Deep Thoughts on Dead Celebs

I swear I had this thought yesterday afternoon at around 5:45pm, before I heard about MJ:

It’s weird that Farrah Fawcett died. I mean, she’s like from the 70s. So we’re almost getting up to celebs from my childhood. Like when George Harrison died, I thought, “That must be weird for my parents.” Same thing when Paul Newman died.

It will be really weird when someone really big from my generation dies…like Will Smith. We’ll tell our kids, “He was a big movie star,” and they’ll be like, “Who cares?” And we’ll say, “It’s really surreal that he’s dead.” Ooh, Will Smith dying. That’s freaky.

So later when Frank got home he said, “Have you watched the news? Did you hear who died?”

I said, “Yes, Farrah Fawcett.”

“Someone else,” Frank said. “Wanna play the guessing game?”

So here’s how the guessing game went. It’s sort of like the dead-celeb version of guess-who’s-pregnant:

“So it was someone surprising? Someone young?”
“Not real young but…”
“Too young to die?”
“Yes.”
“And it’s bigger news than Farrah Fawcett dying?”
“Yes, way bigger.”
“Celine Dion?”
“Way bigger.”
“Bigger than Celine Dion? Oh my gosh!!”
“Cher?”
“No, bigger than that.”
“Bigger than Cher?”
“Tina Turner?”
“What makes you think it’s a woman?”
“Oh, it’s a man! Not Billy Joel!!”
“No, but you’re getting closer.”
“Oh, no. Not Elton John!!”
“You’re on the right track…as big as that.”
“Am I a fan of this person? Am I going to be really sad?”
“You probably used to be a fan…like in the 80s.”
“George Michael?? I just saw on the news this morning that it was his birthday! Did he die on his birthday?”
“No, I said he’s bigger than Cher…so he’s definitely bigger than George Michael.”
“Oh, tell me it’s not Harry Connick, Jr.”
“WAY bigger than that. Harry Connick, Jr…please!”
“Michael Jackson?”
“Yes.”
“Michael Jackson is DEAD?”
“:Yes.”
“You’re telling me that Michael Freaking Jackson is dead?”
“Yes, cardiac arrest.”
“Now THAT is weird!!”

Then Leo started crying. I said, “Oh, Leo is upset about it.” Frank said, “He’ll never even know Michael Jackson.” But that’s not true. I mean, I was a baby when Elvis died and I not only know him, I once had a poster of him over my bed.

Ooh, I hope Leo doesn’t want a poster of Michael Jackson over his bed. If he does, I might need to get him one of Will Smith and tell him it’s Michael Jackson.

Will Smith is still alive, right? Okay, just checking.