Chip Taylor, who wrote the songs “Angel of the Morning” and “Wild Thing,” has died at the age of 86.
Also happened to be Jon Voight’s younger brother and Angelina Jolie’s uncle.
I saw them when they opened for Strange Fruit.
There is very little detail on this, other than a “freak accident”… falling forwards or sideways from “ground level” rarely results in a head trauma, as we have protective responses (e.g., stopping the fall with our arms), so I wonder if he hit the metal pole that holds the net, or was trying to hit on overhead shot and fell backwards striking his head?
Somewhat related to the pickleball accident, a tennis linesman (Dick Wertheim) was killed when a serve from Grand Slam champion Stefan Edberg hit him in the ….ahem… groin and he fell and hit his head
I didn’t even know he was sick.
Kidder won the Pulitzer prize and the National Book Award for his 1981 work The Soul of a New Machine, which delved into the work of a fledgling computer company long before most people cared about the inner workings of Silicon Valley.
He was 80 when he died.
Musician Dash Crofts of Seals and Crofts shines no more.
“Advance Guards” is the song of theirs that I’ll always remember.
Damn, the room is getting blurry.
Tracy Kidder’s books Mountains Beyond Mountains and Strength in What Remains are great inspirational reads. Farewell to someone who helped make the world a better place.
Honolulu Aquarium: The Aquarium is saddened by the loss of Ghost, the giant Pacific octopus who was beloved by staff, guests, and those who learned about her online. Ghost died on March 24 after entering senescence, the natural end-of-life process after laying eggs. The Aquarium announced Ghost’s senescence online in September 2025. Ghost was resting behind the scenes while animal care and veterinary staff provided her with extra support and care during her senescence.
Ghost arrived at the Aquarium in May 2024, weighing about three pounds at the time. **She had grown to over fifty pounds 
and was estimated to have been between two and four years old at the time of her passing.
I have no idea how long that is in octopus years. And a new word to me: senescence
According to Wikipedia, the normal lifespan of an octopus is between 2 to 4 years, but some species only live about 6 months.
I get to learn something new: I had thought that Pacific Giant Octopodes only lived for a year. Unfortunately, Ghost disqualifies for two reasons:
1 - Not human
2 - Definitely younger than eighteen.
3 - I still miss Opal.
Props for using “Octopodes”, the etymologically consistent and fun to say plural!
Brian
Never mind, doesn’t show up correctly