Weird Al's parents...

[McFraggle]

That's sad. I send my condolences out to Al and the rest of the family.

 

[Skeeter Muppet]

*winces* I just made the mistake of reading the comments over on the message board for that article on Yahoo!Entertainment. And some jerk/moron/idiot/insult of your choice is basically going on and on about how much he dislikes Weird Al. He's just making an arse of himself. Which made me remember why I don't read the comments on Yahoo!News articles anymore.

I tell you, if that were a LiveJournal thread, that would so have made it onto LJDrama by now.

-Kim

 

[Krazedmuppet]

well, its truely a sad thing, BUT the funny part about it was that my brother heard about it on the TV and thought that Al himslef died, and he told me and I was about to cry. then I was going to post it on mc, but lucly decied to look it up first, so yeah, I didnt look like a total fool. But my heart and prayers go out to him and his family.

 

[Convincing John]

I will be sending him a sympathy card soon.

I am also preparing something in tribute to his parents. I can't reveal it right now, but I will soon.



Convincing John

 

[Fozzie]

I heard about this yesterday on another board, very sad news. I am a huge Wierd Al fan and to lose both of your parents at the same time is just awful/

 

[Buck-Beaver]

This is just awful, awful news. A terrible tragedy.

 

[Buck-Beaver]

From http://www.weirdal.com/msg.htm

On April 9, my mom and dad, Nick and Mary Yankovic, passed away in
their home in Fallbrook, California. It was the result of a terrible
accident - that morning they had started a fire in the fireplace with the
flue closed, and were asphyxiated by carbon monoxide poisoning.
Suzanne called me that afternoon on the bus to give me the news, so
that I would hear about it before the wire services picked it up.

Needless to say, I feel pretty much the way you would expect me to
feel - shocked and devastated beyond words. I loved my parents so much, and
this all still seems like a horrible nightmare that I can't wake up from.

I want to thank my family, friends and fans for the incredible
outpouring of love and support that they've shown me. It's wonderful to
know that there are so many people around the world who truly loved my
parents, and also nice to know that I am not alone in my grief.

I take some small measure of comfort in knowing that they died
peacefully, and that they never had to suffer through the pain and
loneliness of living without each other. I'm also grateful that they both
lived long enough to see me happily married to Suzanne, and particularly
happy that they got to meet our beautiful baby daughter Nina. She filled
their lives with so much joy this last year. Nina may be too young to
remember playing with her grandparents when she gets older, but don't
worry, we'll have some great videotape to show her.

Many people have wondered what's going to happen with the tour. I
briefly considered canceling some shows, but I ultimately decided that it
would be better for me personally to continue working. Plus, I've heard
from so many people over the years that my music has cheered them up in
times of tragedy. well, I thought maybe my music would help me too.

So far, it has. Going up on stage in front of thousands of supportive
fans is a cathartic and somewhat therapeutic experience for me right now. I
don't know if I can say that the concerts really take my mind off of the
tragedy, but at least they give me a break from sobbing all the time.

Anyway, I have decided not to cancel any shows - the tour will
continue as planned. However, I have decided to put a moratorium on all
interviews and meet-and-greets for the time being - I just feel like I need
some time alone right now.

The funeral will be a very small, intimate service with only the
immediate family attending, so please, I ask that you respect our privacy.
Just knowing that your thoughts are with us at this time is more than
enough, but if you care to contribute anything, in lieu of flowers, Suzanne
and I suggest a donation to the Natural Resources Defense Fund in my
parents' name.

One thing I would like to ask everybody to do, though. please, go out
and get carbon monoxide detectors for yourself and your loved ones. If my
parents had had one in their home, there's a very good chance that they
would still be with us today.

In fairness to the memory of my mother, I should point out some
errors that appeared in the press. Although she was starting to have a
problem with short-term memory loss (she was taking medication for it), my
mother was never diagnosed with Alzheimer's.

As long as I'm pointing out errors that the press has made, it was my
Aunt Dot who found my parents when she was bringing them lunch that day, as
she routinely did (and not a group of relatives concerned that they "hadn't
heard from them in a while" - the family was close and caring and saw each
other several times a day). Also, my aunts and uncles all live in separate
houses (not together, as some articles implied), and for what it's worth, I
am not represented by the William Morris Agency either.

I don't know how much else I can say about my parents that I haven't
already said in interviews over the years. Although I always found it a
little uncomfortable, my dad talked a lot about death. He mentioned a few
times that he was planning to go on a diet so that his "casket would be
easier to carry." I guess that's where I got my sick sense of humor from.
And he was always talking about how much he was looking forward to seeing
his old army buddies again (in the next life). I sure hope they're having a
great reunion right now.

As unthinkable as this tragedy is to me, I just know that my mom and
dad were very much at peace with the world and with their lives. And I
guess I can take a small amount of comfort in that too.

Thank you all again for your overwhelming kindness and support. It
means more to me than you can ever know.

Love,
Al

 

[jediX]

I've been trying to respond to this for days but I don't even really know what to say . I can remember seeing them on his Disney Channel special years back and how much they added to that show...... and what great people they were.

 

[AndyWan Kenobi]

I was impressed by Al's message to his fans and the public in general. I'm also glad that he has so many people to love him and help him through this time.

 

[Don'tLiveonMoon]

That was a really moving message he put up. I hope that he can draw comfort from his fans and release through his music in the days to come. I don't know if I would have had the strength to keep up the tour if I'd been in his shoes.
Erin