Here’s his obituary from 2003.
Here’s his grave site:
Fame has little to know bearing on one’s afterlife, does it?
Wally George had written books, he had sold record albums, he had starred
and co-starred on TV shows. He also had been through 3 divorces, he had an older
daughter from whom he was estranged, and he had a young daughter as well from
his third marriage. In his autobiography, he got in a car accident. His ribs
were broken, but he survived because he was not wearing his safety belt. He got
home safely enough, but for all the fame that he enjoyed, he lamented how he
couldn’t even pay the bills. In fact, he declared bankruptcy about ten years
before his death.
It was right then that I learned how hollow fame really could be. I had
interviewed him for the article I had written about him, and it was pretty sad
what a washed-up has-been he had become. People might know your name, they
might know your fame, and they might be grateful for things that you said or
done, but the at the end of it all it really doesn’t have any value. What you
do, and what you’re able to build on makes all the difference. A doctor who
heals lives deserves more fame, yet his relative obscurity in the public eye ensures
that he can provide excellent care in peace.
I was thinking about this issue when it comes to fame watching a rerun
of The Late Show with Johnny Carson. The guest was Richard Pryor. Looking over
this man’s personal life just makes you weep. It’s no surprise that many of his
comedic colleagues pointed out that he found that fine line between comedy and
tragedy. Richard Pryor was able to make others laugh, but I doubt he ever had a
joyful moment in his own life. This man suffer from multiple injuries, from his
parents when he was a child, and from himself when he was older. He was saddled
with multiple sclerosis, and ultimately died.
What’s the point of fame if you don’t have peace? What’s the point of fame
if you feel that you are all alone in the world? Michael Jackson was the most
famous musical Entertainer in the world. He won more Grammys than he can hold
in his two arms. Yet even he would lament that he was the loneliest person in
the world. And then of course there were the repeated charges of pedophilia,
child abuse, and other crimes from which he barely got away with (?), and only
because he died of cardiac arrest.
Now I think of Donald Trump. This man had a lot of fame, but he has
become unjustly Infamous because of a corrupt press. What makes Donald Trump stand
out today? His service to the country, what he offers to this country. He has
come through on many promises, capturing the frustration and anger which many
voters have expressed and exuded election after election. What makes Donald
Trump special is not just that he’s famous, but that the fame he created, he
induced by manipulating a corrupt media to ensure that all of us would enjoy an
America made great again.
Fame is kind of meaningless, really. It’s not an end in itself, but
rather the after-effect of something you have done or said. It would be good
for people like President Trump and want to make a difference to remember that.
It’s not about who you are, but about what you choose. I am glad to have learned
this lesson. Fame is not really important, and its benefits are negligible if
not intangible and transient to begin with.