I just need to get this out in words. We lost a dear friend in a bizarre freak accident yesterday. He was also our drummer.
Artie worked as a med cab driver. Yesterday there was a strong thunderstorm that went through New London, Connecticut. I saw a post on Facebook that a livery driver had been killed when a microburst--or maybe a tornado--blew down a tree and crushed the car. The driver wasn't named in the article. I showed the photo to my partner, Lorain, and her face went white. She told me that that was the type of car driven by Artie and a couple other friends of ours. Moments later, her phone started pinging with the news that Artie had been the man in the car. And everyone was trying to find Artie's partner's cell phone number. Fortunately, Lorain had it and passed it along.
I was too distraught to go to work, and Lorain needed the support anyway; she'd known Artie and performed with him for at least ten years and he was like family, not just to her but to her daughters and granddaughter. She spent the day on the phone so close friends wouldn't find out the news on Facebook. In the process we got an inkling of just how many people he had touched. He was a sweet, gentle guy, and not a drummer you would fire.
I'm not looking for sympathy for myself; the community has come together to collectively mourn. But we all need a reminder now and then of just how fragile we are, and how suddenly we can be taken away. Go and spend some time with your friends and family and hug them. Appreciate your bandmates. Be well.
Artie worked as a med cab driver. Yesterday there was a strong thunderstorm that went through New London, Connecticut. I saw a post on Facebook that a livery driver had been killed when a microburst--or maybe a tornado--blew down a tree and crushed the car. The driver wasn't named in the article. I showed the photo to my partner, Lorain, and her face went white. She told me that that was the type of car driven by Artie and a couple other friends of ours. Moments later, her phone started pinging with the news that Artie had been the man in the car. And everyone was trying to find Artie's partner's cell phone number. Fortunately, Lorain had it and passed it along.
I was too distraught to go to work, and Lorain needed the support anyway; she'd known Artie and performed with him for at least ten years and he was like family, not just to her but to her daughters and granddaughter. She spent the day on the phone so close friends wouldn't find out the news on Facebook. In the process we got an inkling of just how many people he had touched. He was a sweet, gentle guy, and not a drummer you would fire.
I'm not looking for sympathy for myself; the community has come together to collectively mourn. But we all need a reminder now and then of just how fragile we are, and how suddenly we can be taken away. Go and spend some time with your friends and family and hug them. Appreciate your bandmates. Be well.
