Wow...

[feren]

Okay, since /. rejected my story, I'll post it here.

As a telecommunications geek, I was surprised and a little bit saddened to learn that Gordon Matthews, the man who invented voicemail over 20 years ago, has died at age 65. Gordon was a fairly prolific inventer, and the article reflects a little on his history and opinions on the way his invention has flourished and been used. Love it or hate it, you have no choice but to recognize the tremendous impact that voicemail has had upon the way we do business and our personal lives as well.

Comments

[roho.livejournal.com]

It's been one of those weeks. The one you mentioned above, the death of Chuck Jones, and the less-publicized (here, at least) death of Spike Milligan, the Father of British Comedy.

[chebutykin.livejournal.com]

Plus, Ares, God of War (actor Kevin Smith), bought his ticket to the beyond last week.

Meh.

A time for humor.

[neuracnu.livejournal.com]

I wonder what his funeral will be like...

"Thank you for attending the bereavement ceremony for Mr. Gordon Matthews, prolific inventor and friend to us all."

"To hear the eulogy, press 1."
"To visit with the deceased's family, press 2."
"If you need assistance, press 0 to reach the cerimony director. Thank you for visiting."

Hehe.. that would have made +5 funny on /.

[aynjel.livejournal.com]

NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[chebutykin.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately, he fell from a great height and died from the injuries. Here's the obit that was posted on imdb.com:

"Kevin died in Beijing, China after suffering a severe head injury in a fall. He had just finished work on Warriors of Virtue II (2002) (V) at Beijing Film Studio. Kevin was eager to work on the film because of the opportunity to work with a stuntman from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000). Kevin was injured on February 6, 2002, the day after he had finished work on the film. Some sources have said that he fell from a height possibly as great as six storeys. His injuries were critical and he was put on life-support. He passed away 10 days later in his sleep. His wife Suzanne, and parents Geoff and Yvonne were with him. At the time of his death, he left 3 young sons: Oscar, 11, Tyrone, 9, and Willard, 3. In March 2002 he was due to begin filming in Hawaii for the action film 'Man of War' starring Bruce Willis. This would have been his first role in a major blockbuster and could have finally put him on the US movie map. Kevin was an extremely popular attraction at numerous Xena/Hercules conventions in the US. He was extremely talented and an accomplished singer and musician, but even bigger than his talent was his heart. "

[chebutykin.livejournal.com]

It distresses me to no end to see people that young and talented pass on. From all I've read, it sounds like he was a nifty person to boot. He's one of those people who you curse the fact that they are dead.

Dammit.

Re: A time for humor.

[ronbar.livejournal.com]

But here it's just TASTELESS.