Bad things come in threes? Five icons of my youth gone

The old saying goes that “things happen in threes.” But as we get older, it feels like death doesn't stop at threes anymore– death is coming in multiples of threes.

These last couple of weeks have been remarkably tough weeks for anyone who grew up, like myself, in the 1980s. America lost three pop culture icons in the span of four days, and five in the span of fourteen days.

🕯️ July 20, 2025 – Malcolm-Jamal Warner

To people of my generation, he’ll always be Theo Huxtable.

Before everyone discovered how much of a scum Bill Cosby was, The Cosby Show was considered one of the most iconic and influential TV comedies of all-time.

In the 1980's, The Cosby Show was must-see TV on Thursday nights at 8 o'clock.

-- It was followed by a spin off which originally starred Cosby Show alum, Lisa Bonet, called A Different World.

-- Then at 9 o'clock was the classic Cheers, where we 'd always greet actor George Wendt (died, at the age of 76, on May 20 of this year) when he entered the bar with a hearty cheer of "Norm!"

-- Then, at 9:30 (if I could manage to stay up that late), it was Night Court with the lovable actor/comedian/magician, Harry Anderson (died April 16, 2018 at the age of 65), as Judge Harry Stone.

Warner played Cosby's only son on the show. Warner handled the role, perfectly, playing opposite the seasoned comedian. Warner's character was mischievous and rebellious.

Just like any teenager, Theo tried getting away with typical behavior--like getting his ears pierced, getting caught with marijuana, skipping school, cheating on exams, trying to sneak home past curfew.

I, jokingly, have come to refer to my life partner, Erin, as "The Grim Reaper," due to her very often being the first person to inform me of a celebrity death.

The night of July 20 she gasped from across the room. From experience, I just asked, "Who is it?"

Warner had reportedly been swimming in Costa Rica, while on vacation, with his eight-year-old daughter. They were caught in a riptide. A surfer rescued the girl, but Warner was unresponsive when pulled from the water. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

🎤 July 22, 2025 – Ozzy Osbourne

Erin struck again. I was in the bathroom when she shouted:
“Oh my God! Ozzy died!”

What? He had just performed his farewell concert a couple of weeks ago. It was a huge event and received a ton of publicity.

Strapped to a black throne, Ozzy was lifted up from below the stage. Roadies made sure he was strapped in tight before exiting the stage.

Ozzy performed admirably despite being unable to stand due to his advanced Parkinson’s. The throne seemed appropriate since Ozzy has always been known as The Prince of Darkness.

It didn't come as a surprise that he didn't sound like the Ozzy of old, but nobody cared--this was, still, Ozzy! There will never be anyone ever again like him. Even singers on the bill before him that performed and covered his songs struggled hitting notes that Ozzy consistently nailed in his prime.

The most memorable part of the concert was his rendition of "Mama, I'm Coming Home." There wasn't a dry eye in the house as he sang these lyrics for the last time:

Times have changed and times are strange
Here I come, but I ain't the same
Mama, I'm coming home
Time's gone by, it seems to be
You could have been a better friend to me
Mama, I'm coming home

The song took on added meaning with everyone understanding the severity of Osbourne's condition, and especially now that we know how close to death he actually was.

As talented a singer that Ozzy was, his legend will live on because of his wild antics:

• There’s the time he snorted a line of live ants off a sidewalk as a way of proving who was crazier with members of Mötley Crüe during their infamous tour together.
• And of course, the moment that defines Ozzy Osbourne is the time he bit the head off a live bat on stage in 1982 during a concert in Des Moines, Iowa.
  (Ozzy always claimed he thought the bat was fake)

For as long as I can remember, I've referenced when a celebrity died, unexpectedly, that "Keith Richards and Ozzy Osbourne somehow are still alive, though."

I won't be able to say that anymore.

💪 July 24, 2025 – Hulk Hogan

"The Grim Reaper" yet again:

“Another celebrity death. This one is a big one. Hulk Hogan.”

There had been rumors of Hogan being on his deathbed just weeks earlier, but his reps denied them. “He’s fine,” they said. “Recovering from neck surgery.”

But on July 24, paramedics responded to a 911 call from his Clearwater, Florida home. He was rushed to Morton Plant Hospital, where he was pronounced dead about 90 minutes later.

The official cause was a heart attack.

