Early this morning I found out that a friend in Wildwood, NJ passed away..
"Diamond Jim" used to join us on stage to do his signature song "taking care of business". This ends a 17 year friendship.

Half hour later my daughter called me to let me know my friend since 4th grade had passed away. I just finished some work on Alex's house over the summer.. This ends nearly a seventy year friendship..

Makes the recent emotional upset between friends on Synth Zone seem so little.

Fran so sorry for your losses...
My deepest sympathy

Sorry for your loss Fran. Losing old friends is hard.

Fran, it’s time like this that make you wish you should have seen him more often. A seventy-year friendship; you were blessed.

The upset on SZ was not so little, one of my friends was hurt, John C.

Very sad, Fran. It reminds us that, being in the same age group, we could easily be next. I've gotten to the point that I get apprehensive every time the phone rings. Still, when a friend passes away, you can't help but feel that a big part of you has also been lost. It's natural to feel that loss but also important not to allow yourself to sink into depression. Just use it to push ourselves to make the most of whatever time WE have left. Take care, Buddy.

chas

Sorry Fran:

Losing friends is sad... especially since we really have only a few "real friends." Just wait until they are all gone. It tends to make places like SZ a good place to hang out.

Life's that way but it's still nice to be "above ground."

All my best, ----Dave

Fran,

Sorry to hear of the passing of your friends. Been there done that this last year lost 3 friends all under age 70. One was 67 and I knew him since the first grade, very tough losses and we're all vulnerable. May your friends RIP.

I experienced some tough losses myself this year. Condolences Fran.

This is my opinion:

Fran, you can sink into a form of depression if you linger on what you lost. I feel it is a much better to sit with your many memories of what you were so fortunate to have. Live with joy and contentment when you think about your friend, you are one lucky man to have a friend for so long.

Your glass can be half filled or half empty!

I have lost five precious friends, that is what happens if you live long enough. I only remember the great times we had, even though I sat at bed-side when three of them past.

Life my be short, but it’s really good, John C. (I’m getting my 15th keyboard this week aaaaaah)

Sorry for your loss Fran.

Sorry Fran ... We're the old guys now.

Ditto, Dave - we are the old guys.

Of the five guys that I played with in a country band for many years, only one, other than myself, is still alive. I still have many vivid dreams of them all when we were on stage for those many years.

Sorry for your loss,

Gary

So sorry for your losses, Fran ...
As has been said, we are at that age - it could really be ANY age, but as we get older it becomes more prevalent ...
Until we know what comes after this, this is the best we've got ... If only we could all remember this as we waddle through the petty BS - and it's ALL petty BS !!!
Unfortunately, I'm at the point that when we are out with a group of friends I can't help but wonder who might be missing the next time ...
Every day I don't see my name on the obits is a great day ...
Raise a glass to those who go before us and keep on keepin' on ...

Tough losing ol' friends. Sorry for your losses. Hang in there

My condolences, Fran

Sorry for your losses, Fran. August was a bad month for me. I know where you're at on this.

So very sorry Fran, my condolences.

Fran, Sorry to hear about your friends passing. It keeps us humble and grateful for the memories shared.
JM

Sad news Fran, my condolences.
As already said above, many of us has became a member of the oldies group, and more often we see family, friends and schoolmates die.
We never knows who's the next to enter the very last ride, so let's enjoy life while we're here.
Lucky us, music is a great medicine for almost all occations.
🎹 🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵 🤗

Fran,
Sorry for your loss. I especially respect your "Reality Check" final sentence on your Post:
"Makes the recent emotional upset between friends on Synth Zone seem so little."

Fran - sorry to hear about the early departure of your friends. Life is way too short for all of us! Reminds me of a poem I was given during a difficult time in my military career...it stated:

"We squander our health in search of wealth
we struggle and toil and we save...
Then we squander our wealth in search of health
and all we get is a grave..."

Sad but true! Getting older is not for the faint of heart that is for sure. Again, sorry for your loss.