George Carlin, one more performer I’ve seen, now dead

June 23, 2008

When I learned this morning that George Carlin had died of heart trouble (big trouble I imagine) over the weekend, I thought two things.

I don’t want my parents to die (a natural reaction as they approach Carlin’s final age of 71, and…I saw this guy and a bunch of other now-dead people at concerts and performances during my short lifetime.

It’s not a great accomplishment to be in the audience, but it was surprising when I thought back to shows with George Burns, Bob Hope, John Denver (I think I saw him, but I could be imagining it because we played his music all the time when I was tiny), George Carlin, Rodney Dangerfield, members of Sha Na Na, Sam Kinison, Ray Charles, Bill Cosby (OK, he’s not dead yet, but he performs so little he might as well be), and many others.

Ultimately, it makes you wonder about getting closer to their ages and your eventual demise. Further, it creates a spark of anxiety and maybe drive when you think about how much each of these people completed during one lifetime and how little you might have done thus far.

I know it makes me concerned about authoring even more books, writing more columns, traveling to more places and influencing more lives. And definitely trying to enjoy every moment of the journey.

I hope you do too.

More to come…