Taken Too Soon

My condolences to Santa Barbara rocker Dave Crosby whose son, Beckett Cypher, 21, has died after struggling with opioid addiction.

The musician, 78, was the sperm donor for singer Melissa Etheridge and former partner, Julie Cypher, and addressed the tragic passing in several short messages on social media, saying that he’d taken an active part in Beckett’s life.

Rest in Peace, Roy

On a personal note, I remember Roy Horn, partner in the iconic Las Vegas act, Siegfried & Roy, who has died from the coronavirus aged 75.

I was in the desert gambling mecca in 1997 for the opening of a New York friend, Marc Packer’s Harley Davidson Cafe, attended by a host of celebrities, including Burt Reynolds, Jon Voight, Stephanie Powers, and Pamela Anderson.

I stayed nearby at Steve Wynn‘s Mirage, where the dynamic duo performed with their white Bengal tigers and lions for more than 30,000 shows, and decided to check it out.

At the time I was an anchor on the CBS syndicated show Day & Date and the usher moved me from my table in the middle of the auditorium to the front, which was particularly unnerving given I was just feet away from the 400 pound beasts, with nothing between us to prevent me becoming a tasty carnivore canapé.

During their stint at the Mirage, for which they signed a lifetime contract in 2001, the shows attracted more than ten million people and generated more than $1 billion in revenue.

A roaring success…

Remembering John

On a particularly sad note, I mark the passing of John Venable, 80, a former Grand Marshall in the Montecito July 4 Parade, where I am a regular as King George III.

For 16 years he was a member of the Montecito Fire Protection Board and a longtime president of the Montecito Trails Foundation.

He will be missed.