after were added blows. I came home from the local Dem election night party (where at least we'd had some good news in Oregon--a narrow win of the governorship and a couple of notorious Repiggies unseated, although the Senate candidate I worked for was defeated) and just sobbed.

[last_texas_dem]

179. Wellstone was tough for me, too

Much of it had to do with how I found out about his death. I was on a field trip with my Geology class, walking down the street in San Antonio, when I read about Wellstone's death from the headline in the display copy of the newspaper in the machine. It was very surreal to find out about it that way, being around a bunch of dumb, happy college kids who didn't even know who Wellstone was. I had recently finished his autobiography and had become an even bigger fan of him, and his death was so out of nowhere. His death and George Harrison's are the two celebrity deaths that affected me the most.

[Feron]

168. Sam Kinison

For me at least, he is the comedian that made me laugh the hardest and is irreplacable. "The Story of Jim Bakker" will forever be my absolute favorite comedic bit. :D

R.I.P. Sam

[SlavesandBulldozers]

173. i actually remember where I was when I heard that Kinison died.

and I was maybe 13 at the time.

Kinison was one of the greats.

[Aristus]

170. Don't laugh, but John Chancellor.

He's the guy who made me a news hound. I grew up watching his nightly broadcast. I loved and trusted him.

They don't make 'em like John Chancellor anymore. :(

[hyphenate]

171. Natalie Wood

eom

[ailsagirl]

174. Diana and Audrey Hepburn. Beautiful people, sadly missed.

Also:

James Dean
Sandy Dennis
JFK
Jackie
John Jr.
Princess Grace
RFK
Buddy Holly
John Lennon
George Harrison

Many more...

[Ron Mexico]

176. Lonesome Dave Peverett

Bands just don't get much better than Foghat was, and I can hear Lonesome Dave screaming "Slow Ride!" into a microphone every day.

[Zuni]

204. dude, this post ROCKS

:thumbsup:

[SillyGoose]

178. JFK, Jr. - I cried for days.

:cry:

[pokerfan]

183. Vigoda isn't really THAT old

85 is certainly getting up there but it's not exactly George Burns territory. It's more that he looks the same as he did thirty years ago on Barney Miller or the Godfather.

My pick might be Johnny Carson

Letterman and Leno are ok but not the same. I kept hoping that he would make an appearance after he retired. But he never did.

Runners up:
Lennon (my favorite Beatle)
Gilda (my favorite SNLer)

[RedCloud]

185. has to be Jim Morrison...

Seems like he was just starting to supernova...

[HuskerDU]

188. Walter Payton and Harry Caray.

My dad made me a hardcore sports fan when I was very young. Then he died when I was 10. Walter and Harry were literally like fathers to me.

[BobEPeru]

192. Hunter S

Another one for HST.
I teared up when Wesley Willis died.

[mermaid]

193. Found You!! Welcome To DU!!

Hey, a welcome to DU for you....from you know who!

Now ask me how I found you....

Toldya...when you have been here for years, navigating this site becomes easy. I know, it isn't at first, but, later, it is. Helps if ya get a donor star, too...you get access to more tools. Even a measly five bucks gets you a donor star.

Anyways, welcome to DU!!

Now that I'm here, I will have to say that there have been a number of celebrities whose deaths affected me, some only became celebrities because of their deaths, too.

Here's a partial list...

Brandon Teena
Tyra Hunter
Lauryn Paige
Matt Shepherd
PFC Barry Winchell
Christa McAuliffe
The Columbia Seven (Space Shuttle Columbia explosion, 2002)
JFK, Jr.
Paul Wellstone
Mel Carnahan
Douglas Adams
Hunter S Thompson
Sam Kinison
John Lennon

P.S. to answer the other one who cited Kinison...my favorite comedic bit of his was always the "World Hunger" bit. Can't help it...I know it is probably policially incorrect here for me to laugh about that bit, but I just can't help it....it WAS funny!

[TK421]

194. John Candy

[nicktom]

195. John Lennon, Dennis Wilson, Carl Wilson

Probably John Lennon more, I still remember hearing the news from Howard Cosell while watching Monday Night Football and I literally felt ill. It affected me for a long time. I still remember Hendrix's, Joplin's, and Jim Morrison's death but nothing hit me in the gut like John Lennon being shot at the Dakota that Monday night.

Dennis Wilson's death just seemed to be such a waste and needless because it was a self inflicted accident.

Carl Wilson's death was just a sad lost of a great talent who played such a large part of my youth.

[grannylib]

196. John Lennon, Princess Diana, and Mother Teresa, for very different

reasons.
Lennon died the day my second daughter was born; I had just left my abusive husband, and it just hit me really hard. I was in the hospital watching the news with the sound way down, and saw the picture with 1940-1980 under it and freaked and turned up the sound just in time to hear "....shot dead in front of his New York apartment."

My oldest daughter called me to tell me Diana had died, and she was weeping, and saying, "Mom, that beautiful, beautiful woman and those two little kids...what are they going to do without their mom??" I got up early, watched the funeral, dug out my hymnal from my school days in England so I could sing along...then just a few months later, my beautiful, beautiful daughter was killed in a similar accident (drunk at the wheel, she a passenger) and she too left behind two children who are now growing up without their mom. I thought Emmy was mistaken when she called to tell me; I told her it must be a rumor and she said no, it's on the news...and of course, I didn't want to believe the news I got when I got the phone call every parent dreads.

Mother Teresa hit me because my Mom and her sister spent Lent in India volunteering at Khaligat and Prem Dam, two of the Sisters of Charity homes for the ill, destitute and dying in India. This was in 1985 and they met Mother Teresa and worked in the homes, and spent a number of years afterwards going around to churches and giving talks and slide shows about the experience. I didn't always agree with her viewpoints on issues, but I greatly admired her work and her tireless devotion to the poor and outcast.

[rfkrfk]

199. Timothy Leary

[d_b]

202. Probably Johnny Cash.

That really tore me up.

[NamVetsWeeLass]

203. John Winston Ono Lennon. I still mourn.

Princess Diana shook me too. As did George Harrison. Sam Kinison's Death bothered me, as did Belushi's.