Artist: Carol Channing
LP: Carol Channing
Song: "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend"
[ listen ]
Today was quite a day. First my friend Ryan informed me that Carol Burnett had died. I was heartbroken. I'd grown up watching her show on weekend evenings at my Grandma Bea's house. When I asked my coworkers if they'd heard that she'd died, they said they had heard that Carol Channing had died, not Carol Burnett. I looked it up online and they were right. I was relieved. Not that I wanted Carol Channing dead, but she was 97 after all, whereas Carol Burnett is still a sprightly 85.
Then this afternoon I decided to try calling Marsha, my friend and former piano teacher. She hadn't been well lately and I'd meant to reach out to her over the past weekend to let her know I was thinking of her and to see how she was feeling. When she answered and I told her it was Alex, she simply stated "Alex," as if she didn't remember who I was. I told her I was thinking of her and wanted to give her a call to say hello. "Alex" she said again. And then, "This is Gloria. You didn't get my email." Marsha had passed away the night before, just after she'd gone to sleep. I was heartbroken again. I've lost a friend.
Then this afternoon I decided to try calling Marsha, my friend and former piano teacher. She hadn't been well lately and I'd meant to reach out to her over the past weekend to let her know I was thinking of her and to see how she was feeling. When she answered and I told her it was Alex, she simply stated "Alex," as if she didn't remember who I was. I told her I was thinking of her and wanted to give her a call to say hello. "Alex" she said again. And then, "This is Gloria. You didn't get my email." Marsha had passed away the night before, just after she'd gone to sleep. I was heartbroken again. I've lost a friend.
[ Marsha Wright ]
I left work early and went to see WIDOWS to get my mind on something cheerier (theft, betrayal, and murder to be precise). Then this evening my friend Ryan texted again to say that Bonnie Guitar had died! (I quickly checked online to make sure she didn't mean Bonnie Tyler.) So now I'm headed to bed, but with three fewer wonderful Washingtonian women in the world than there were just a few days before.
That's right—Carol Channing was born right here in Seattle back in 1921. Her father was working as city editor for the Seattle Star. He took a job in San Francisco and the family moved to California when Carol was only two weeks old. But yeah, Carol Channing is originally from somewhere right up the street from me.
Now I've got to get to bed, so I'll leave you with Ms. Channing's Wikipedia page here, and here is her obituary in the New York Times. As I type this I hope Carol, Marsha, and Bonnie are standing together at some pearly gates or whatever, waiting for security clearance and talking about music and the beautiful state of Washington they've all left behind.
Carol Channing
[ January 31, 1921 — January 15, 2019 ]
We will miss you, Carol.
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