Music legend Prince died today (4/21 in the US) at the age of 57. The Apollo Theater in Harlem, NYC is paying tribute:
As is President Obama:
“President Obama Mourns Death of ‘Creative Icon’ Prince” (Rolling Stone)
And Justin Timberlake:
Read a longer obituary, also in Rolling Stone:
Browse many, many more comments about his passing on Twitter:
And appreciate his amazing guitar skills in this cover of the Beatles’ “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”:
Do you still use email? These days, it seems that people in Japan use only LINE. Anyway, the man who invented the email has passed away. His name was Ray Tomlinson.
Did you know that the first email was sent in 1971? That the @ symbol was revitalized because of email? Find out more with this links:
Then laugh (and cringe) a little — and think about how much has changed in a relatively short time — with this video:
Another surprising and saddening loss this week: Alan Rickman, the British actor who played the villain in the first “Die Hard” movie, Professor Snape in the “Harry Potter” series, and the quiet but fiercely loyal Colonel Brandon in “Sense and Sensibility”. You can see those roles and some of his others in this short “in memoriam” clip by CNN:
That voice!
Benedict Cumberbatch is famous for his ability to mimic Rickman. Here he is with Jimmy Fallon having a little fun. It’s a form of respect, no?
And speaking of Harry Potter, here’s a great review of the third movie and why it’s the best in the series:
Everyone’s shocked by the passing of David Bowie yesterday at the age of 69. Here’s a very comprehensive collection of links from the BBC.
He was one of my favorite singers and starred in a really fantastic, thought-provoking movie called “Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence.” The movie includes two of my favorite songs (or rather, two versions of one of my favorite songs): “Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence” by Ryuichi Sakamoto and the version with vocals, “Forbidden Colours” by David Sylvian.
Bowie, Sakamoto and Beat Takeshi starred in the 1983 movie, which was directed by Nagisa Oshima. If you’ve never seen it, this might be a good time to go rent it. The Japanese title is 「戦場のメリークリスマス」. Here’s a trailer:
