Tribute---Celebrity Morgue

[Snoogans4Jay]

This thread is for tribute to those that have gone on but not forgotten.........as Tupac Shakur said......"Nobody should be forgotten".....Do you know someone that should not be forgotten but raises empty stares among your friends? Someone whose story is misrepresented or not represented at all?

Place your tributes here.....I will be begin with Mr. Shakur.

I want to use the Celebrity Morgue to showcase people who have passed on who are celebs in one way or the other, and maybe introduce readers to some worthwhile people they might not would have known about otherwise.

Recently I watched "Resurrection", the Tupac Shakur movie now out, and he stated that when he died he just hoped he would not be forgotten. Nobody should be forgotten.

We will start with Tupac _1971-1996



How could so much controversy follow such a YOUNG guy. He was but 25 when he was shot and killed. The story of that tragedy is as incredible as his life was. It would seem on good authority that the hit was ordered by Tupac's friend and Death Row Records President, Marion "Suge" Knight. Suge is a very intimidating man of 6'3" over 300 lbs KNOWN for using violence against anyone who crosses him. He was driving the car the night Tupac was shot. Tupac, sitting directly beside Suge was shot 5 times, Suge was "grazed" by one bullet.

Tupac grew up poor, no father in the home, in NJ. He reached success as a rapper and moved to L.A. where he became involved in black youth causes, and made an attempt to control the behavior of gang members with his "Thug Rules" Tupac explained that he used the term "Thug" because to most white people that is what a young black man is. No matter what they may THINK they are called, when a white person is somewhere and sees a young black male, he/she inevitably clutches valuables and looks around for protection. Tupac had decided to take the term back for black men as a badge of honor. "Yes we are thugs", he said, "this is a thug's life, but we are surviving and making it work. Most of us do not break the law any more frequently than you if our circumstances are the same as yours. It is the poverty stricken areas we must live in that often necessitate violence. We are the VICTIM of it, not the cause." This message was carried over when he organized a fundraiser and sponsored a day of truce between two of L.A.'s premier gangs, The Crypts and The Bloods. At the rally, there was no fighting, and one could even see members exchanging their "colors" for the day. It was a remarkable site, one created by the respect these people had for Tupac Shakur.

Tupac went on to serve 8 months in prison for sexual assault even though he had assaulted no one. The "assault" (of which there was no evidence), took place in his hotel suite and not preventing it was his only crime. As he stated, he had been tired and a bit drunk and went to bed before all the hangers on had left the suite. That was his mistake, he was the rich guy and he took the fall for the "crime". Tupac did not lose his spirit while serving his time, he even made a joke about the awful prison food, and how he had learned anger management because when a murderer calls you a name you don't pick a fight, you just say "I wish you wouldn't say that".

Having watched this movie, in his own words, I find that I believe THIS man over those that deny his accusations. Those such as Sean "Puffy" Combs, the late Notorious B.I.G., and those around Suge. Tupac simply had more credibility because he states the truth even when it is ugly for him to do so. I think he was a man of integrity, extremely well spoken and intelligent, as well as a multi talented artist.

These are the type of people we can not afford to lose, and yet we keep losing them. Dammit R.I.P. Thug Angel. We miss your voice, compassion, wit, and wisdom.

[kathy]

When Heath Ledger died, quite a few people I know said it was the same type of shock we felt when we lost River:



such a waste...what a talent he was. RIP...

[Snoogans4Jay]

River was one of my favorite actors........edgy and real and unafraid.
---------
DeShaun Holton aka Proof from D12 ---Eminem's best friend
October 2, 1973 – April 11, 2006

Every so often in this life you find an individual who makes you smile just to be in their presence. DeShaun "Proof" Holton comes off as one of those type people. Eminem's friend since school days, DeShaun (Proof) was one of the only guys around the 8 mile that would have anything to do with a white boy who wanted to rap. DeShaun thought Em was damn good and was genuine and that was all that mattered to him. I have had limited access to seeing Proof perform, but I know that he has always been an ever present on stage figure rapping along with Em live since I can remember knowing who Em is. He was the first member of the long ago formed D12 band to be brought up to L.A. by Em. His parts on Em's records have long been stand out performances, most notably "When the Music Stops". DeShaun was the real life person behind the long haired DJ friend who gave Em his start depicted in the movie 8 Mile. Here is a picture of Proof from those days:


DeShaun was shot in the head and killed instantly following a fight over a pool game up on the infamous 8 Mile. He is survived by a wife and three young children. He was 32 years old.



