When Your Dad Dies

The Father of a friend of mine had passed away. The man was a loser his entire life. Drug addict and scumbag. A LOT of people who come to Hollywood have similar stories with family members. I am definitely an outlier. My Dad is an amazing dude. Kind and very generous. And, my Mom, though flawed, wasn't the kind of Mom you see today. She also wasn't that Dragon Lady most associated with Asian Moms. Most people istantly believe that if you work in this industry you must hate your parents. I've had arguments with my Mom, specifically, but she's never been a substance abuser or a degenerate loser. Suppose it's a cultural thing. But I've observed a few things that happen when a Father dies. If he is the son, they will still mourn the complex relationships. Some regrets. Obviously wonder if they still don't watch over them For the ones who don't believe in the afterlife...that is the end of life. But, it probably seems like you experienced a car accident. You start to question those things. What happens when you die. And, for Dads and sons, it's a weird one. I mean, for me anyway, I've always looked up to my Dad. It would make sense that he knows the mysteries of the beyond. His wisdom would only extend to the heavens. For others, like my pal, he may start to wonder which elevator his Dad took. The other thing is that, as kids, we always think Dads are impervious to the world. Nothing ever happens to them. I'm sure it is a wakeup call to some when that happens so early. For instance, my college friend's Dad died VERY young in an auto-accident which also took the life of his brother. When you are that young and you lose a Dad, I believe you really wonder what life has in store for you. Guys will toughen up to these events in life. Marriage, watching their kids get married, birth and death. We see the cycle. For my friend who had this REALLY complicated relationship with this Dad which resulted in years of distancing, I can imagine all the lost time due to pride.