Sad news of the passing Saturday night of The Big Man, Clarence Clemons, saxophonist for Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band. Jungleland will never be performed the same again.
Tag: death
Holy cow. For some reason, I am finding it very difficult to believe that Michael Jackson is dead. Michael passed away earlier today at UCLA Medical Center at age 50. Maybe it is because it seems like I’ve been aware of him for nearly my entire life – he was only 4 years older than me – from watching the Saturday morning Jackson 5 cartoon show, to their performance of Dancing Machine on the Carol Burnett show when Michael first did the robot, the sappy theme from Ben, to his adulthood with Off The Wall and Thriller when he became larger than life itself. Mind you, I was never a big fan, but I really like a good pop song, and Michael was a damn good performer. Was, until he descended into freakdom and virtually became a pariah in the media. Maybe I was always hoping that one day, Michael Jackson would come to his senses, abandon his freakishness, get back in the studio and record, and exonerate himself. He seemed to be on the verge of doing just that, with his upcoming schedule of 50 shows in London; again, mind you, I was never a big fan, but I admit to Michael’s tremendous talent onstage, and he possessed the ability to pull himself all the way back to the top of the pop music world.
I don’t remember much about when the King passed away in the summer of 1977. Sure, we all knew Elvis, the hits, the legend, but it wasn’t doing anything for him or me to really care much at the time. Yes, both endings were tragic losses of tremendous talents before their time, but unlike the King, who was virtually dead to me already in 1977, it seemed to me that Michael was finally getting ready to exorcise himself of his demons and regain the spotlight.
I guess in a way, he did.
My uncle, and godfather, passed away this past Monday…
February 2, 2009 Joseph P. Walto Sr., 72, of Syracuse, passed away peacefully Monday at his home surrounded by his family. Mr. Walto was a communicant of Holy Family Church. Joseph is survived by his loving wife of 49 years, the former Donna Sofia Walto; three daughters, Rose (David) Campagnone, Chris (Michael) O’Brien, and Niki (Michael) Mahar, all of Syracuse; two sons, Joseph (Lauren) Walto Jr. of Syracuse and Dennis (Donnette) Walto of Ethiopia; six grandchildren. Funeral services will be conducted Friday 9:30 a.m. at PIRRO & SONS FUNERAL HOME and 10:30 a.m. in Holy Family Church where a Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated. Burial will be private. Calling hours will be held on Thursday from 4 to 7 p.m. at the funeral home, 1500 park Street. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Hospice of CNY, 990 Seventh North Street, Liverpool, NY, 13088 or Holy Family Church Food Pantry, 119 Chapel Drive, Syracuse, NY 13219. Dignity Memorial
Published in the Syracuse Post Standard on 2/4/2009
When I was growing up, I always thought of Uncle Joe as the “cool” uncle: he was the youngest of my father’s brothers, he played the drums, and listened to The Rolling Stones… he lived up in Syracuse, and on a few occasions our family would take a long ride up to visit with him and my cousins. I remember a trip in the Summer of 1967, when my brother bought the latest release from the Beatles, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, another trip in the Fall of 1975 when Uncle Joe asked me who I thought would win the World Series that year, the Reds or the Red Sox, and my last trip in the Summer of 1977 after my freshman year in high school. We hadn’t really stayed close, but I continued to send him a Christmas card each year. Apparently, around this past Thanksgiving, a lump was found…
Despite the fact that we were not terribly close for quite some time, I will miss him.
Apparently the occupational hazards of drumming finally caught up to Mitch Mitchell and Frank Zappa’s drummer, Jimmy Carl Black…
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