Wow, what a rough summer this has been.

Ed McMahon dies. Heyo..cack...
Farrah Fawcett dried up.
Jacko trumps Fawcett by dying the same day.

Billy Mays dies. Now who the hell is gonna yell at me about Oxyclean? This also means that Pitchmen show is NOT going to get a second season. Interesting show just from getting to see production of commercials.

Other celebs, sports and otherwise are dying, of all ages.

I bet Hollywood is crapping itself right now.

And Now the late great Steve McNair. Long time Titans QB, and not one of those "show me the money players" He did his job well, and never complained (publicly), and was one of the guys who gave back to the community.

This round is strange though. I mean, OK, Ed McMahon had health issues. So did Farrah(cancer). So did a few others. What caused Jacko to cacko is still whacko until the toxicology reports come back.

But, is there something else at working "thinning the herd"? I mean, this wave is catching young and old alike.

Jackson's family is whining about "he should be buried on Neverland". I do agree, but there is a major problem: The Jackson family is NOT in control of the property, from a financial, legal or any other point of view. If they were smart, they'd pool their money, keep the plastic pop star on ice for a bit, buy or obtain control over the Neverland Ranch, get the permissions filed(and authorized), and then make it into a west coast Graceland. I can guarantee that family would rake in $50 Million a year off that property. What operating expenses would be I'm not sure, but it sure as hell can't be what Michael had it at in its heyday.

I was "somewhat" affected by this celebrity die-off when my former employer, Waymand Tisdale, succumbed to cancer in May of 2009, I think it was. Like Steve McNair, one who gave generously back to the community and wasn't a complainer. Was a fantastic bass player and it was great to be his studio engineer and stage tech for 14 months.

I guess this is gonna be the Summer of Death for anyone with a big name. Make sure your insurance premiums are paid up and you have not only the number to 911, but also at least 2 local ambulance companies and an taxi(sometimes they come quicker!).

I think I have to excluse McNair from the list. That was a murder, not a regular death. I'm mainly referring to more natural causes of death.

Yes, you can use the argument of "he got shot, so naturally, he bled out and died". No, that's not what I'm talking about. Has to be no "artificial methods" in regards to advancing the process, which would be any sort of tool involved.

Of course, death is the number 1 killer.

Jacko is being buried without his brain, or at least not all of it. Wow, they really sliced and diced him for those autopsies. Not to be gross, but I am wondering if his service was able to be done open casket or not?

And they are talking about who DID and who DID NOT show up at the funeral and memorial. Some people just don't do certain things.

Mariah Carey is apologizing for her performance at the memorial. I'd say she should apologize for that dress. Come on, we don't need those sort of plunging necklines at a memorial service of this nature. Yes, we're all aware of her talents, vocal and otherwise, but I don't see any need for her to apologize for her performance, considering the occasion and should chalk it up to actually being in the moment for once. I feel her apologizing only distracts from the realness of her performance.

I could say there are plenty of others who should apologize for their performances then.

I know when my father dropped dead(not a joke, that's literally what happened) in 2003, we did the "anatomical gift" thing. Of course, they take most donated tissues from areas that are normally covered up via clothing. Didn't see a mark on him, but apparently as we were told, his arms and legs were fairly ripped up for bone and other tissue donations.

Sick thing was that the organization doing the harvesting was a data client of ours(the company my father and I owned and operated). I guess one of those "small world" sort of things.

Celebrities are still dropping. It ain't gonna be a pretty summer.

If that is the case, then Michael Jackson should be taken out of the list. I would not consider his death natural since he was taking heavy doses of drugs. For the most part, nobady's heart can take years of abuse and still expect to be fine. most over the counter drugs mess you up as it is.
I believe that all deaths should be counted reguardless of how they died. The point is that they are no longer with us. RIP to all thise who have passed and will pass this year.

The toxicology results are starting to come in.

If we look at this from a "Dead Pool" point of view, doesn't matter HOW, just matter that you DID.

It may be entirely possibly that MJ should be exclused from "this conversation list" for the very reasons you say. Let's face it, it isn't the first time this sort of thing has happened, and it won't be the last. You'd think celebrities would learn from this.

What they do need to do is cut off all the new footage. Family films, hair on fire... Time to let the currently brainless corpse start to rest.

If it is shown that his cause of death was directly tied to his use/abuse of drugs, prescription or otherwise, I wouldn't be surprised. When I heard the news(my first posting was minutes after it broke), my initial reaction was that it's probably tied to drugs anyways.

Now Walter Kronkite is heading for the worm farm. Considering his legacy and reputation as a newsman ad journalist, perhaps that refocussing on attention to this great individual for a while should be a nice break from the MJ coverage. Sad to see him gone as well.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Chris Pickett,