I hear about celebrities dying on a regular basis. It used to be that I had a vague idea of who some of them were, but I'm getting to that age where I have more of a connection to them. And then I opened Facebook today and was hit with some news that hit closer than pretty much any other celebrity death ever, at least for me.
Tom Magliozzi has been a constant in my life. I started listening to Tom and Ray on Car Talk via NPR when I was a kid. The brothers' humor was infectious, as was their love of cars. Admittedly, I'm surprised at how emotional I feel about his death, but I can't help but feel that a great loss has been suffered by the automotive community. I'm far from the only one who feels this way, as you can see by visiting the guest book on the Car Talk website.
Apparently, Tom has been suffering from Alzheimer's and died from complications associated with it. He was highly educated, having earned a degree in chemical engineering from MIT. You normally don't have that kind of credentials when you are the host of a car radio show, but Tom was far from ordinary. He was also an expert on weird, whacky car issues, and has been a big source of indispensable information for my own automotive exploits.
May you rest in peace, Tom, and never lose that wicked sense of humor.
If you want to read Ray's thoughts on his brother's passing, do it here.
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