They say celebrity deaths come in threes. And this past week was no exception as the entertainment/news industry lost three greats. Some people might not consider the three men that passed away "legends," but they were exemplary in their field, in my mind...and deserve praise for their abilities to inform and entertain.
We'll start with Jerry Reed...who is Jerry Reed, many of you ask? Well, Jerry Reed is a country singer probably most famously known for appearing in the "Smokey and the Bandit" movies with Burt Reynolds....one of his most famous songs comes from the soundtrack to that movie. Dave Knight and I always joke about Jerry and this song...and my absolute love for it.
Along with that song, Jerry Reed hit it big with other stuff like "Amos Moses", "When You're Hot, You're Hot", and my favorite, "She Got The Gold Mine, I Got The Shaft."
Younger audiences got to see Jerry perform in the "Waterboy" as the threatening coach that gets his ass kicked by Adam Sandler. All in all, Jerry Reed was a tireless entertainer, and he deserves to be remembered as one of the greats of country music.
The second man to pass away was Don LaFontaine, a man whom most people have always heard, but never seen until recent years. LaFontaine was "the voice of movie trailers," lending his pipes to thousands of movies, TV shows, and commercials. I'd say more, but here's a really good interview with him conducted a few years ago...
And here's where most people finally learned what the guy looked like...probably one of the funniest Geico ads out there.
Poor guy died from complications of a collapsed lung at the age of 68. Movie trailers won't ever sound the same...
The final man who took his final bow in recent days was Ike Pappas, and if you're a newsguy, you know Ike Pappas. Ike was a veteran of CBS News for years, and he most famous "story" came when he was front and center for history in 1963. Ike Pappas was one of several men covering the transport of Lee Harvey Oswald when Jack Ruby opened fire on him. In fact, Ruby actually SHOVED Pappas out of the way and then shot Oswald. Here's his live radio call...unbelievable...
All in all, three great men who deserved to be remembered at the top of their industries...
Mike
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Ah, Jerry Reed. I thought about you when I heard the news. I think it's time for a Jerry Reed film festival.
Post a Comment