The Summer of Death

As Duke students relished (read: loathed) being in one of the few schools not off for Labor Day this week, the holiday also marked the official end of summer. Most people at Duke will remember the summer of 2009 as a season for late night debauchery, garage parties and DukeEngage (where ultimate self-discovery is achieved in only eight weeks, leaving no room for question). Others, however, will keep in mind the pop culture losses we experienced this summer. It’s important now to look back at the contributions of all those we lost in this year’s Summer of Death.

— It’s incontrovertible that Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, was the most famous of the recently deceased. With his signature dance moves, Jackson proved that despite what naysayers and conspiracy theorists alike may think, we did have a man walk on the moon.

— In the case of Billy Mays, we learned this summer that he was able to keep everything but his nose Oxi Clean. After autopsy reports showed that Mays was an avid cocaine user, we finally know what made him so animated in those Kaboom! commercials.

— Farrah Fawcett was best known for two contributions to American culture. First and foremost, Fawcett starred as Jill Munroe in the popular television series Charlie’s Angels. But perhaps more importantly, Fawcett was able to give most pre-adolescent boys their first “locked bedroom door” experience with her iconic poster that continues to sell in record numbers today. Thank you, Ms. Fawcett, for being the catalyst for libidinous teenage boys everywhere.

— Speaking of which, this summer also proved that people could enjoy themselves to the point of excess, even leading to death. David Carradine, most notable for playing Bill in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill, managed to somehow end his life in a bout of autoerotic asphyxiation. Perhaps for Carradine, the ties that bind were just too much for him to handle.

Possibly, through the gloom that overshadowed the Summer of Death, we can see the light after Labor Day (even though we didn’t get the day off—not saying I’m bitter, Duke).