I'm Not Crying, YOU are!

In 2009, I was in Nashville when the news hit that Michael Jackson had passed. I was Southbound on I-65, a woman I was involved with comfortable in the passenger seat. In fact, she was the one that broke the news to me, having discovered it online. I grew up with Michael's iconic music and celebrity the same as she did. Michael's music videos were preferred watching on television and preferred listening on the radio. At birthday events at Pizza Hut, Michael was an overly repeated staple on the Jukebox playlist, sometimes to annoying levels for those attending the party (A few quarters got you a long way). But shocking as the news was, and fond of his music as I was, I wasn't too emotional about it because I, obviously, wasn't connected to him personally. The young woman in the car with me, however, had a very opposite reaction, as the news caused her to cry. She was a little embarrassed about it, as she was trying to be discreet. As I recall it, she was sort of awkwardly bent over in the seat and turned away from me, her clear goal of not drawing attention to herself not working out at all. Naturally, I asked if she was good, but as I realized what was happening, admittedly, I immaturely though sincerely filtered her reaction to the news out of my own. Also admittedly, while I wasn't obnoxious or anything, I had to fight back the urge to laugh...Not my greatest moment. (LOL) But give me points for quelling my laughter and not letting her notice, at least. (LOL) In all honesty, while I didn't want to make her feel bad, I also didn't fully understand her reaction, why she would cry over someone she wasn't even remotely connected with. Liking/Loving his music was one thing, but crying over him? Come on! (LOL) Whatever, I was in my early twenties. Leave me alone. (lol)

Age and experience having honed my empathy powers, I've come to understand her reaction more. For all of my familiarity and fondness for Michael's legacy, his music very evidently left a much greater impact on her. While I've never cried over a celebrity death...Wait...Have I?...Nope. I can honestly say that I haven't. ("Yes you have, James. Quit lying!") While I've never cried over a celebrity death, I've been deeply moved by them. The first time I ever felt really bummed out by a celebrity death was when Carrie Fisher passed in 2016, just several months after Prince died, which I also felt some kind of way about. While I love Star Wars, I understand that there are those who don't (blasphemy!). For the fans, Carrie Fisher was and will forever be the only Leia Organa. That's the role that defined her career, her life, and yet that one role left a tremendous impact. You can't imagine Star Wars without Princess Leia. But funny enough, I didn't realize all of this until her passing. It's a testament to the power of the celebrity legacy, that while we are not tied to these individuals personally, as fans, we feel connected to the art they produced.

Hollywood recently lost a few prominent names in the industry, and in quick succession. Dolly Parton. Tim Curry. But the one that got me was Peter Cullen, the voice of Optimus Prime. There are two recent celebrity deaths that struck me a little hard, actually. Starting with Peter, I knew his voice long before I knew his face. In fact, I didn't have the mind to look him up online until several years back, him and Frank Welker. And appropriately, I discovered a video of him telling the story of how he came up with the voice for Optimus Prime. I get chills thinking about it, really. He was at some convention in a big auditorium with a large crowd, and when he breaks out the Optimus voice, hearing it amplified like that caused my nerd soul to rejoice. (LOL) If transformers was even remotely your thing, you knew that voice. And Peter's voice was also masterfully used in the promotional materials for the Toonami afternoon line-up on Cartoon Network in the early to mid-2000s. Dragonball Z. Gundam Wing. Ronin Warriors. Tenchi Muyo and others. That voice overlaying some fantastic editing with some fantastic music. Bruh, I was locked in every day after school, without fail. Like Carrie Fisher, his voicework in the Transformers universe defined his legacy, set in motion by one successful audition that was inspired by his brother. And like Carrie with Star Wars, there is no Transformers or Optimus Prime without Peter Cullen.

Lastly, and I'm late with this one, I couldn't end this without mentioning Tom Kane, the voice behind Professor Utonium from the original PowerPuff Girls franchise. His death several months ago hit me much like Peter Cullen's has. And like Peter, even if you don't see the professor onscreen, you know that voice. PowerPuff Girls was iconic in its own right, and was definitely a staple of my teenage years. There was just something so perfect about that premise of four superpowered little girls fighting giant monsters and other supernatural things, all the while going to school and having a bedtime. (lol) But for all of the show's over-the-top quality, the character dynamics were there. The closeness of the professor and the girls was very apparent and was one of the driving forces of the show. And that closeness seemed to translate into the real world as well. There are a few pictures out there of Tara Strong, E.G. Daily and Cathy Cavadini posing with an evidently sick Tom Kane, which, needless to say, got me in my feels...I didn't cry though. (LOL) As a creative person, there's no greater feeling than comradery, no greater feeling than the collaborative spirit to create something great, lasting, endearing.

I can't mourn these like I would those closest to me, but the part of me that their artistry touched, captivated, inspired even, that creative part that I call my "nerd soul", that's in mourning. I think that's the beautiful thing about art. You just don't know how profound your impact will be, who you'll inspire. So, make your mark. There will ever only be one of you.

"I am Optimus Prime, and I send this message to any surviving Autobots taking refuge among the stars: We are here. We are waiting."