Final departures

Letter writers in The Oz have put THAT event held in the U. S. of A. this week in perspective.

The phony cacophony

I THOUGHT the world had gone mad but was reassured when I read so many letters (Most Talked About, 10/7) questioning the ridiculous adulation of Michael Jackson and the phony cacophony heard in much of the media. Graham Pascoe’s letter was interesting; I thought I knew just about everything about Bing Crosby, until I read how quietly he departed this world. It was a similar situation with his buddy Bob Hope. No fanfare, just resting in hospital at the end, in the presence of his wife Dolores. A comic to the end, his reply to his wife’s question “Where would you like to be buried?” was a simple, “Surprise me”.

Frank Bellet
Petrie, Qld

Okay, so you'd like to know what Graham Pascoe had to say in his letter. Read it below.

THE Hollywood-style hoopla surrounding Michael Jackson’s memorial service contrasts with another Hollywood funeral almost 32 years ago. Great as he was, Jackson’s accomplishments are dwarfed by Bing Crosby, who had the most number one pop music hits ever (38), was the number one movie box-office attraction five years in a row (1944-48) and in the top 10 a total of 15 times and was a major US radio star from 1931 to 1954.

Believing a man had a right to “die in privacy”, Crosby was buried at 6am (when the blue of the night meets the gold of the day) on October 18, 1977. Only his immediate family and closest friends were allowed to be present. Crosby revolutionised popular music in the 1930s but is now largely forgotten. Will Jackson’s achievements suffer the same fate?

Graham Pascoe
Bathurst, NSW

Source: The Australian