We’ve been remiss here at Obit. We neglected to bring your attention to the death of Romania’s King Michael. That’s mostly because until this morning, we had no idea who King Michael was, or what country he once ruled. And while not exactly anti-royalist, we tend to associate titled Europeans with the people who ruined a lot of good New York bars. But checking out this story in the Daily Mail, we can understand why his return—he was exiled after the Soviet occupation of Eastern Europe—was cheered. He seemed like a pretty good King. Kept Romania in the Allied column during WWII. but out favorite detail from the story is this: he spent his years in exile working as a chicken farmer.
From King Micheal to George Michael. The first anniversary of the singer’s death is less than two weeks away, and the Telegraph reports that his former neighbors are not looking forward to it. Fans have already turned the front of the house, in the North London neighborhood of Highgate Village, into an improvised shrine—it’s an “appalling mess” they sniff. Even worse, it’s “visual clutter” (so, they’d be less exercised if the memorial was well designed?) But what’s really got Susan Rose, chair of the Highgate Conservancy, is that it’s “right where (Michael) erected a wonderful Christmas tree every year.” She’s also concerned with what Jude Law and Jamie Oliver might think. There’s a movement afoot (promoted by Sony Music, Michael’s label) to erect a life-size statue of Michael, but the family is against it. A compromise of a memorial plaque is currently under consideration.
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