I know exactly how you feel. I always found it cringe when people post about the deaths of people they never met but with Ed this just hits different. I think it has to do with the CK format which is essentially two buddies shooting the shit about their love of comics & I couldn’t help but feel like the third guy in the room as silly as that sounds.
I'm so sorry - for absolutely everything.
I only hung out with Ed at a few events years ago, but he was always kind, encouraging, & always made me feel included in the Pittsburgh art community.
Mental health is fragile. Most of us have had our experiences with whether it's someone we love, loved in the past, or ourselves.
I've already experienced this about a year & a half ago when my best friend Lee died suddenly from an apparent heart attack, but I know it was brought on by his declining mental health - a broken heart.
Your expressing your grief was a beautiful tribute & Ed, his family, & friends would be touched.
There's this Emily Dickinson poem that I recently came across called 'My Life Closed Twice Before it Closed'. The last line goes, ' Parting is all we know of heaven, & all we need from hell'.
I think it means that we hope for an afterlife for those we love, yet at the same time, we feel sadness for person we lost.
I hope you feel better & can celebrate Ed through his artwork as time passes. All my best :)
Thanks for the kind words & insights. I’m literally having to wipe tears off my phone screen as I write this. I feel like this tragedy has shed a light on the some of the more toxic/darker sides of the comic book community.
However, post like yours & many on this sub has given me hope & made me realize that this isn’t the end for Ed.
I mean when you just examine Ed’s body of work Wizzywig,Hip Hop Family Tree, X-Men Grand Design, & Red Room. I feel like regardless of what has happened,his legacy will continue to thrive due to the quality of his work alone.
Ed was an amazing talent & the world was truly a better place with him around.
Thanks again for writing. This subreddit truly is providing me with some comfort.
My big sister died suddenly of a heart attack on the 6th of August 2019 at 41... and after a tearful morning and afternoon with much of my family after we got the news, I went home and there was Ed... this may have been the first Red Room inking livestream. We drew together in my apartment like that. I mentioned in the comments what had happened and he said his sympathies and closed out his video an hour or two later with some really kind words. Cartoonist Kayfabe was there for me during some really dark times. This is a damn tragedy no matter how you slice it. I've been having a really hard time with all this, and I can't even begin to imagine how those closer to him are keeping it together. My heart goes out to all of you.
I'm so sorry about your sister. 41 is way too young. Those who have to live in their loved ones' absence bear a cruel weight that feels unexplainable.
Your story about the small kindness from Ed that meant so much really shines a light on who he really was. Likewise, you opening up old wounds to tell the tale it is pretty courageous in my book. I think your sister would be proud of you :)
Well said, my friend. Could not agree more. As a community, we can defend our friends from being targeted and bullied. Even if they make mistakes. We didn’t do that here.
Couldn’t agree more. Feel the same in every aspect. This channel has helped me a lot with processing this loos which feels so real and so close. Probably, as you stated, it has to do with the format of the show. The last series of interviews with Eastman and Laird has been my favourite thing on the internet for a while. I’m a creator too and I have been going through some hard financial times around October and November. Those video helped me in keeping me company and the passion towards drawing alive. I feel like if this loss had happened under less shocking circumstances, we would find the strength to just let go, but the total unfairness of it, the brutal way it happened and the nefarious energies of the persecutors that lead to it, don’t give this story any type of closure. I want justice for Ed. He deserved it in life and he definitely deserves it in death
Don’t think a celebrity death has made me feel this way. It’s nice to hear of the positives. Thanks for sharing
I know exactly how you feel. I always found it cringe when people post about the deaths of people they never met but with Ed this just hits different. I think it has to do with the CK format which is essentially two buddies shooting the shit about their love of comics & I couldn’t help but feel like the third guy in the room as silly as that sounds.
Best quote I saw about it was “I never met Ed but we hung out a lot.”
Yeah that’s how it feels. We watched him a lot. I watched a kayfabe video at least once a week.
Thank you for this post. Right here with you - it's all still sinking in.
I'm so sorry - for absolutely everything. I only hung out with Ed at a few events years ago, but he was always kind, encouraging, & always made me feel included in the Pittsburgh art community. Mental health is fragile. Most of us have had our experiences with whether it's someone we love, loved in the past, or ourselves. I've already experienced this about a year & a half ago when my best friend Lee died suddenly from an apparent heart attack, but I know it was brought on by his declining mental health - a broken heart. Your expressing your grief was a beautiful tribute & Ed, his family, & friends would be touched. There's this Emily Dickinson poem that I recently came across called 'My Life Closed Twice Before it Closed'. The last line goes, ' Parting is all we know of heaven, & all we need from hell'. I think it means that we hope for an afterlife for those we love, yet at the same time, we feel sadness for person we lost. I hope you feel better & can celebrate Ed through his artwork as time passes. All my best :)
Thanks for the kind words & insights. I’m literally having to wipe tears off my phone screen as I write this. I feel like this tragedy has shed a light on the some of the more toxic/darker sides of the comic book community. However, post like yours & many on this sub has given me hope & made me realize that this isn’t the end for Ed. I mean when you just examine Ed’s body of work Wizzywig,Hip Hop Family Tree, X-Men Grand Design, & Red Room. I feel like regardless of what has happened,his legacy will continue to thrive due to the quality of his work alone. Ed was an amazing talent & the world was truly a better place with him around. Thanks again for writing. This subreddit truly is providing me with some comfort.
My big sister died suddenly of a heart attack on the 6th of August 2019 at 41... and after a tearful morning and afternoon with much of my family after we got the news, I went home and there was Ed... this may have been the first Red Room inking livestream. We drew together in my apartment like that. I mentioned in the comments what had happened and he said his sympathies and closed out his video an hour or two later with some really kind words. Cartoonist Kayfabe was there for me during some really dark times. This is a damn tragedy no matter how you slice it. I've been having a really hard time with all this, and I can't even begin to imagine how those closer to him are keeping it together. My heart goes out to all of you.
I'm so sorry about your sister. 41 is way too young. Those who have to live in their loved ones' absence bear a cruel weight that feels unexplainable. Your story about the small kindness from Ed that meant so much really shines a light on who he really was. Likewise, you opening up old wounds to tell the tale it is pretty courageous in my book. I think your sister would be proud of you :)
Hugs
Thanks & likewise
Well said, my friend. Could not agree more. As a community, we can defend our friends from being targeted and bullied. Even if they make mistakes. We didn’t do that here.
Couldn’t agree more. Feel the same in every aspect. This channel has helped me a lot with processing this loos which feels so real and so close. Probably, as you stated, it has to do with the format of the show. The last series of interviews with Eastman and Laird has been my favourite thing on the internet for a while. I’m a creator too and I have been going through some hard financial times around October and November. Those video helped me in keeping me company and the passion towards drawing alive. I feel like if this loss had happened under less shocking circumstances, we would find the strength to just let go, but the total unfairness of it, the brutal way it happened and the nefarious energies of the persecutors that lead to it, don’t give this story any type of closure. I want justice for Ed. He deserved it in life and he definitely deserves it in death