I just read about Baumgartner being killed. His skydive from the edge of space and breaking the sound barrier in his totally crazy freefall was the most spectacular stunt I’ve ever seen.
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All of these people that have passed recently, I haven’t heard of any of them. I did hear about the guy jumping from edge of space, but I would not have known his name.
It’s funny how celebrity works sometimes. So many names in the headlines lately, and I hadn’t heard of most of them either.
Guess it’s whatever you’re into, region etc
… or old
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Malcolm-Jamal Warner who played Theo in the Cosby Show has passed away at the age 54 in a drowing accident in Costa Rica.
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That’s a shame. Leaving behind a wife and daughter.
Classic scene from the Cosby Show…
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It’s also a shame that he left behind Bill Cosby, who should have left long ago.
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RIP Malcolm Jamal
I mean, he certainly hasn’t been super healthy the last few years of his life, but man this one hits hard.
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This is hard to process for me 
Always been such a fan of his music. He has been quite a character over the years and has been in declining health. So it’s not all that surprising … but still hard to hear. RIP Ozzy 
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Not really a surprise but still a shock 
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I’ve never been a big fan of Ozzy Osbourne. I remember buying Black Sabbath’s first LP in high school. I liked a song or two on the album (if you can call them that), but the LP soon found itself in the seldom-played records toward the bottom of the pile.
His solo career also produced two or three singles that I liked, but I never bought copies and haven’t even considered adding them to my Spotify playlist.
I suppose I have always considered most of his work to be loud, repetitive, and unimaginative noise, made popular by gimmicky stage shows and an over-the-top reputation, which I’m surprised didn’t kill him decades ago.
I can’t deny his ability to attract attention to himself and entertain people with his behavior, but when it comes to his music, it was little more than a novelty act (in my opinion).
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Hey Just-B, totally fair that Ozzy’s music didn’t speak to you we’ve all got our own tastes and that’s what makes music so personal. It’s not really my type of music either.
Years ago, I lived in a shared house and one of my housemates was massively into heavy metal. We’d be getting ready for a night out and he’d have his music blaring it honestly sounded like he was summoning demons behind his door. Growling, pounding drums, all sorts of chaos. He was the nicest, sweetest guy too not what you’d expect from the soundtrack of a horror film. His music taste seemed totally at odds with his personality, and I could never get my head around it.
But even though it wasn’t for me, I do think it’s worth acknowledging the impact Ozzy had and not just musically. Even during his final farewell only a few weeks ago, you could see how many bands and artists lined up to thank him for inspiring them.
That’s the thing it’s not just about being liked, it’s about being bold enough to do something new. Taking what was once fringe, even shocking, and making it part of the cultural conversation. That’s creativity. It reminds me of what people often say about Jackson Pollock “anyone could splash paint like that.” But the truth is, nobody did until he did. And once he did, it shifted how people saw art.
Same with Ozzy. He and Black Sabbath didn’t just make music, they built a whole genre out of the shadows. They gave voice to something darker, heavier, rawer a sound that spoke to people who didn’t feel heard by pop or rock. Whether through the riffs, the themes, or just sheer defiance, they changed music history.
Ozzy might have been theatrical, chaotic and not everyone’s cup of tea, but he opened the door for an entire generation of musicians. That’s no small legacy.
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I agree; Ozzy was definitely influential, even if not my cup of tea. The closest I’ve come to enjoying metal is probably bands like Led Zeppelin, Cream, Van Halen, Deep Purple, Hendrix, and similar artists that mixed elements of heavy metal with other genres, minus the head-banging, thrash metal stuff. I still listen to them from time to time.
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Totally agree, and I’m not really shocked of his passing. I don’t really know much about him. Apparently a friend of mine was his bodyguard when he came to Ireland for gigs. Or part of the group hired to keep him and his band safe. The story went that they were staying in a hotel in the City Centre and he walked into the bedroom, turned around and walked out, took his entire entourage to another hotel saying ‘I’ve got a wardrobe bigger than that bedroom’.
Or something along those lines.
I’ve nothing against him personally, how could I. His music is not for me, and from what I understood he lived the rock’n’roll/heavy metal lifestyle.
Honestly, wasn’t surprised he made it to 76. I don’t mean for that to sound crass.
All that being said, I never take away what someone else has given to so many. It wasn’t for me either. But for millions he made a difference, inspired generations of musicians and even more millions of fans on the back of that.
That’s some accomplishment.
His reality show showed a different side of him, maybe because he was older and living a family life. But I believe that was 20 years ago or so, so he would have been mid-50s - and looking at him back then I thought he was at least in his 70s back then, just with his speech and mobility etc.
On camera seemed like a nice guy, seemed to be a bit of diva in him off camera from some stories I heard through the grapevine. Whether that was Sharon pushing him or not I don’t know.
All in all, he lived his genuine life and inspired a generation, and also inspired generational talent.
I am very impressed with that.
RIP Hulk Hogan
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The first name that pops in my mind, funny enough, is Mike Marino.
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Whoa, the dominos are falling. I always got a chuckle out of Chuck Mangione in King of the Hill. He was a good sport about it.
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