In a past post I mentioned that entertainment is important to the health of a society. The classic Batman’s Louie The Lilac was the “face” of that post, if I recall correctly…

This past week has not been kind to us where our entertainment icons are concerned. And I do mean “icons.” People who made our entertainment what it was – and is today. Without whom our entertainment would look quite different…

Although, for one or two of them, “entertainment” might be the wrong umbrella to put them under. Too limiting…

Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who’s best known for his portrayal of son Theo Huxtable on the 1984-92 Bill Cosby Show, drowned while vacationing with his family in Costa Rica. The actor/director/poet/musician was only 54. He leaves behind a post-Cosby body of work that supported people, particularly children. He’s going to be missed.

Hulk Hogan, who died this week at 71, personified “professional wrestling” in the 80’s, and with his compatriots elevated it to performance art, putting it on the entertainment map in a big way. He helped usher in the bigger-than-life arena that gave us Duane “The Rock” Johnson, Andre the Giant, Mr. T, Rowdy Roddy Piper, Lou Albano, and a slew of other high-energy, over-the-top theatrical athletic showmen. And he never lost that showman quality, even to the end.

Music has suffered this week, too. Two incredible musicians, whose talent and influence went beyond the concert stage, left us unexpectedly.

Chuck Mangione was 84 when he passed away this week. He played jazz trumpet and flugelhorn – which is akin to saying Michelangelo painted ceilings. Twice winning Grammy awards (he was nominated 14 times), his 1978 megahit “Feels So Good” is worth another listen – even if you have heard it in soundtracks since – as is his composition “Give it All You Got,” which was the theme for the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, NY.

But the one that hit me the hardest was the passing of Ozzy Osbourne. The frontman for Black Sabbath, whose influence on music cannot be understated. Black Sabbath – and Ozzy – essentially invented the “heavy metal” genre, which has been an important style of music in my life. Then he had a spectacular solo career, then reunited with his Black Sabbath band mates while still releasing his own music… A reality TV show that was a big hit for MTV, that showed him to be other than the “Prince of Darkness” persona he portrayed on stage. The 76 year-old had suffered from Parkinson’s for the last several years, had a couple of back surgeries (ill-advised, as it turned out), but he still made and performed music. His final performance was billed as his farewell, and included performers who would not be popular today if it hadn’t been for Black Sabbath’s influence in the 1970’s and 80’s and beyond. Lots of classic Sabbath got played that day, and Ozzy, now limited to a center-stage leather throne (pictured above, courtesy ABC News), performed a few of his own songs, then the original Black Sabbath lineup joined him to close the show with four of their classics.

We didn’t know what Ozzy obviously already knew. That his farewell really was a farewell. Two weeks later, he was gone. John Michael Osbourne. 12/3/1948 – 7/22/2025. May he rest in peace.

Yeah. If I still had hair, it would be long…