I already wrote about the following
Aretha Franklin:
https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2018/08/aretha-franklin-queen-of-soul.html
John McCain
https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2018/11/john-mccain.html
George H.W. Bush
https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2018/12/george-herbert-walker-bush.html
Stan Lee
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2018/11/stan-lee.html
Now I will write about a few more famous people who passed away in 2018
Let's start with where I'm from: Hawaii
1) Vince Manuwai
Associated Press
Vince Manuwai
Vince Manuwai was a professional football player born & raised in Hawaii. He was an offensive lineman, one of those large guys who protect the quarterback from the defense.
He attended Farrington High School where he was an All-Star player being recruited by many colleges.
His senior year was 1998-1999 (in other words, he's my age, though I attended a rival school. Some of my classmates from elementary/middle school went to high school with Manuwai).
In the Fall of 1998, the University of Hawaii (UH) had its worse season ever, going 0-12. Their coach Fred von Appen got fired. Meanwhile, many local players were embarrassed to even admit interest in joining the UH team.
Then came coach June Jones to the rescue. June Jones made it a mission to convince the local boys to stay home and turn UH into a football powerhouse. Manuwai was considering playing for Utah but decided to give June Jones a chance and play for the home team.
Manuwai was the rookie player in the 1999 UH football team that made one of the biggest turnarounds in college football history. The team that was 0-12 the previous year became 9-4 and won a bowl game!
(note: I started attending UH the same year, but never had any classes with Manuwai, nor did I have a chance to interact with him. I did interact with his teammates who were in my classes)
Manuwai became a team leader and was known to be one of the strongest players on the team. Coaches said that the lineman drills between Manuwai and Isa'ako "Issac" Sopoanga were very epic battles, being that they were the strongest guys on the team and both became NFL players.
Honolulu Star Advertiser
An iconic photo of Vince Manuwai from his UH days.
Manuwai was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars for whom he played for 8 years as a starter. He had some Hawaii-raised teammates for some of the seasons he played there, so that must've helped him with whatever culture shock he experienced there.
Then last month, Vince Manuwai collapsed while moving his items into his new condo in urban Honolulu.
According to family, Manuwai had a heart ailment that was discovered a year earlier. According to a medical examiner, some drugs were found in his system. His alleged drug use was not known to the public when he was alive.
“Former Hawaii football star Vince Manuwai died of ecstasy poisoning, medical examiner says,” Honolulu Star-Advertiser, December 3, 2018,
“Former Hawaii football star Vince Manuwai died of ecstasy poisoning, medical examiner says,” Honolulu Star-Advertiser, December 3, 2018,
For more on Vince Manuwai's life and legacy, check out this article from the Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Stephen Tsai, “Vince Manuwai Was One of the Best Offensive Linemen in University of Hawaii Football History,” Honolulu Star-Advertiser, November 5, 2018,
Stephen Tsai, “Vince Manuwai Was One of the Best Offensive Linemen in University of Hawaii Football History,” Honolulu Star-Advertiser, November 5, 2018,
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One more from Hawaii
2) Malani Bileyu
Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Malani Bileyu
Malani Bileyu was the lead singer of Kalapana, a contemporary Hawaiian music group that was popular in the 1970s and 1980s. They combined the sounds of soft rock with orchestral flows to make some iconic songs that define a generation in Hawaii.
Their songs are staples of many local radio stations who still play their music today. The popular ones included “Naturally", "When the Morning Comes", "Nightbird" and “You Make it Hard.”
The group had when many Na Hoku awards (Hawaii's version of the Grammy's). Bileyu also released a few solo records.
Bileyu died at his home earlier this month at the age of 69. The cause of his death is unknown to the general public.
learn more at
“Malani Bilyeu, Founding Member of Kalapana and Hoku Award-Winning Solo Artist, Dies,” Honolulu Star-Advertiser, December 27, 2018,
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now for outside of Hawaii
3) Anthony Bourdain & Kate Spade
The reason I am putting those 2 people in the same section was the timing and the similarities in their deaths.
Both were very successful people who became household names. Sadly, their wealth & fame could never erase their depression. Both committed suicide by hanging in the early part of this summer.
Wikipedia
Kate Spade
Kate Spade was a fashion designer whose name also became a brand. She was most famous for her handbags, but also made other fashion accessories, a clothing line, cosmetics, and home items.
Anthony Bourdain was a celebrity chef who had his own TV series. His TV series traveled to different countries to give a cultural & historical context to where the food comes from.
Peabody Awards
Anthony Bourdain
Bourdain also advocated for immigrant and women's rights. His girlfriend Asia Argento was victimized by Harvey Weinstein, putting Bourdain in the spotlight on this issue.
Bourdain also later admitted that the work environment restaurant industry was a fast-paced environment where people don't care about other people's feelings and that he should've done more to make his restaurants a more hospitable work environment.
The deaths of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain both goes to show that money, fame & success doesn't guarantee happiness and could never erase whatever traumas they were experiencing in their life.
4) Avicii
Perfect World Foundation
Avicii
Avicii was a Swedish digital musician and a star in the EDM (Electronic Dance Music) world.