I always loved his smile


Performing with Eminem



With D12 -- left to right--Kon Artist, Proof, Bizarre, Kuniva, Eminem, and Swifty McVay



And yes.........he DOES kinda look like Chris Rock when he smiles

[Snoogans4Jay]

Now she is with Daniel again.........
----------------------------------------
Anna Nicole Smith
1967-2007
-----------------------------------------

Many people didn't like her, she was called poor white trash and a joke. I saw her a bit differently. She came up from nothing, fought battles with her weight, was put down for being a stripper, then later called a gold digger, but she hung in there and made a successful, if unconventional, career. She showed no fear in doing what she did and made no apologies for who she was. I liked that. Goodbye Anna.....
----------------------------------------------
In memory of Vickie Hogan Smith Marshall---

Lipstick and lashes, the traces of stardom
Lit up on a billboard so everyone sees them in neon
Behind the counter she stares out the window
Up at the billboard that's like a reminder in neon

She hates how she feels but she hangs like a mirror
Maybe a stranger could walk in and see her in neon
For two cents of danger she'd trust anybody
She'd smoke like a gun if it meant she might wind up

In neon the dreams in the light of a promise that dies
A shimmering city, a glimmer of hope and a lie
In neon the name's gone there's no reason why anymore
Trust them and wind up alone behind a locked door

Pictures and patterns, the touches of glamour
Cut into a fashion that flashes above them in neon
A hot cup of coffee held in her fingers
A perfect complexion that lingers above her in neon

She hates how she feels but she hangs like a mirror
Maybe a stranger could walk in and see her in neon
For a shot at the title, she'd slip into something
She'd smoulder like ashes if it meant she might wind up in neon

[johnnysgirl]

I loved that tribute.. Anna Nicole RULES!!!! she was a great won and I`m sure Dannyleen (or whatever you spell that name) will make her proud....

NOW SHE FINALLY REST IN PIECE UNLESS HER MOTHER IS FUCKING UP THINGS AGAIN!!!!

[M!$H]

The bass player Paul Raven, who has succumbed, aged 46, to an apparent heart attack following recording sessions in Switzerland, might have presented himself on stage as a commando-clad nightmare vision, but it did not prevent him becoming a much-loved figure on the industrial rock scene. When playing in Japan in the band Zilch, he was affectionately dubbed "Polar Bear" and "Silverback" because of his size in comparison to his Japanese fans. His contributions to a website run by his principal band, Killing Joke, revealed a well-travelled man with many friends and a keen interest in breeding pit bulls.



Appropriately for someone who made his name in industrial rock's concrete and metal sounds, Raven was born in the Black Country. He left Regis school, Wolverhampton, at 16 without qualifications; his first band was the Wolverhampton-based Neon Hearts, from which he went on to membership of glam-rockers Kitsch, alongside Tim Tyla, later of Dogs D'amour.



Killing Joke had been formed in 1979 by lyricist and singer Jaz Coleman and drummer Paul Ferguson. Described as being "the sound of the Earth vomiting", their bleak lyrics posited the impending collapse of society. Joined by guitarist Geordie Walker and bassist Martin "Youth" Glover, they recorded three albums before Coleman temporarily decamped for Iceland in 1982. Killing Joke imploded, opening the way for Walker's recruitment of Raven in time for an American tour that spawned the live mini-album Ha!



The arrival of Raven, with his "elastic bass stomp", coincided with the band's sound becoming more commercial and Coleman replacing his strangulated vocals with something more akin to a traditional rock voice. Fire Dances (1983) was supported with an appearance on Channel 4's The Tube, and by Night Time (1985) Killing Joke were enjoying singles chart success with Love Like Blood and Kings and Queens, and an appearance on Radio 1's In Concert. But such mainstream acceptance was shortlived, with the album Brighter than a Thousand Suns (1986) being less well received.



Under pressure from their label EG to continue this commercial sound, Coleman and Walker performed a volte-face with the keyboard and strings- dominated Outside the Gate (1988). The release of what was effectively a Coleman/Walker album under the Killing Joke name was an attempt to recoup an expensive recording bill; trying to accommodate Raven into the resulting deviation proved fruitless and he left.

Sessions for a new Killing Joke album at the end of the 80s, with Welsh bassist Dave Ball, collapsed, and by the time Extremities, Dirt and Various Repressed Emotions hit the shelves in 1990, Raven had rejoined the band. But by the end of a succesful tour, Coleman had relocated to New Zealand and, not for the first or last time, Killing Joke appeared to have ended.

