Muhammad Ali. He truly was "The Greatest"
Photo by Yousef KarschKeith Emerson and Greg Lake. I loved that band "from the beginning."
Arnold Palmer. "The King"
Garry Shandling. Told a joke once about cows on the Tonight Show that I still laugh about.
Alan Rickman. Professor Snape. But also Harry, a foolish and flawed man very well played in the movie Love Actually.
David Bowie. "Far above the moon Planet Earth is blue, and there's nothing I can do."
Prince. "I only wanted to be some kind of friend. It's a shame our friendship had to end."
John Glenn. When asked what his job was he could answer "Astronaut." How many people can say that?
Gene Wilder. You may remember him as Willy Wonka. I remember him best in Blazing Saddles. His name was Jim, but most people just called him...Jim.
George Kennedy. Dragline in Cool Hand Luke. Forget Naked Gun and Airport, watch Cool Hand Luke.
Merle Haggard. "Mama tried to raise me better..."
Leonard Cohen. You know his poetry and music, but did you know he became a Zen Buddhist Monk at age 62? He resumed writing and recording after living in seclusion for nearly five years.
We also lost R2-D2 (Kenny Roberts) and Carrie Fisher. Princess Leia. And just today, her mother, Debbie Reynolds.
There were more. I won't mention them all. And there were others who were not famous. Those are the ones that hit us on a more personal level. One of them I will mention. SaCressa Fleming. She wasn't famous or a celebrity...well...wait a minute. I just looked up synonyms for 'famous' and found these: important, influential, memorable, remarkable, extraordinary. The word notorious was also listed. I guess she may have been a little of that, too. But only in a most wonderful and magnificent way. So I guess she really was famous. And she is the one I miss most of all.
Roger O'Dea 12/28/2016
