Family, I am so sad to report that I could not shed a tear over the death of Michael Jackson... I tried but I just couldn't. Steve McNair? Nope. I did grow misty-eyed over Farrah because she was one of my first sheroes and I had an awesome lunchbox with her pic on it. I think the last celebrities that I had hard cries over were Gerald Levert and Ed Bradley. In fact, I almost burned my house down because I was cooking while drinking and having my own personal funeral for Ed Bradley but that's another story (NEVER try pouring out a lil Cabernet for a homie near a stove). Anyway, when I heard about the death of E. Lynn Harris, I was devastated. I cried like a baby. This hit your girl hard. When I called my sister, she was driving and had to pull over. It hit her hard. My girl Felicia described it best when she said that she was "numb". Why? Not only was he a great author that was full of truth and honesty, he was a genuine person. I had the pleasure of meeting him on two Yes, he had purchased a copy of MY book and wanted an autograph...can you believe???The second time I met him, he didn't remember our first meeting but joked that I was one of his characters (Windsor) come to life...lol...and on both occassions, he was funny, warm, giving, loving, and well...he was warm. Like you had been knowing him for years. And you know what? Every person who has ever met him says the same things about him. Consistant. Real. Warm. That was the E. Lynn we all knew. We laughed and cried. We cheered his heroic characters on and wanted to murder the villians. I will never forget his laugh or the grip of his handshake. Real people are hard to come by and the world has lost one. What are we going to do without Basil, Kyle, Raymond, and that bitch Yancy B? E. Lynn, you left us way too soon....
