# Ernest Goes To Heaven . . . . . . **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 11, 2000, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ernest-goes-to-heaven/13702 "2000-02-11T14:52:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2000, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ernest-goes-to-heaven/13702/1 "2000-02-11T14:52:00Z")
- - - Jim Varney died Thursday. (AP) - MC ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2000, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ernest-goes-to-heaven/13702/2 "2000-02-11T14:58:00Z")
Oh No! Oh man. this is terrible!! I reported he was sick and in remission from cancer a bit ago… ☹☹ I thought he was great! What lousy news… ☹ ☹ ☹ ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2000, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ernest-goes-to-heaven/13702/3 "2000-02-11T14:59:00Z")
I Hope he went to Heaven… ---
**Author:** ![BunnyGirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@BunnyGirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BunnyGirl)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2000, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ernest-goes-to-heaven/13702/4 "2000-02-11T15:00:00Z")
How sad. He was funny. I always liked his “hey Vern…” commercials. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2000, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ernest-goes-to-heaven/13702/5 "2000-02-11T15:04:00Z")
I am not going to rewrite all that stuff, so I will just say - check Uber’s “talent taken from us” thread. Mayhap he was being sarcastic, but Jim Varney was a human being, and at times a damned funny one. I, for one, am sad to see him go at the young age of 50. Basically it was cancer that killed him. It started as lung cancer (Jim really liked his smokes). They took 2/3rds of one lung. It wasn’t enough. It spread to his brain . . . there was no way after that. It seems cheesy but I will say it yet again : Hey Vern . . . Godspeed. One death does diminish us all. * * * “A single lifetime, even though entirely devoted to the sky, would not be enough for the investigation of so vast a subject.” - Seneca ---
**Author:** ![Daniel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Daniel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daniel)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2000, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ernest-goes-to-heaven/13702/6 "2000-02-11T20:12:00Z")
☹ I’m sad he’s gone. I liked him; I’ll miss him. (I just hope they don’t make a Jim Carrey movie about him . . . ) Bye Jim * * * Mayor of [Snerdville](http://fathom.org/snerdville), the home of Mortimer Snerd “I’m just too much for human existence – I should be animated.” –Wayne Knight ---
**Author:** ![lvick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d07c76/32.png) [@lvick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lvick)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2000, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ernest-goes-to-heaven/13702/7 "2000-02-12T04:19:00Z")
thanks Daniel, that’s a particularly twisted image now stuck in my mind. Ernest Saves Christmas, IMHO a classic ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2000, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ernest-goes-to-heaven/13702/8 "2000-02-12T04:36:00Z")
Darn. He seemed like a nice dude. Yunowatimean? ---
**Author:** ![Sylence](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b19c9b/32.png) [@Sylence](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylence)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2000, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ernest-goes-to-heaven/13702/9 "2000-02-12T04:50:00Z")
Jim Varney was actually a trained Shakespearian actor. . . Kinda hard to imagine, but he had talent, that’s for sure. Godspeed, Mr. Varney. – Sylence * * * If a bird doesn’t sing, I’ll wait until it sings. - Tokugawa Ieyasu ---
**Author:** ![Babar714](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@Babar714](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babar714)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2000, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ernest-goes-to-heaven/13702/10 "2000-02-12T05:39:00Z")
I am completely shocked. I didn’t even know he was sick. This is the first I’ve heard of it. His family is in my thoughts now. How sad. I was having a great evening, too. Damn. ---
**Author:** ![TaleraRis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@TaleraRis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TaleraRis)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2000, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ernest-goes-to-heaven/13702/11 "2000-02-12T05:47:00Z")
I couldn’t believe it either. I grew up with him. Ernest Goes to Camp was probably one of the first movies I remember seeing. I know for sure I’ll miss him. He was great. * * * When are you going to realize being normal isn’t necessarily a good thing? ---
**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2000, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ernest-goes-to-heaven/13702/12 "2000-02-12T13:21:00Z")
- - - I wasn’t particularly a fan but I do kinda admire the idea of someone talented enough to be a Serious Actor but who chooses to portray an idiot in kids’ movies instead. Hollywood could well use a few more like him. As it stands, we suffer with the opposite instead. - MC ---
**Author:** ![Snark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Snark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snark)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2000, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ernest-goes-to-heaven/13702/13 "2000-02-12T23:34:00Z")
Ernest (er, I mean Jim), you brought some real happiness into many people’s lives. Happy Trails, bud. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2000, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ernest-goes-to-heaven/13702/14 "2000-02-12T23:50:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by Sylence: > \*\*Jim Varney was actually a trained Shakespearian actor. . . > > Kinda hard to imagine, but he had talent, that’s for sure. > > Godspeed, Mr. Varney. > – Sylence > > \*\* I liked Jim Varney, especially as the carney in an episode of the Simpsons. I did not see on the IMDB where he was a trained Shakespearian actor, of course they don’t have anything about his death either. Enright3 ---
**Author:** ![jab1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ee7513/32.png) [@jab1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jab1)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2000, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ernest-goes-to-heaven/13702/15 "2000-02-13T01:42:00Z")
[http://ErnestGoesOnLine.com/](http://ErnestGoesOnLine.com/) and [www.JimVarney.Findhere.com/](http://www.JimVarney.Findhere.com/) are both getting tributes ready. Check back. * * * \>\< DARWIN \> \_\_ **L\_\_\_L**