Towards the end of August, we were rocked by a string of high-profile deaths.
On the 25th of the month, the Queen of Country, American Singer-Songwriter, actress and philanthropist Dolly Parton passed away in Nashville Tennessee following a battle with Cancer. Parton is of course remembered for her music career with songs like 9 to 5 and I Will Always Love You – the latter of which has turned into something of a soundtrack to celebrations of Parton’s life- she is also remembered for her extensive philanthropy through initiatives like Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which sent one free book a month to enrolled children from birth until the age of five.
The same day, English actor and singer Tim Curry passed away in Los Angeles at age 80. Curry was known for a flair of showmanship, which he had in common with Dolly Parton. He is probably best remembered for the 1975 adaptation of The Rocky Horror Picture Show which, while initially dismissed by the Box Office and critics, very quickly became a cult classic and a hallmark of queer cinema deeply tied to Curry’s performance as the Mad Scientist from the planet Transsexual in the galaxy of Transylvania, Frank-N-Furter. Kirikiriroa’s own Riff Raff Statue paid tribute to Curry’s passing and has become a spot for fans to honour the departed performer.
Peter Cullen also passed away on the 28th, at the age of 85, a prolific voice actor most notable as the definitive voice of Optimus Prime, playing the Autobot leader across dozens of series starting with the original 1984 animated series. He also played a role in bridging the gap between Western audiences and anime as he did voice-over promo work for series like Gundam Wing for the Cartoon Network late-night broadcast, Toonami.
