The Reaper's been busy again.
If I'd had time, I'd have paid individual tribute to each of the following over the past couple of weeks...
Rick Buckler
Roberta Flack
Michelle Trachtenberg
Henry Kelly
The biggest name we've lost recently though is Gene Hackman, along with his wife and his dog. As I write, the true story of their tragic end has yet to be revealed, but I don't want to dwell on that. I just want to remember Lex Luthor, Popeye Doyle, Sheriff "Little" Bill Daggett, Captain Frank Ramsey and, best of all, the heroic sacrifice of the Reverend Frank Scott in The Poseidon Adventure.
On the television, a ship was sinking
It seemed so real, but it was just a movie
Made by Irwin Allen, boy, what a relief
And on the ship was Ernest Borgnine
Brave in the face of certain death
He played a cop on a pleasure cruise
Along with his wife, an ex-prostitute
Of course, Shelley Winters
She was on the ship
She was good, too, but she died
As did Gene Hackman, a preacher
Who gave his life so that others could live
He died shouting "How many more lives?"
I didn't need to dig far to find a song or two in tribute...
