RIP: To remember those lost to us, whether close or at large

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

My condolences to paultuttle and apl68.

[secundem_artem]

Peter Robbins took his own life at age 65--he was the first child actor to perform the voice of Charlie Brown through the TV specials in the 1960s and the first movie, A Boy Named Charlie Brown.

It's hard to overstate the roles Charlie Brown and his gang had in my growing up--the books helped me learn to read, and the daily comic strips led me to the newspaper every morning. And on TV--that combination of blah outlook, constant failure, and rather paradoxically, sheer hope had a voice. Charlie Brown failed at pretty much everything, more than once, and that got him depressed, as failure often does. But at the same time, there was always this sense of, "This time. This time I'll talk to the little red-haired girl; this time I'll get a hit; this time I'll strike someone out... this time I'll kick that football. This time for sure." How does someone like that sound? As it turned out, he sounded like Peter Robbins: "Rats." "Good grief." "I got a rock." It was all there in his voice, and I was depressed with him, and I had hope with him and for him.

Peter Robbins the man ran out of "this time," somehow. He couldn't bring himself to take another kick at that football. But maybe somewhere, Charlie Brown can.

It's only after we grow up and gain some perspective that we can see how sad and painful so much of the Charlie Brown universe actually is.  Never getting to kick the football.  Getting no help for his 5¢ from Lucy.  The Great Pumpkin never showed up.  That Christmas tree was a fail.  The Charlie Brown universe was filled with existential pain and angst.  No wonder poor Peter Robbins topped himself. 

[hmaria1609]

Thanks for your post, little bongo.

Charlie Brown did kick the football in the 1981 "It's Magic, Charlie Brown" TV special.  Thanks to Snoopy's mishap during a magic show, Charlie Brown was invisible for most of the special. Lucy was bewildered when the football went off into the air on its own! This special is a bonus on the "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" DVD.

[Harlow2]

My uncle died yesterday at 88 years old. My mother is now the sole surviving sibling in her immediate family.

Extremely tall (more than 6.5 feet tall since his early teens) yet never intimidating, he was always genial, kind, and full of bonhomie. He grew up on a farm, milked cows, fed pigs and chickens, collected eggs, drove a tractor, joined glee clubs and sang in church, went to a well-regarded small liberal arts undergraduate institution and an even nicer graduate music conservatory, earned a PhD in music (voice), and became an opera singer and teacher.

He was known for his rich, full, deep bass-baritone voice. I have a copy of the one CD he made, and when I put it in the player and his voice comes out of the speakers it's like he's in the room, laughing and joking with you, his hand on your shoulder.

Once when I was little (in the late 1970s), we heard that he and my aunt had flown over to the United States for a little while, so we drove out to the old family farm (100 acres on USA Highway 1 and the Neuse River, 15 minutes north of Raleigh). Under the oak trees in the side yard sat an early 1970s Jaguar XKE 2+2 coupe, gleaming pearlescent white with a red leather interior, sitting on glittery delicate wire wheels, looking entirely incongruous next to the faded red and green farm tractors--just one example of how the man had style.

Wealth and travel didn't change who he was at heart (he was always warm, friendly, humble, down-to-earth, and personable to everyone he met). My mother's first comment after receiving the news and sitting stunned for an hour yesterday morning: "He was always such a nice boy. And man. I will miss him so much." Echoed, Mom, echoed.

What a lovely remembrance, paultuttle. 

[clean]

Howard Hesseman (Dr. Johnny Fever from WKRP) 

[apl68]

I spoke with our deceased patron's sister today and learned some details about his death.  The fire at his house was caused by electrical wiring.  The remains of an electrocuted raccoon were found on the scene.  Our staff members, who were apparently the last to see the victim alive, said that he had complained of not feeling well.  That would explain why he was lying down earlier in the evening than usual.  He may have taken cold medicine and dozed off.  The fire started elsewhere in the house, and he was apparently overcome by the smoke before he could get out.

A manuscript of his last book that he had sent to a family member has survived.  They plan to see if they can get the publisher to publish it without the revisions they had wanted.

[mamselle]

Both sad that such a confluence of circumstances should have snapped off his life so suddenly, and redemptive that his book MS wasn't lost.