What no one knew was that he had also been quietly battling blood cancer--chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Hogan had also endured 25 surgeries in the last decade—on his back, knees, hips, shoulders, and neck. It is the price you pay for a 35-year professional wrestling career.

There were few stars, if any, in the 1980s that were bigger than the 6'7", 300 pound Hulk Hogan, both physically and metaphorically.

My dad was a big wrestling fan and wrestling was one of the few things we bonded over. We both enjoyed watching WWE (known as the WWF back then) superstars like Hogan, Andre the Giant, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka, and "Macho Man" Randy Savage.

Hogan brought wrestling to the mainstream. He had a song written for when he entered the ring called, "A Real American"– and that is what he represented. He fought the likes of the The Iron Sheik (representing Iran), Nikolai Volkoff (Soviet Union), Yokozuna (Japan), and even Sergeant Slaughter (American soldier turned Iraqi sympathizer during the Gulf War). Whoever the United States was confronting in the reality of the times, Hogan would find a suitable opponent to show America's superiority.

He would rip off his shirt. He would play to the crowd by flexing and cupping his ear to urge the crowd to scream louder.

The moment he body slammed an aging Andre the Giant at the third WrestleMania event in 1987 in front of 93,000-plus rabid fans at the Detroit Pontiac Silverdome will live on forever.

I first remember seeing Hogan in the 1982 movie, Rocky III, in the unforgettable role of Thunderlips. It is a great scene where Hogan plays a champion wrestler (big stretch, I know) who is supposed to fight the boxer, Rocky, in an exhibition bout. Hogan doesn't treat it like an exhibition and famously throws Rocky over the top ropes, out of the ring, and into the audience.

I was never a true Hulkamaniac, but I respected Hogan for the star that he became. He was a true icon. In recent years, his image in my eyes took a big hit with some controversial statements he made as well as for his political affiliations, including an embarrassing performance at the Republican National Convention where he struggled to tear his shirt off in his trademark style.

I am reminded of a line a caller quoted to a radio talk station following Hogan's death:

“Sometimes you need to separate the art from the artist.”

Hogan is one of many example of this.

⚾ July 28, 2025 – Ryne Sandberg

This time, I beat Erin to it.

Most readers probably won’t recognize his name. But if you followed baseball in the ‘80s, you knew Ryne Sandberg.

He was Mr. Cub. He was one of those rare players who played his entire career for one club--playing for the Chicago Cubs from 1982-1997.

(Alright, alright – he played 13 games and had six at-bats for the Phillies when he got called up to the majors, briefly, in September 1981 before getting traded to Chicago.)

Sandberg was as humble as they come. He is regarded as one of the best second basemen in the history of baseball, but you would never know it by his stoic, quiet demeanor on and off the field. It stands as quite the contrast from the me-first, cocky, look-at-me attitudes of most athletes today.

Despite not being a Cubs fan growing up, I cheered for them in the rare instances they made the playoffs because of Sandberg. Unfortunately for Sandberg, he never got a chance to play in a World Series.

If I were to ever have been fortunate enough to be a star baseball player, I would have imagined myself as Sandberg.

The 64-year-old Sandberg stunned the baseball world when he announced in January 2024 that he had prostate cancer. Things looked promising when in August 2024 he announced he was in remission. But the cancer, unfortunately, came back.

💔 August 3, 2025 – Loni Anderson

Just as I was about to hit “Publish” on this article, social media broke the news:
Loni Anderson had died.

WKRP in Cincinnati was one of my favorite TV shows growing up.

Anderson played the beautiful—but brainy—receptionist. She was the voice of reason in an office of bumbling radio misfits. Her subtle, passive-aggressive, witty banter played against every dumb blond stereotype of the day.

I remember thinking how lucky Burt Reynolds was when I found out he and Loni were a couple in real life.

Long before Ben and J.Lo or Brad and Angelina, there was Burt and Loni. They were the power couple of the 1980s that tabloids loved to hound.

🧠 Final Thought

In the matter of just two weeks, I lost five of the biggest icons of my youth from very different genres:

• An actor from the biggest sitcom of the decade
• The godfather of heavy metal
• The most famous wrestler of all time
• One of my all-time favorite baseball players
• And one of the most beautiful women I have ever laid eyes on

These weren’t just famous people, they are legends.

All five of these individuals were very influential factors during my formative years. They shaped my views on race, music, patriotism, professionalism, and gender.