Bye-Bye, Bernie

Bernie Mac died. So did Isaac Hayes. And now there are rumors that Paul Newman is on his deathbed. I never know how to process deaths of the famous. Because I never knew them in the flesh. They will continue to live on my screen as they always have. Theoretically, nothing will change.

And yet it's different. There's something more definitively past tense about the Ocean's Eleven franchise. The Shaft theme song conjures up a little more nostalgia. And one day (soon or not), Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid will be just a little more bittersweet.

And I know straight lines, in any human designs
We live the same lives, in different times
And I thank the supreme being, for giving me eyes
And the days that I had for living, and now I'm laughing 'cause I can't find tears to cry

And even the Sundance Kid would find it hard to shoot his way out of this hole I'm in (x2)

~Sam Roberts, "Sundance"

Read my Bernie Mac post over at MovieZen. His life was short, but it was full. Not many at the age of 50 have 30 years of marriage, a grandchild, and a legacy of art and love to leave behind....