RIP.

M. 

[fleabite]

I spoke with our deceased patron's sister today and learned some details about his death.  The fire at his house was caused by electrical wiring.  The remains of an electrocuted raccoon were found on the scene.  Our staff members, who were apparently the last to see the victim alive, said that he had complained of not feeling well.  That would explain why he was lying down earlier in the evening than usual.  He may have taken cold medicine and dozed off.  The fire started elsewhere in the house, and he was apparently overcome by the smoke before he could get out.

A manuscript of his last book that he had sent to a family member has survived.  They plan to see if they can get the publisher to publish it without the revisions they had wanted.

If the publisher was interested in the book provided that revisions were made, you might suggest that the family hire someone to make the changes using money from the estate. Perhaps a young scholar on the job market might be willing to do the work for a reasonable price as stopgap employment. They could be credited like this: John Smith with Jane Doe [Jane Doe being the author of the revisions]. I doubt that a publisher would take the book without revisions if one of their editors had already seen it and said that it needed work.

[apl68]

I spoke with our deceased patron's sister today and learned some details about his death.  The fire at his house was caused by electrical wiring.  The remains of an electrocuted raccoon were found on the scene.  Our staff members, who were apparently the last to see the victim alive, said that he had complained of not feeling well.  That would explain why he was lying down earlier in the evening than usual.  He may have taken cold medicine and dozed off.  The fire started elsewhere in the house, and he was apparently overcome by the smoke before he could get out.

A manuscript of his last book that he had sent to a family member has survived.  They plan to see if they can get the publisher to publish it without the revisions they had wanted.

If the publisher was interested in the book provided that revisions were made, you might suggest that the family hire someone to make the changes using money from the estate. Perhaps a young scholar on the job market might be willing to do the work for a reasonable price as stopgap employment. They could be credited like this: John Smith with Jane Doe [Jane Doe being the author of the revisions]. I doubt that a publisher would take the book without revisions if one of their editors had already seen it and said that it needed work.

I'd be willing to do the work myself pro bono if I had a good idea of what the publisher wanted to see. 

[Istiblennius]

Howard Hesseman (Dr. Johnny Fever from WKRP)

This one hit me harder than I expected, mostly because I have such fond memories of laughing myself silly watching WKRP with my brother. We still have a few sibling jokes and sayings that stemmed from our childhood with WKRP.

[jimbogumbo]

Howard Hesseman (Dr. Johnny Fever from WKRP)

This one hit me harder than I expected, mostly because I have such fond memories of laughing myself silly watching WKRP with my brother. We still have a few sibling jokes and sayings that stemmed from our childhood with WKRP.

It was a great show. Would one of the sayings be "As God is my witness I thought turkeys could fly" by any chance?

[Istiblennius]

Howard Hesseman (Dr. Johnny Fever from WKRP)

This one hit me harder than I expected, mostly because I have such fond memories of laughing myself silly watching WKRP with my brother. We still have a few sibling jokes and sayings that stemmed from our childhood with WKRP.

It was a great show. Would one of the sayings be "As God is my witness I thought turkeys could fly" by any chance?

Every time one of us makes a mistake or miscalculation in judgment!

[clean]

It was a great show. Would one of the sayings be "As God is my witness I thought turkeys could fly" by any chance?

That quote is from the show, but not associated with Howard Hesseman.
It was Mr. Carlson who said that about the turkeys.  That show had Less Nessman as the reporter on the scene.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p00nBSNIPwg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FXSnoy71Q4

[jimbogumbo]

It was a great show. Would one of the sayings be "As God is my witness I thought turkeys could fly" by any chance?

That quote is from the show, but not associated with Howard Hesseman.
It was Mr. Carlson who said that about the turkeys.  That show had Less Nessman as the reporter on the scene.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p00nBSNIPwg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FXSnoy71Q4

Oh, trust me, I knew! Les described it just like the Hindenberg! My wife just cracks up!!

[mamselle]

Two campus police killed in a shooting in Virginia, at Bridgewater College:

   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9DFh-R9s80

RIP, and thank you for your service...

M.