Laughing Boy wrote:
] ] The elderly parents of Grammy-winning recording artist
] ] "Weird Al" Yankovic were found dead in their home,
] ] apparently victims of carbon monoxide poisoning,
] ] officials said.
] ]
] ] Nick and Mary Yankovic were found dead Friday in their
] ] suburban San Diego home by relatives who were worried
] ] because they had not seen the couple in a while, said
] ] sheriff's Sgt. Conrad Grayson.
] ]
] ] Paramedics found Nick Yankovic, 86, in a chair in the
] ] front living room. His 81-year-old wife was on the
] ] bathroom floor.
] ]
] ] A wood fire had been set recently in the fireplace,
] ] Grayson said.
] ]
] ] "The house was full of smoke when they opened the door,"
] ] Grayson said, adding that the family members found the
] ] flue closed.
] ]
] ] "Weird Al" Yankovic, 44, had no comment during a
] ] performance in Mankato, Minnesota, on Saturday night.
]
] That sucks. I don't know how someone manages to perform the
] night after losing both his parents, but I've met Al a couple
] times and he's a very cool person, not to mention an amazing
] performer. Would rather perform then disapoint his fans.
] Talk about an unselfish person. -LB

How sad, that is just terrible, I can't imagine how he feels :(

Laughing Boy wrote:
] ] The elderly parents of Grammy-winning recording artist
] ] "Weird Al" Yankovic were found dead in their home,
] ] apparently victims of carbon monoxide poisoning,
] ] officials said.
 . . .
] ] "Weird Al" Yankovic, 44, had no comment during a
] ] performance in Mankato, Minnesota, on Saturday night.
]
] That sucks. I don't know how someone manages to perform the
] night after losing both his parents, but I've met Al a couple
] times and he's a very cool person, not to mention an amazing
] performer. Would rather perform then disapoint his fans.
] Talk about an unselfish person. -LB

How sad for him, I agree. And I also agree that he's a very dedicated performer. When he was here in St. Louis a few years ago, he suffered an injury during the early part of the show (the metal part of the stethoscope around his neck flew up and hit him hard on the forehead, making a large gash), but he continued on with the rest of the show anyway.

I've seen similar actions of "going on with the show" from other performers as well. For example, I recall the ice skater Scott Hamilton continuing on even though one of his parents had died before the performance. I believe they regard it not as dishonoring their parent's memory, but as especially honoring it. "My mother would have wanted me to continue to compete -- I was doing it for her." Or "If my father were here, he would have told me to go on with my life, and do the show."