“Death is nothing to us. For all good and evil consists in sensation, but death is deprivation of sensation. And therefore a right understanding that death is nothing to us makes the mortality of life enjoyable, not because it adds to it an infinite span of time, but because it takes away the craving for immortality.” – Epicurus, Letter to Menoeceus, 300 B.C.
The Greek philosopher’s famous quote suggested that we should not fear death. We’re not immortal, and there’s no feeling or sensation once we pass this mortal coil. Since the living are unfamiliar with death, and cannot communicate with family, friends and loved ones who have already left this earthly plane, we have to assume this assessment is valid.
I do part ways with one aspect of Epicurus’s letter. The living do feel the sensation of death in an indirect fashion. There’s a profound sense of loss when someone close to us dies, and the loss of life often evokes a wide range of emotions and feelings. The sensations we experience may or may not be attributed to fear of death and the unknown, but it’s certainly more than a sense of nothingness.
As an example, I’ve lost several contemporaries in less than a year. Two of them were longtime friends, Adam Adler and Avi Hermant. A third individual, Michael Mostyn, the CEO of B’nai Brith Canada, was a cousin. All of them were in their fifties and had contracted some form of cancer. The average life expectancy for males in Canada reached 79.5 years in 2023. It’s difficult not to experience some type of sensation or emotion – and consider your own mortality – when you witness this on multiple occasions.
In a roundabout fashion, this helps explain the profound sense of loss after three prominent individuals from the Eighties died within a week of each other.
Malcolm Jamal-Warner, an actor and director, drowned on July 20 during a family vacation to Limón Province, Costa Rica. The 54-year-old had reportedly been swimming with his daughter in the ocean and got caught under a strong current. She survived this incident, along with two surfers who tried to help them.
Jamal-Warner had a successful career in TV, film and music. He won a Grammy Award in 2015, and received an Emmy nomination in 1986 for his memorable role as Theo Huxtable in NBC’s The Cosby Show (1984-1992). TV Guide described this program as television’s “biggest hit in the 1980s” and noted it “almost single-handedly revived the sitcom genre.” The show defined a generation in many ways, including its positive portrayal of Black American culture and growing financial status of middle-class and well-to-do African American families. Phylicia Rashad, who played a lawyer and working mother, sparked the “Clair Huxtable effect” based on her character, while Bill Cosby’s role as Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable earned him the moniker of “America’s Dad.”
The Cosby Show isn’t held in the same esteem today. Cosby’s various indiscretions and over 60 allegations of sexual assault has destroyed his public image and the show’s reputation. Jamal-Warner, to his credit, continued to work hard and built a successful life and career. He seemed to be an upstanding individual who wanted the best for his wife and daughter. His tragic death at such a young age pulled at many heartstrings.
Then came the equally shocking news that singer-songwriter Ozzy Osbourne passed away on July 22. The 76-year-old musician and pioneer of heavy metal music had been in poor health for some time. The “Prince of Darkness” had also just performed his final concert on July 5 and planned to continue to record music.
Osbourne’s career started in the late 1960s. He was the lead singer of the legendary heavy metal band Black Sabbath, which had previously been known as the Polka Tulk Blues Band (1968) and Earth (1968-1969). The Grammy-winning outfit’s popularity has continued for decades. Osbourne was fired in 1979, but went on to have a hugely successful solo career in the Eighties. Brilliant albums like Blizzard of Ozz, Diary of a Madman and his final release, Patient Number Nine, made him a household name. Strange incidents like biting off the head of a dove (which is seemingly accurate) and bat (disputed to this day), along with accusations of being a Satanist (completely untrue, since he belonged to the Church of England and was a faithful follower), followed him for years, too.
His immense popularity soared even further when The Osbournes aired from 2002-2005. The Emmy-winning reality show introduced most of America to his family and provided unique platforms for his wife, Sharon, and two of their children, Jack and Kelly. It allowed the Eighties legend to become a multi-decade personality, which continued until his final days.
Finally, there was the stunning death of 71-year-old Terry Bollea on July 24 due to cardiac arrest. If this name doesn’t ring a bell, his nom de plume should be instantly recognizable: Hulk Hogan. He’s one of the most popular pro wrestlers in the history of his industry – and one of the main faces of the Eighties.
Hogan’s pro wrestling career began in 1977, and he quickly became a major attraction in the World Wrestling Federation and American Wrestling Association. He parlayed this into an acting role in Rocky III (1982). He returned to the WWF in 1983 as part of Vince McMahon’s strategy to expand his promotion from a territory into a global organization. When Hogan beat The Iron Sheik on Jan. 23, 1984 in Madison Square Garden for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship, pro wrestling and sports entertainment were soon on the tips of everyone’s tongues.
Hogan’s accomplishments in pro wrestling are immense. He helped build the Rock ’n’ Wrestling Connection with Cyndi Lauper and MTV in 1985. He fought against many great wrestlers, including Andre the Giant, Roddy Piper, Paul Orndroff, King Kong Bundy, Ted DiBiase, Kamala, Randy Savage and The Undertaker. He left the squared circle in 1993 and returned the following year to join WWF’s biggest rival, World Championship Wrestling. He beat the legendary Ric Flair for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship on July 17, 1994. He became a heel (or villain) for the first time in years when he founded the New World Order with the Outsiders, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall. He returned to the WWF as a heel in 2002, and became a babyface (good guy) once more after his memorable match against Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson at WrestleMania X8 in Toronto. He joined Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, toured New Japan Wrestling for the first time in years, and rejoined World Wrestling Entertainment (the old WWF) on several occasions.
Hogan appeared in movies and TV, including his own reality show, Hogan Knows Best, from 2005 to 2007. He launched several restaurants in Florida, as well as Real American Beer in June 2024. He was accused of sexual assault, made some racist comments that were caught on tape, and was involved in a high-profile lawsuit with Gawker over a sex tape that earned him a settlement of $31 million (USD). He endorsed Donald Trump for president at the 2024 Republican National Convention. He even co-founded Real American Freestyle in April, a new freestyle wrestling promotion that will hold its first event on August 30.
The loss of Jamal-Warner, Osbourne and Hogan in a short seven day period caught the world’s notice. These three Eighties personalities had represented everything from childhood memories to heroic figures in the public sphere. Their sensational deaths would have been impossible for even Epicurus to ignore.
Michael Taube, a longtime newspaper columnist and political commentator, was a speechwriter for former Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper.
