A Day of Mourning

I don't usually get caught up on the passing of celebrities. But as a child of the 80s I'm compelled to pay tribute to 2 people who influenced my childhood from what I wore to what I listened to and how I danced.

When I first heard the news of Farrah Fawcett's death I immediately thought, God who DIDN'T want to be Farrah Fawcett? Before Jennifer Anniston's hair everyone wanted Farrah's hair. Lord knows I tried my best to achieve that feathered look & remember begging my parents for a pair of Pumas & short shorts like the Charlie's Angels girl. The show was one of my all time favorites. And I fondly remember pretend playing with my cousins Charlie's Angels in my grandmother's house. Before I knew what women's lib was this show set in my mind that women can be just brave and heroic as men. They were chicks with guns! It didn't get more exciting for a girl my age. Where are these wholesome role models today?

The death of Michael Jackson was surreal for me. I heard the news on the radio as I drove home from work and I literally yelled out to no one "WHAT?! No way!" I felt shock and thought that just can't be. It just can't be. I anxiously waited for J to get home to tell him the news. And we both kind of felt like maybe they're wrong. Maybe he's in a coma or something. I mean, nothing's been confirmed so we held on to what little hope for this awful news to be false. When it was confirmed on CNN we were both glued to the TV watching this very sad sad ordeal. When they played his music my eyes got watery & I cried. I don't know why. I'm not usually a crier about these things but I did. I felt like part of my childhood just died. The songs we sang as kids, the dances my brother & i tried our best to imitate, felt gone. I vividly remember my 3yo little brother playing Beat It (on a 45..do those still exist?) over & over again with no end in sight. I remember when the Thriller video came out how the whole family sat around the TV to watch it (including my parents). It was the coolest thing ever! I remember playing my aunt's Thriller LP on her stereo over & over again. My aunt also had the Farrah look. She was the coolest in my eyes. A man who's incredible talents contributed so much to humanity is now gone. It saddens me to think that my kids will grow up in a world without an incredible music genious. There will never be anyone that will measure up to Michael Jackson.

Thank you both for enriching my childhood with your talent. Thanks for providing an image that women can be just as brave & strong as men. Thank you for providing the music that will always take me back to a wonderful time in history that I will always remember fondly.

Rest In Peace my heroes! You will never be forgotten.