It Comes in Tens

I am sad to report the death of my brother-in-law's father. He passed away the other day after a couple of years battling some medical problems. Sadly he went downhill fast in the last couple of months. In addition to my brother-in-law and his wife, I know that my niece and nephew are sad for their Poppy. He will be missed.

Within the past couple months my childhood friend lost his grandmother and uncle and his grandfather passed away last year. It's been a tough year for his family. But on the positive side of that they are celebrating the birth of a new baby - well new within the past couple of months.

And think about all of the notable people that have passed away:

David Carradine - actor, was it suicide or murder? I think it was a ninja.
Ed McMahon - MC for the Tonight Show, host of Star Search, and spokesperson for Publisher's Clearing House.
Karl Malden - actor - I didn't even know he was still alive, but I think he was a great actor I loved On the Waterfront and A Streetcar Named Desire. My father and I once got into an argument. He said that Walter Mathau was the American Express guy. He never admitted he was wrong.
Michael Jackson - I think you've heard enough about him that you don't need me to go off on nut.
Farrah Fawcett - remember the lyrics from The Fall Guy when Lee Majors sings, "I've been seen with Farrah."?
Robert McNamara - former Secretary of Defense during the Vietnam War and former president of Ford Motor Company. If you've never seen The Fog of War - this is one of the best documentaries I've ever watched.
Billy Mays - best TV pitchman in years. His pitches always started with the uber-enthusiastic "Billy Mays here!" Some people found him annoying. I loved him!
Dom DeLuise - better known as Captain Chaos, this guy lived a lot longer than I thought he would. I will forever remember him for his Cannonball Run movies.
Steve McNair - the quarterback from the Tennessee Titans and Baltimore Ravens. Sadly, this goes back to be careful who you hang with. You hook up with a nut and these kinds of things can happen.
Walter Conkrite - the most trusted man in America, the voice of CBS news for many years. He was an outspoken critic of the Vietnam War setting the pace for many journalists to become editorialists and still call it news.
Les Lye - you probably don't recognize the name, but I bet you've heard the expression, "I heard that!" made famous as the chef on You Can't Do That On Television.
Fred Travelina - I don't know the guy, but my coworker says he was a famous game-show celebrity guest, sort of like one of those famous celebrity panels for VH1 by people who are famous because they are on celebrity panels on VH1.

I know death is a natural part of the circle of life, but hopefully we can go for a while without any more deaths.