In memory of a dear friend

It's the strangest thing, death. One moment you are here and the next you are gone. It's so simple but so very difficult to get your head around.

I write this in memory of a very dear friend, who lost his battle against cancer today.

He is not a friend I see very often, but I've known him my entire life. Or, actually he has known me my entire life. He's known both my parents before they knew each other. Technically, he would be categorized as friends of my parents, but I've always felt like he was my friend too. I have a feeling it's something I share with a lot of people. His warmth and charisma charmed everyone he came across. But unlike others who have hundreds of friends, he had hundreds of close friends rather than acquaintances. And unlike many who live without thought and passion, he truly lived his life to the fullest and enjoyed everything it had to offer. He who knew how to live, why wasn't he given more time?

Last time I saw him was in September 2009. He and his husband came to visit me and my parents and they took us to see the Gothenburg premier of "The Producers". Because they have many friends in the theatre business, we received the royal treatment. A wonderful performance, great seats followed by a dinner with the entire cast. But the greatest reason to see them again was to celebrate that his cancer was finally in remission. We celebrated the good news and looked forward to many more occasions to meet up. They were planning a trip around the world and he told be that next time we'll meet would most likely be in San Francisco.

When we said good bye I could never have imagined that it would be forever. Maybe it was a good thing. How do you say good bye to someone forever? It's not like saying "good bye, I will probably never see you again". And what would I have said if I knew?

My heart bleeds for his family, loved ones and everybody who has ever known him. Regardless of the who, how and why, he will be missed. And he left the world a much less colorful place.