Tuesday, August 08, 2006

In this, the 25th year of AIDS

In this, the 25th Year of the diagnosing of AIDS, I just want to revisit and remember the passing of Delayne Hawkins in 1994. Delayne was one of the sweetest guys the world has possibly ever seen - a great bass player, musician and artist, and was taken ill too young. I had a dream four years ago in which Delayne was on the run, hiding from the mob in the back seat of my car, his bass amp tucked away in my trunk. We talked a little, he didn't want anyone to know he was still alive. It was very sad for me to wake up. His roommate died of the disease 6 months before he eventually succumbed. I'm looking around online for a jpg of the double page spread he pencilled in the Micronauts - I don't know the issue number in which it appeared. If I find it, I'll post it.

Taller than a tree and with a heart as big as the moon - rest in peace Delayne.

2 Comments:

At 4:39 AM , Blogger freecookieguirgis@yahoo.com said...

i went to high school w/ Delayne, in fact he drew a Captain America for me in my high school year book. he took me to see AC/DC at the garden in '83. we had many good times together. he was a great kid. thanks for the remembrance.

stephen

 
At 1:11 PM , Blogger Unknown said...

I attended a Christian camp with Delayne back around...1979/1980 in upstate NY. I was in awe - I never knew any black people (having grown up in the snowy Adirondacks), but Delayne became a good friend that summer. He showed me his illustrations, which blew me away. He was pro-level even as a young teen. He introduced me to the X-Men, whom I had never heard of. He made constant jokes about being picked first for basketball even though he was terrible - but tall and black. With his music and his art, I don't know how he survived that very restrictive summer at a Bible camp, but he was a bright light for many of us. One of the sweetest people I have ever met, and I was soooo saddened to learn of his young passing via Google. I will always remember he and I and a couple other guys singing "Lights" by Styx (very rebellious and forbidden!). His passing left a huge hole in the universe that we will never know how well he would have filled. RIP, my friend. Hope you learn to hoop wherever you are :)

 

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