With the death of Ed McMahon earlier this week, I said to sardonically said to someone "These always come in threes." I had no idea how prescient I was. Today, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson shuffled their mortal coils.
Anyone who is a child of the late 1970s and the early 1980s recalls both Fawcett and Jackson as icons in their own right. I can recall older friends of mine who had the red swimsuit poster on their wall. The blond hair, the white teeth, who doesn't remember that poster?
As for Michael Jackson, you could not turn on a radio and not hear a song from "Thriller" in the early 1980s. I remember my sister had a special commemorative album of Thriller that had a picture of Michael Jackson on the actual LP. I remember the Jacksons Victory Tour and the ill-fated live Pepsi commercial. Later in that decade, "Bad" was the next hit album. I would not call myself a fan of Michael Jackson, but I do have him to thank for "Weird" Al Yankovic.
Here is a YouTube video of the only Michael Jackson tune I actually own in my music collection.
Of course, there is also the infamous long version of the Thriler video that anyone who has watched an MTV Countdown of the greatest videos of all time knows, as it was always the video ranked #1.
And, I would be remiss in not memorializing Johnny Carson's sidekick. To enjoy his signature expression from "The Tonight Show," bookmark this link. As for McMahon doing his usual thing, here is a classic clip featuring Ed, Johnny, and Don Rickles.
#1 by Evan on June 26, 2009 - 3:48 pm UTC
MJ's death threw the whole thing out of whack, the rule of three had already been solidified due to David Carrodine's death - him, Ed McMahon, Farrah. Now I just don't know what to believe anymore.
#2 by JJT on June 27, 2009 - 10:59 am UTC
Ahh, yes, the death of Caine. He is just walking the Earth on a different plane.
#3 by JJT on June 29, 2009 - 9:42 pm UTC
Billy Mays' death, though, I think is officially the straw that broke the camel's back. I didn't even see one coming.