Peter "Pete" Seeger
May 3, 1919 – January 27, 2014
I have no particular interest in folk music. Nevertheless, I am familiar with some of the famous songs Pete Seeger wrote - Where Have All the Flowers Gone?, If I Had a Hammer - and especially Turn, Turn, Turn, performed by the Byrds and a number one pop hit in 1965, one of my favorites during my teens.
Philip Seymour Hoffman
July 23, 1967 – February 2, 2014
Philip Seymour Hoffman was a talented actor and Pat and I enjoyed several of his movies. Premature deaths are always shocking and more so when they seem preventable. Sadly, he died at age 46 of a self-inflicted drug overdose.
Ralph Waite
June 22, 1928 – February 13, 2014
Pat and I were fans of The Waltons in the 1970s, very wholesome TV indeed. Ralph Waite played the role of John Walton, the father in the story of a Depression Era family. I have sometimes described my older brother Bill as being from Waltons Mountain and I mean this as a compliment.
Robin Williams
July 21, 1951 – August 11, 2014
Pat and I were big fans, huge. We saw him emerge as a star on TV. Over the years we saw many of his movies and admired his incredible talent.
This is a death that had an emotional impact on me. I note that Robin Williams was only two weeks older than me and that seems very, very young. His death was sudden and shocking but, to me, understandable.
Because of my involvement as a volunteer in the mental health field, I had long been aware of the struggle Robin Williams had with mental illness. I understand the concept of self-medication and I know that it is something very different from irresponsible drug abuse. I am not puzzled by his capacity to make others laugh while he himself experienced severe emotional pain. I understand that suicide is a rational choice when all hope of stopping pain in any other way is completely gone.
Sometimes tributes to a celebrity seem inflated, but not in this case. Every word seemed very genuine. Everyone must agree with the words of his daughter Zelda: "The world is forever a little darker, less colorful and less full of laughter in his absence".
Rod Love
August 5, 1953 – October 26, 2014
I lived most of my adult life in Calgary, Alberta and was always interested in the political landscape. I observed the rise of Ralph Klein to Mayor of Calgary and Premier of Alberta. I was well aware that Rod Love was the brilliant political strategist behind a populist politician. Both men died young, particularly Rod Love at age 61. They were a very good team, two men with very different strengths and weaknesses, who left their mark on Alberta.
Jean Béliveau
August 31, 1931 – December 2, 2014
Every boy in Canada knew that Béliveau was the Captain of the Montreal Canadiens, a great hockey player on a great hockey team.
Nathaniel Branden
April 9, 1930 – December 3, 2014
This man had a significant, positive impact on my life through his books. Books are heavy and expensive to transport so I gave most of mine away when I moved to Ajijic. Amongst those I packed into our shipping container were The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem and Taking Responsibility by Nathaniel Branden. They are worth reading again.
Branden was inappropriately criticized for advocating unearned high self-esteem. He did not. He did much good by helping to counter unhealthy low self-esteem, which is significantly different.