The Effect of Famous People

Since the death of Senator Edward Kennedy, I've been thinking about the effect that the death of famous people have on us. 

After Micheal Jackson died, I listened to Dance Lessons from Michael on NPR's The Story. On the show, Joanne Spencer talks about how the music and videos of Michael Jackson spurred her interest in dance. She went on to become a professional dancer. She hadn't realized how important his music was to her until she heard that he had died. Now she's sharing Jackson's music with her own children.

Michael Jackson didn't affect me the same way he affected Joanne, but her story touched me. And it got me thinking about famous people who have made an impression on me.

I asked my husband Frank if he'd been affected by the death of someone famous, and he reminded me about Indian Larry. Indian Larry was a bike builder, stuntman, and innovator in the world of custom motorcycles. Frank had met him one year at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Indian Larry came in from a ride, wiped the sweat off his face, grabbed a bottle of water, and immediately started talking to people and signing autographs. Indian Larry had a tattoo on his neck that said In God We Trust - Vengeance is mine sayeth the Lord - No Fear. The middle two lines were in reverse so that he could read them when looking in a mirror. Indian Larry died a few years ago while doing a motorcycle stunt. His death affected my husband deeply.

One of my favorite authors growing up was Madeleine L'Engle, author of A Wrinkle in Time. I enjoyed her fiction, but it was her non-fiction books that taught me the most. I still remember reading that she believed God would wait for as long as it took for every person to come to him. She influenced my theology more than I'll ever know. I hadn't heard that she died until I read that her granddaughter was continuing to lecture on her work, the granddaughter that I had read about in Madeleine's books.

I was going into a Taize prayer service when I heard that Brother Roger, found of the Taize Community in France, had died. A mentally ill woman stabbed him during a service at Taize. He died as he had lived. The community he founded, as well as the style of music and prayer they developed, continues to nourish millions of people.

What famous people have touched your life? Who did you mourn for when they died?