This week we lost not one, but two entertainment greats. Each are deserving of their own post, but I decided to put them together because of the shocking fact that the reports of their passing are interchangeable:
"Dead at 69, after a long battle with cancer, surrounded by family and friends."
And I had no idea either of them were even sick.
While the title of this post is a direct quote from a character played by one of these men, I felt it accurately described how people felt and reacted to both of them during their long and illustrious careers (well, one a bit longer than the other).
Today, we say goodbye to David Bowie and Alan Rickman.
Now, I'll admit I wasn't the biggest fan of Bowie's music - I didn't dislike it, in fact there were a couple of songs I really liked, but he was never one of my favorites. But I admired and respected what he brought to the music industry. Plus, it's weird how relevant he was to my recent life - first I play a video game where I hear his voice in my head instantly for the true final boss, then I lose a Halloween costume contest to a woman dressed as Jareth from Labyrinth. This was a shocking enough loss...
But then to hear of Alan's passing so suddenly, and the fact that as I said above it's almost exactly the same story made me think it was another one of those horrible pranks. Alas, we've lost a great voice (in more than one meaning) of film. I first saw Alan Rickman in Galaxy Quest, and have since adored him in everything I've seen him in: Dogma, Die Hard, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Love Actually, Sweeney Todd, the list goes on. It was really Alan Rickman being cast as Severus Snape in the first Harry Potter film that led me to finally checking out the books and becoming the Potter fan I am today, and it's one of his best and most fitting roles. Finally, Alan Rickman is important to me personally because of his story: He was in textiles most of his life until finally getting fed up and becoming an actor at the age of 41 - so whenever I watch people my own age or younger become superstars and start to worry about what I'm doing with my life, Alan's story reminds me it's never too late.
Goodbye, Alan and David. We'll miss you both, Always. Planet Earth is blue, and there's nothing we can do.
