It's been almost two days now, and I'm still in shock. Kobe Bryant was 41 years old...he still had more life and work left in him. But his legacy lives on, not just for his incredible NBA career but also his work outside of the NBA (including an Oscar for the short film Dear Basketball).
When I was young, I read Sport Illustrated for Kids...and I loved it whenever there was a feature story about Kobe, or a poster of him dunking on somebody. Kobe was somebody that I always looked up to for his fierce motivation to succeed, and his ability to unite an entire country through the sport he loved.
His family and friends are in my prayers. I can't believe that three people whose work I've followed my whole life---Caroll Spinney, Neil Peart, and Kobe Bryant---have all passed away in the span of less than two months. Life is short. Make the most of it while you can.
I know it’s still a shock. There have been others that died in helicopter crashes- Thurmon Munson (won three World Series with the Yankees back in the 70s), Bill Graham (concert promoter who managed the Jefferson Airplane, Santana, helped organize Woodstock, and revolutionized the concert business), Stevie Ray Vaughn (one of the best blues guitarists ever).
The trouble is they were all freak accidents. All of them have flown on copters and planes as part of their careers. It’s tragic, and what probably frustrates a lot of people is there’s no one to blame. It just happened. But that’s cold comfort to family and fans.
The one thing I hope that doesn’t come out of this, is Snowthy saying, “What a crappy year this is already. January isn’t over yet and casualties are piling up!”
2012 had its share of deaths too. But you can’t measure a year by how many people pass away.
We will all pass away sometime (me being probably the oldest on here, most likely I’ll go first).
The harsh reality is, even when someone we love or admire dies, we have to keep living. It’s tough, but there’s no way around it.
I can be grateful I met Kobe before he became a household name, and he was a positive role model on all counts. Unlike someone like Dennis Rodman, who while equally talented, his personal life was a disaster.