A boomer’s tribute to those we lost in 2023

O P I N I O N

It’s that time of the year when we recognize and remember those we’ve lost this past year.

All of the news organizations will again pay tribute to individuals we’re all familiar with like Norman Lear, 101; Henry Kissinger, 110; Rosalynn Carter, 96; Matthew Perry, 54; Dianne Feinstein, 90; Bob Barker, 99; Paul Reubens, 70; Tony Bennett, 96; and Alan Arkin, 89.

Some of those who have passed this year may not be familiar to everyone, but they may have been important to us as we matured. To those, I give special thanks for what they contributed to my own experiences.

• Denny Laine, 76, December 5. Laine was a founding member of The Moody Blues, 1964-1966, singing their hit cover version of “Go Now.” According to legend, while the Moody Blues were on tour with The Beatles in 1965, Laine met Paul McCartney, who later asked him to join his band Wings. Laine played guitar, bass, and keyboards, and sang backup and lead vocals with Wings during its entire run, 1971 to 1981. He also co-wrote songs with McCartney including the 1977 hit “Mull of Kintyre.” The Moody Blues and Wings are on my own favorite rock groups list.
• Suzanne Somers, 76, October 15. Somers was perhaps best known for what was termed “T and A” television as Chrissy Snow in Three’s Company, 1977-1981, and pitching the ThighMaster. She was also a breast cancer advocate and health and wellness businessperson and she wrote more than 25 books, including two autobiographies, four diet books, and a book of poetry. Who knew?
• Having lived in Boston for more than 40 years, how could I not remember Red Sox Tim Wakefield (57, October 1), our knuckleball legend? Although he began his MLB career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, he will always be most remembered for his 17 years with the Red Sox. Wakefield was the longest-playing player on the team (1995-2015). When he retired at age 45 after 19 seasons in MLB, Wakefield was the oldest active player in the major leagues.
• David McCallum, 90, September 25. Do you remember watching The Man from U.N.C.L.E. as a kid? In the ’60s, secret agents were all the craze and we couldn’t get enough of them. I, like so many, preferred agent Illya Kuryakin over the suave Napoleon Solo (Robert Vaughn). While playing Kuryakin, McCallum received more fan mail than any other actor in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer‘s history.

In 2003 McCallum again reinvented his popularity playing  Medical Examiner Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard in the television series NCIS for 20 seasons until his death. Twenty years. Who knew?

• Terry Kirkman, 83, September 24. You may not know his name, but you have to know the song he wrote, “Cherish,” as a member of The Association that has been played at innumerable wedding ceremonies. According to BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.), “Cherish” was the 22nd most-played song of the 20th Century. Was “Cherish” played at your wedding?
  
• When you hear the name Gary Wright, (80, September 4), don’t you automatically start singing the song “Dream Weaver“? Okay, maybe you don’t. But perhaps you recall his 1976 hit “Love Is Alive.. Prior to “Dream Weaver,” Wright spent seven years as a member of the British band Spooky Tooth and as a solo artist. While in England, he played keyboards on former Beatle George Harrison‘s triple album All Things Must Pass (1970).
• Randy Meisner, 77, July 27, founding member of the ’70s rock band the Eagles. Meisner was a bassist and a high-harmony vocalist as an Eagles group member and session musician. He co-wrote and sang the lead vocal on the Eagles hit song “Take It to the Limit.” I can hear you start humming now.
• Perhaps the best-known of this group is Jimmy Buffett, 76, who died September 1. Buffett, himself, called his music “drunken Caribbean rock ‘n’ roll.”

“It’s pure escapism is all it is…I’m not the first one to do it, nor shall I probably be the last. But I think it’s a part of the human condition that you’ve got to have some fun. You’ve got to get away from whatever you do to make a living or other parts of life that stress you out. I try to make it at least 50/50 fun to work and so far it’s worked out.” —Jimmy Buffett

Buffett recorded many hit songs known as “The Big 8,” including “Margaritaville” (1977), ranked 234th on the Recording Industry Association of America‘s list of “Songs of the Century“; “Come Monday” (1974); “Fins” (1979); “Volcano” (1979); “A Pirate Looks at Forty” (1974); “Cheeseburger in Paradise” (1978); “Why Don’t We Get Drunk” (1973); and “Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes” (1977).

He also performed “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere” with Alan Jackson (2003).

Although he only had one Top 10 song, 1977’s “Margaritaville” became his signature. The chorus has been part of countless singalongs (Come on, now, sing along): “Wasted away again in Margaritaville, searching for my lost shaker of salt… Some people claim that there’s a woman to blame, but I know, it’s my own damn fault.”

As one of the world’s richest musicians, Buffett had a net worth of $1 billion and he was a bestselling author. You can bump into many of his fans, or “Parrotheads,” at Latitude Margaritaville, his three retirement communities located in Daytona Beach and Watersound, Florida, and Hilton Head, South Carolina. You may also be familiar with his other business ventures, including Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville restaurant chain, the now-defunct Cheeseburger in Paradise restaurant chain, and enterprises in hotels, casinos, and liquor.

With the end of 2023, let’s raise a glass and toast these individuals and others we lost who were so meaningful to us. Cheers.