New albums in the early 90s saw the return of Glover, while Raven hooked up with Walker (still a Killing Joke mainstay) in the group Murder Inc and played with sometime Joke drummer Martin Atkins in Pigface. He recorded two albums with Prong and worked in production and remixing, but always appeared to hanker after a Killing Joke reunion.

It came in 2003 when the band reformed for a new, eponymous, album. However, again it was Glover who was recalled for bass duties, with long-time Joke admirer Dave Grohl drumming. The album was a critical success - and when the band toured in support of its release, Raven was on-stage, reconfirmed in his position.

With Killing Joke's legacy being re-evaluated and the new generation of industrial rock paying its dues, it seemed as though this latest incarnation enjoyed solid foundations. Hosannas from the Basements of Hell appeared last year, but shortly into the promotional tour Raven left to join Ministry, an industrial rock band with political leanings that resonated with his own hatred of globalisation. At the time of his death, Raven was working with the French band Treponem Pal in Saint-Julien-en-Genevois.

Divorced from Nova, he is survived by his girlfriend Mel and his children Holly, Vincent, Maria, Lyric and Liam, his parents Jon and Kate, and his brother Daniel.



· Paul Vincent Raven, bass guitarist, born January 16 1961; died October 20 2007

Personal note: Paul Raven was one of my many heroes who I had a chance to connect with on myspace. He was an incredibly social person and loved interacting with anyone who he considered a true friend. As a result, he struck up conversations with me via his myspace (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=155958319). He was an excellent father, violently proud of his children, and passionate about music. He was one of the most genuine people I've ever gotten to speak to and while I only ever spoke to him in "cyberspace", his death impacted my life profoundly. It's so strange to look at pictures of him and realize that he is no longer here.

[kathy]

Aug 6, 2008 20:50:06 GMT -5 Snoogans4Jay said:

Now she is with Daniel again.........
----------------------------------------
Anna Nicole Smith
1967-2007
-----------------------------------------

Many people didn't like her, she was called poor white trash and a joke. I saw her a bit differently. She came up from nothing, fought battles with her weight, was put down for being a stripper, then later called a gold digger, but she hung in there and made a successful, if unconventional, career. She showed no fear in doing what she did and made no apologies for who she was. I liked that. Goodbye Anna.....
----------------------------------------------
In memory of Vickie Hogan Smith Marshall---

Lipstick and lashes, the traces of stardom
Lit up on a billboard so everyone sees them in neon
Behind the counter she stares out the window
Up at the billboard that's like a reminder in neon

She hates how she feels but she hangs like a mirror
Maybe a stranger could walk in and see her in neon
For two cents of danger she'd trust anybody
She'd smoke like a gun if it meant she might wind up

In neon the dreams in the light of a promise that dies
A shimmering city, a glimmer of hope and a lie
In neon the name's gone there's no reason why anymore
Trust them and wind up alone behind a locked door

Pictures and patterns, the touches of glamour
Cut into a fashion that flashes above them in neon
A hot cup of coffee held in her fingers
A perfect complexion that lingers above her in neon

She hates how she feels but she hangs like a mirror
Maybe a stranger could walk in and see her in neon
For a shot at the title, she'd slip into something
She'd smoulder like ashes if it meant she might wind up in neon

Bless you, Snoogs, for nominating Anna Nicole. Coincidentally, we were talking about her just this past weekend when we drove past the Seminole Hard Rock Casino (it's this huge building right off the Florida Turnpike) where she died. Also, a few months back when I was in the Bahamas last, we went by the cemetary where she and Daniel are buried. It sits right smack on the road en route to the Nassau airport, it's very small, very exposed to the road. We didn't have time to stop, or would have... I loved Anna Nicole and was so saddened when she passed away. What a tragic figure - exploited by many. And what could be more tragic? You give birth to a beautiful baby girl, and the son you were so close to dies in the hospital room where you're recovering?? I cannot imagine what she went through when her beloved Daniel passed away - the one person who truly loved her and who she truly loved (before baby Danilynn of course).

What a thoughtful memorial to her. Thanks again for posting this here.

[Snoogans4Jay]

WOW, that was really interesting about Paul Raven, how young he was for a damn heart attack. I have been a fan of Tyla for some time (Dogs D' Amour), so that was very much of interest. It is wonderful that he took such an interest in fans on MySpace Mish. Why is it that always the sweetest ones leave us too soon