Legends Never Die

I'm absolutely gutted about Tom Petty's death and coming on the heels of a mass shooting it seems even harder to swallow.

Like so many of us, he provided the soundtrack to my life. His lyrics lifted me up when I didn't think I could go on. He helped me traverse thousands of miles on countless road trips. I can't even recount how many times I saw him live. He touched millions upon millions of people with the magic of his music and just like that, he's gone. But the music, like magic, lives on.

He was just at the Hollywood Bowl last week. I last saw him at Arroyo Seco this summer in Pasadena and he played for 2.5 hours. I saw Petty every damn chance I could. He was a legend. And extraordinary musician. A good man.

We've lost a lot of icons in the past year and we need to brace ourselves for losing even more--because these guys are going to start dropping like flies. What makes me even more emotional about Petty--he's younger than my dad.

We are all swept away at some point. It's the cycle of life. And it seems like it's over before it even starts. And often it's cut tragically short. My heart is heavy today. Heavy for the losses in Vegas. Heavy for the world. Heavy because in all of these deaths I'm reminded of my own humanity, the fleeting preciousness of life and the importance of love and spending time with those we love the most.

We just never know when we will have that time to spend; we're all living on borrowed moments. So when I woke up today, I listened to Tom Petty, cried for a half hour and made a gratitude list. I went for a long walk with my best friend. We ran at the end to sweat it out. All I know to do is soldier on. One foot in front of the other.

Every moment can be our last. Tragedy and death are reminders to savor the moments, but we shouldn't need them to remember to be present. But I do. Because I'm an asshole who forgets how to be in the moment. Look up from the phone. Really listen to a friend. Enjoy every fucking second. Be a legend to those around you--because legends never die--and just because you aren't a rockstar, doesn't mean you don't touch people every single day. We are all connected and we all matter.

Take care of yourselves and reach out to someone if you need a friend. I'll be writing more later but I'm about to get on a plane.

And by the way, if it goes down in a terrorist attack, or I die in a shooting, or get hit by a bus, I want everyone to know how I feel so you can't put words in my mouth:

Please don't politicize my death. Don't martyr me and forget about me two days later. Don't use me in an argument that's really all about your beliefs, I don't care which side you're on. Definitely don't use me to sow divisiveness. I don't need it. I don't want it. And I will always side with our common humanity.

I lived the fuck out of my life. I loved every heartbreaking and exhilarating moment. And my faith informs my conviction that when it's my time to go, it's my time to go.

We cannot safeguard ourselves from every danger. I could get killed by a drunk driver. I could have a brain aneurysm. I could get cancer. I could be telling jokes on stage one minute and dead the next. I would consider it an honor to die trying to save someone else, like so many heroes in Vegas. I would be happy if I die doing what I love whether it's traveling, listening to music or driving to a stupid podcast.

Don't mourn my death. Celebrate it. I did exactly what I wanted. However I die is exactly the way I am supposed to die, exactly when I'm supposed to go. I don't fear death. I fear not living while I'm alive.

Because that's how you go down a fucking legend.