When the Greats Leave Us

I don't normally get super worked up about celebrity deaths, but losing Dolly Parton and Tim Curry in a 24 hour span is frankly, some bullshit.

Everyone dies. You. Me. Great people. Terrible ones. We all go in the end. Which means the only meaningful thing is how you behave when you're here, now.

I grew up on old school country. Which means I grew up with Dolly Parton. I can't remember a time when she wasn't there somewhere. She was a masterful songwriter, an amazing singer, an impressive actress, and above all a phenomenal human being. She was a Christian in the same way my maternal grandmother was a Christian. Didn't waste time talking about it when there was work to do.

If there is a God up there who does the kind of bullshit tally mark of good deeds system for getting into his heaven, the number of lives that woman saved will take up a lot of space. She could have been a billionaire, and instead chose to help people. No questions, no means testing, just giving money and books away, building houses, funding COVID vaccine research in the early days when it was needed the most.

She was relentlessly cheerful, so very kind. The kind of endless care and love I can't ever hope to duplicate. She treated people like they mattered - because they did. She was an unapologetic supporter of LGBTQIA+ people, of Black Lives Matter, of poor people....the list could go on forever. Dolly cared, and the world is poorer for her absence, but we are still here.

And now Tim Curry. Man, what do I fucking say here? The man was amazing, a living Muppet, one of the greatest actors who just stole every single thing he was ever in. Annie. Legend. Clue. Rocky Horror. Like Dolly he's just always been there a stalwart presence in entertainment.

He reminded us it's okay to take risks, to be the weirdo, to do what brings you joy and it will inevitably bring joy to others. He wholeheartedly embraced every role he was in and never gave it anything less than his best.

In all the span of human existence, we were lucky enough to be here at the same time as these amazing humans. I have cried for the loss of both of them and will continue to do so, but I remind myself that what they would want from me, from all of us, is to go out and make the world a little better, a little more magical.

So go do it.

Love,
K