Thursday Thirteen #685

These are 13 people who have passed away this year. The ones I list mean something to me - they are by no means indicative of all those who died, including but not limited the 280,000+ who have lost their lives to the Covid-19 virus.

1. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. This tiny woman was a giant who fought for women's rights. She was the second woman ever appointed to the Supreme Court, taking office in 1993.

2. Diana Rigg. I know this actress best for her work on Game of Thrones, where she played Olenna Tyrell, the woman who killed off the boy king. She also played Emma Peel in the Avengers TV series.

3. Charlie Daniels. His song The Devil Went Down to Georgia was one I grew up listening to, and it was a hit for its storytelling and music. 

4. Sean Connery. He will always be the real James Bond to me.

5. Alex Trebek. The long-time host of Jeopardy! lost his fight with pancreatic cancer (the same disease which killed my mother). I remember watching him when he first started hosting the show in 1984, and I have spent many a half-hour playing this quiz show and watching Mr. Trebek's prowess with answers and questions.

6. Helen Reddy. I Am Woman singer Helen Reddy was well-known to me as I was growing up. Her song, Delta Dawn, was one of the first I learned on the guitar. 

7. Little Richard. While I was not a big fan of this musician (he was a bit before my time), I have to honor the profound impact he had on music, especially rock and roll. He influenced many artists who came after him.

8. Eddie Van Halen. Here's another guitar player and I certainly couldn't leave him out of my list. He was famous for his licks and songs with the band Van Halen. I grew up listening to him.

9. Patricia Eva "Bonnie" Pointer. She was one of the Pointer Sisters, a group whose song I played when I was in my own little rock and roll band in the late 1970s. She died on my birthday this year.

10. Elizabeth Wurtzel. This author wrote the memoir Prozac Nation: Young and Depressed in America and opened up a dialogue about mental health and how we treat it in the United States.

11. Kenny Rogers. This singer sang the songs of my youth, from The Gambler to Islands in the Stream and many others. His low sultry voice was an attention getter.

12. John Prine. This singer-songwriter is well known for his story songs. My favorite is Angel From Montgomery.

13. Mac Davis. He was another singer I grew up listening to, and a favorite of my father's. He was also a songwriter and he wrote many of Elvis's hits. 

Oh wow, there are two more I must mention. So a Thursday Extra:

Ian Holm, who played Bilbo Baggins in the original Lord of the Rings trilogy films directed by Peter Jackson, was superb in that role.

Lastly, I must note the passing of Representative John Lewis, whose notion of "good trouble" is one of the things that I hope will help America find her soul and heart again, so that all the mean goes away.

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Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while and this is my 685th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.