Thursday, August 13, 2009

Les Paul's death takes us about one dead celebrity over the line


Acknowledging the passing of a figure who's had a great effect or influence on pop culture is just something we all do. At Tabloid Baby, just as at the New York Times, the ones we select for tribute, discussion or investigation help define who we are. But with Les Paul's passing today, we've sort of had enough. Les was the innovator, and a part if the New York City music scene over the years. He pioneered multitrack recording; he invented the solid body guitar; when he shattered his right arm in a car crash, rendering it immobile, he had it set at an angle so he could play continue to guitar; they named the Les Paul after him!

But it's thirty-third week of 2009 and Les Paul's is the thirty-eighth celebrity death we've highlighted since January 3rd.

Get a load of this list of the people whose passings we've mentioned in 2009-- so far:

Glenn Goldman of Book Soup
Ray Dennis Steckler, movie auteur

Jon Hager of the Hager Twins
John Updike, author
James Brady, newspaperman
Leroy Cooper, musician David Fathead Newman, saxmanHank Crawford, musician Dewey Martin of Buffalo Springfield
Tom Brumley of Rick Nelson's band

Lux Interior of The Cramps

Orlando Cachaito López, Buena Vista Social Club bassist

Wendy Richard, Carry On actress

Alan Landers, Winston Man

Altovise Davis, Sammy Davis Jr.'s widow

Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Natasha Richardson

Dorothea Holt Redmond, production designer

Peter Rogers, Carry On producer

Danny Gans 

Dom DeLuise
Wayne Allwine, voice of Mickey Mouse

David Carradine, actor,
Sam Butera, musician 
Ed McMahon
Farrah Fawcett

Michael Jackson

Steve Brennan, reporter

Allen Klein

Walter Cronkite

Gidget, Taco Bell pup

Alexis Cohen, American idol Glitter Girl

Rev. Ike

Sidney Zion, journo

Billy Lee Riley, rockabilly legend

John Hughes

Willy DeVille

Les Paul

Maybe it's because people are living longer or that we've been creating too many celebrities, but we're getting tired of the deathwatch.

3 comments:

  1. LOL...

    "Get a load of this list of the PEOPLE whose passings we've mentioned in 2009-- so far:

    Gidget, Taco Bell PUP

    Maybe it's because PEOPLE are living longer or that we've been creating too many celebrities, but we're getting tired of the deathwatch."

    “Yo quiero Tabloid Baby”

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  2. RIP Les Paul
    the world is just a little colder now that he is gone.

    39 weeks, 38 celebrity deaths is a startling statistic.
    If you add Gordon Waller of Peter & Gordon (who passed away in late July this year) that's 39 celeb deaths in 39 weeks of 2009.

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  3. I don't consider Alexis Cohen a celebrity.

    RIP Les Paul

    ReplyDelete