He became famous with his progressive house track "Levels" which sampled the vocals from Etta James "Something's Got a Hold on Me". "Levels" later got sampled by Flo Rida's "Good Feeling"
Avicii didn't just want to be limited to EDM. He mixed the sounds of blues and country into his music as well. An example would be his ""Wake Me Up" featuring the vocals of Aloe Blacc.
With his success comes massive demands for worldwide touring. While many artists dream of being worldwide stars and traveling to exotic locations to perform, all the traveling and stress factors take their toll.
Avicii experienced burnout and retired from touring in 2016. He also suffered from pancreatic cancer.
Then on February 2018, while on vacation in Muscat, Oman Avicii died in a hotel room for what is believed by suicide from self-inflicted injuries with a glass bottle.
“Dj Avicii Death a Suicide: Report,” Jacaranda FM, December 28, 2018,
“Dj Avicii Death a Suicide: Report,” Jacaranda FM, December 28, 2018,
5) Dolores O’Riordan
University of Limerick
Dolores O'Riordan
Dolores O'Riordan was the lead singer of the Irish alternative rock band Cranberries.
The Cranberries were popular in the 1990s with the hits ""Linger" and "Zombie". Both songs showed a contrast of musical influences. "Linger" was a slow love song with some violins playing in the background. "Zombie" had some heavy metal riffs and had a more political zone, as the song was in response to the traumas caused by the violence in Northern Ireland.
She later had solo albums as well as her project with D.A.R.K. (an alternative rock/synth-pop band).
In January of 2018, Riordan died in an accidental drowning in a bathtub, a situation similar to the death of Whitney Houston.
6) xxxTentacion
Florida Dept of Corrections
xxxTentacion
xxxTentacion was an emerging artist in the world of hip-hop.
His style of hip-hop, which combined the influences of emo and reality rap, a mix that is very popular among his generation.
His style of hip-hop, which combined the influences of emo and reality rap, a mix that is very popular among his generation.
He had a troubled childhood going through various foster homes. He had many violent outbursts at school and got expelled. He spent time in juvenile detention facilities, where he brutally attacked a gay inmate. As a young adult, he physically abused his pregnant girlfriend.
These incidents caused a moral dilemma among music fans in the #metoo era. The general public has been expressing conflicting feelings about supporting abusive artists. This is an era where many prominent people have been losing their jobs due to allegations of sexual abuse and even for less serious cases of sexual harassment.
xxxTentacion was shot & killed when he was shopping for motorcycles in June 2018.
At that point xxxTentacion already scheduled his next video "Sad" that focused on death. This reminded people of 2pac, who already scheduled his next video to be focused on death ("I Ain't Mad At Cha") he was murdered in Las Vegas in 1996.
Learn more on xxxTentacion's life at
Kyle Swenson, “Xxxtentacion: The Nasty, Brutish and Short Life of the Chart-Topping Rapper Killed Monday,” Washington Post, June 20, 2018,
Kyle Swenson, “Xxxtentacion: The Nasty, Brutish and Short Life of the Chart-Topping Rapper Killed Monday,” Washington Post, June 20, 2018,
7) Vinnie Paul
Photo by Scott Legato/Getty Images
Vinnie Paul
Vinnie Paul was a drummer for several heavy metal bands, the most famous being Pantera, an aggressive heavy metal band popular in the 1990s.
Vinnie Paul started the band with his brother, guitarist Dimebag Darrell.
After Pantera broke up, Vinnie Paul and Dimebag Darrell joined Damageplan. While performing at a concert in Columbus, Ohio in 2004, a deranged person went on stage and shot & killed Dimebag Darrell.
Vinnie Paul blamed former Pantera's lead singer Phil Anselmo for indirectly contributing to his brother's death. No evidence supported that claim. Paul and Anselmo had never reconciled.
Vinnie Paul died of a heart attack in his Las Vegas home in June.
Check my 2014 blog post on Dimebag Darell to learn more about his life and the legacy of Pantera.
8) Zell Miller
U.S. Senate
Zell Miller
He grew up in poverty in rural Georgia. As a young adult, he became a Marine and a professor.
In politics, he was a Democrat who served as a small-town mayor, state senator, lieutenant governor, and in 1990, the governor. As governor, he approved to use of lottery funds to fund preK-12 education as well as college scholarships. He advocated for life sentences for violent crimes.
He openly & fiercely criticized the presence of the Confederate flag within Georgia's state flag but was unsuccessful in getting it removed. It was later removed under the next governor Roy Barnes.
Sam Stein, “Long Before Nikki Haley Took On the Confederate Flag, There Was Zell Miller,” Huffington Post, June 22, 2015,
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/nikki-haley-confederate-flag_n_7641008
After his time as governor expired in 1998, Miller became a US Senator. As the new century began, Miller was becoming increasingly alienated from the Democratic Party who he felt has gone too far to the left.
Whereas Miller once loudly advocated for Bill Clinton and criticized George HW Bush during the 1992 Democratic convention, in 2004, Miller spoke at the Republican convention in defense of George W Bush and loudly criticized John Kerry for allegedly being too soft on defense.
The same year, Zell Miller retired from politics.
In March 2018, Zell Miller died from complications from Parkinson's Disease
