We lost some really good people this week. Every one of them hit me hard in different ways. I wish I could say I could just shrug off these three deaths like I do almost any other celebrity passes.

But I can’t.

Dolly Parton, Tim Curry, and Peter Cullen meant something to me.

I wrote each of these short pieces the day each person died.

I’m very sad.

August 25, 2026

I feel gut-punched by this.

The world at large, and America in particular, lost one of humanity's finest. I was a fan of Dolly. I've been too shy to admit that.

Dolly made me happy.

I know there were times in her life when she stumbled, but she always strove to do the right thing. Her good works, gentle heart, and kind personality had a net positive effect on the world.

She was a good person.

America just lost one more of its few remaining shining lights.

The world is a darker place without you, Dolly.

August 26, 2026

Now it’s two in a row.

There is no more Tim Curry in our lives. Even after his stroke, it felt as if the man would live forever.

He was one of my favorite character actors, and he never failed to entertain me in any of his roles.

You'd think, knowing me, that my favorite role of his would be as Pennywise.

But it's not.

I believe his best performance was in a two-part Criminal Minds episode where he was a serial killer. He deserved an Emmy for that performance.

Mr. Curry, you will be missed, sir.

August 27, 2026

We lost Peter Cullen today.

Optimus Prime is officially dead.

I'm not sure why, but this one's hitting me every bit as hard as Tim Curry and Dolly Parton.

I have cried three times in a movie theater. What's ironic, considering I cry like a baby at home. The first was at Bambi when his mother was killed. the third time was at Avengers: Endgame when Tony Stark died. But the second time sticks out in my mind the most. It is, of course, when Optimus Prime is killed in Transformers: The Movie.

I bawled like a baby in the theater and took everything my mother and my grandmother had to calm me down. Going to the movie was my birthday present. It was one of the greatest and the worst birthdays of my life.

The character of Optimus Prime meant a lot to me when I was young. He represented goodness and honor.

I'll miss you, Mr Cullen. You brought so much joy to my life.

As Optimus Prime said, "Till all are one!"

- Josh (08-27-2026)