THE BIG GOOD BYE

Over a long life certain people come in and out of that life that leave an impression. One of those people for me (maybe this says more about me than it does about him), was Tiny Tim. (The "singer," not the Christmas Carol Kid.)

For you younger readers Tiny Tim achieved his dubious fame in the late 60s. He was a tall, skinny, long-haired, ukulele strumming, falsetto who came to "fame" on TV variety shows "singing," as only Tim could sing, Tip Toe Through The Tulips. In 1969 he married his first wife, Miss Vicki, in front of 40 million viewers on the "Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson."

Tiny was performing in a room full of his fans in Minneapolis in 1996 when he died of a massive heart attack.

So why did TT's death so many years ago still stick with me?

In an interview after Tiny tipped his last toe, his third wife, Miss Sue, summed up his death by saying, "He died singing Tiptoe Through the Tulips. The last thing he heard was applause, and the last thing he saw was me."

I remember this because Herbert (Tiny Tim ) Khaury died doing what he loved, being rewarded for doing what he loved, and lying in the arms of the one he loved. Neat eh? I guess even a mediocre performance can be salvaged by a classy exit. In some ways I actually envy Tiny Tim.