I grew up loving to read. It was ingrained into me from a very young age because it practically runs in my family— at least with the girls. I’ve read a lot of books throughout my life, from all of the books within a certain series like “The Hunger Games” or “Pretty Little Liars,” to books from strictly the same author like John Green or Nicholas Sparks. One of my favorite books is a novel by Ava Dellaria called “Love Letters to the Dead.” In it, the main character Laurel tells her story through letters to the dead and famous people like Judy Garland, Amelia Earheart, and Kurt Cobain. I began to think about these people that she wrote to, telling them about the complexities and successes from her life, and who I would choose to speak with if I could. I don’t know what these people were really like, but I know I would never regret finding out.
If it was ever possible, here’s the top 10 deceased people I’d love to meet:
1. Audrey Hepburn- Man, what was there not to love about Audrey Hepburn? The girl was absolutely stunning. She was a fashion icon, a humanitarian, and flawless while still being flawed. Breakfast at Tiffany’s is one of my favorite movies and I think one of the reasons the movie is such a classic and widely beloved is because of how well Audrey portrayed the lost and whimsical character that is Holly Golightly. She portrayed Holly like she was born to be her— at least I think so. In all of her other films, like Funny Face and Roman Holiday, she was just the kind of actress you couldn't take your eyes off of. Audrey Hepburn was a truly charming and positive person from what I’ve read and observed; her personality was contagious.
2. Johnny & June Carter Cash- These two are a packaged deal. Their love was absolute; earth-shatteringly spectacular. These two loved each other so much it gives me inspiration for weeks. I value their love, even though I never got to be a part of it or witness it. But I would have loved to have seen them interact. They were also incredibly talented and real, if “Walk the Line” tells you anything. Johnny Cash, “The Man in Black,” has, and will always be, one of the best old-time artists if you ask me. I love the sound of the deep voice, and I love the kick in his lyrics. Johnny was truly a bold artist for his time and helped break the barriers on what was acceptable for music. I’ve visited Nashville, and you can feel the rich history throughout the streets where he once walked and performed at outlets like Ryman Auditorium. I will always be a fan of his music; my favorite recording of his is a duet he did with Bob Dylan, called “Girl From the North Country,” which was one of Bob Dylan's songs. For a Johnny Cash original, “The Man Comes Around” is a later released piece that I enjoy, as well as earlier released songs “I Walk the Line” and “Folsom Prison Blues.”
3. Heath Ledger- This is one of those deaths that truly puts an ache in my heart. Heath Ledger was an incredibly talented actor, and it’s tragedy that he left this world so soon. I am a huge fan of “The Dark Knight” franchise, and Heath Ledger is one of the main reasons for that. He was genius as The Joker, and though I love Jared Leto, Heath’s was just too transcendent of a performance to beat. All of Heath’s performances were amazing, really. You can just tell that he put 110 percent of himself into every single one of them. And you can’t forget about how adorable and swoon-worthy he was singing “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You” in “10 Things I Hate About You.” Heath made the bad boys good in that movie— you were a lucky lady Julia Stiles
4. Prince- Prince’s death was also very tragic, especially considering how recent his passing was. Prince died of a fentanyl overdose just a few months ago in April at his home, Paisley Park, in Chanhassen. I’m from the great northern state of Minnesota, so losing our hometown musical legend stung. I’ve never been a crazy, obsessed Prince fan, but I appreciate the good that he did for my state and for the incredible, giving artist that he was. I love the passion that he continued to have for Minnesota and how he will always echo silently within the walls of First Avenue, my favorite Twin Cities concert venue, and the one that he put on the map in his movie “Purple Rain.” The rain in Minnesota will continue to always to fall purple — Prince saw to that.
5. E.E. Cummings- E.E. Cummings died quite a while ago, but his beautiful words have continued to live on. I would love to meet him because I can tell that he saw the world differently. His words prove it: E.E. Cummings wrote with honesty, vulnerability, and passion all at the same time. His most remarkable words were about the many loves that you can have in your life. One of his most famous and well-known poems was “[i carry your heart with me (i carry it in].” Although my favorite piece from him is just a small quote: “Trust your heart if the seas catch fire, live by love though the stars walk backward.” It’s about taking chances.
6. Walt Disney- I grew up loving Disney. The classic animated movies, the sing-a-long VHS tapes I would watch on a loop at my grandma’s, the cassette tapes I would fall asleep to, the store at the Mall of America with every stuffed character imaginable— you name it, I loved it. I visited Disney World twice when I was younger. Once, when I was very young and only went with my mom, and the second time during the fourth grade as a family with my mom, dad, and younger brother. Then came my evolvement into Disney Channel Original Movies and obsession with TV shows like "Lizzie McGuire" (I’m looking at you Netflix, why is it not on there?). I even went on the Disney cruise when I was a freshman in high school with my family for spring break. Hell, I even listened to Radio Disney back in the day. Disney was a big part of my life for years, it even still grabs me sometimes when movies like “Tangled” and “Frozen” are released. I would just love to meet the man behind the magic of it all.
7. Anne Frank- Her life is what the best fiction is made out of, only her life was not fiction, it was a brutal fact. The truest fact of her life was that it was cut too short, at entirely too young of an age, for all of the wrong reasons. She was ultimately braver than many of us could ever hope to be. I read Anne’s published diary back in school and with her words, I could feel her emotions, even though I could never put myself in her shoes. She was an amazing writer, but she still doubted herself and her abilities often. Despite the fact that Anne was in hiding, she was still quite relatable and even a bit of modern day feminist before the word had been coined. If she had survived, I think she would’ve gone on to become an amazing, world-famous journalist. Anne did, however, get her wish— she went on living after her death.
8. Abraham Lincoln- No, he was not a vampire hunter, but he was indeed a badass. He made the United States a better country for everyone, and he boldly did what no one had done before. Abraham was fearless and believed in doing the right thing by ruling to abolish slavery. He led our country through the bloodiest of wars still to date, the Civil War. He even helped strengthen the government and modernize the economy. He was one of the best Presidents the United States ever had, and I’d love to pick his brain. Maybe he could tell us how to choose a better candidate one of these days...
9. John Lennon- John Lennon was one of the four members of the Beatles. He was also an incredibly talented musician and songwriter. He wrote beloved songs during his solo career like “Imagine” and “Give Peace a Chance” (one of my favorites). His songwriting to me, along with Paul McCartney’s (still out here kicking), was iconic. John was part of a group that, and also on his own, produced some of my all-time favorite songs and I’d love to be able to speak with a person who could turn such words into lyrics and a melody. Even though my two favorite songs by the Beatles, “Let it Be” and “I’ve Just Seen a Face” were written by Paul McCartney, the latter received the Lennon-McCartney songwriting credit. My favorite song written solely by John for the Beatles would probably be “Help!”
10. John Hughes- This one is quite simple. I love the '80s. John Hughes was the '80s. He created some of my favorite films and produced cinematic gold over and over again. Without John Hughes, there would’ve never have been the Brat Pack. There also never would’ve been my favorite movie of all time, “Sixteen Candles.” I think John Hughes was the voice of a generation with his films. John's screenwriting and directorial style will always be a type of ideal for teen movies. Iconic movies like “The Breakfast Club” showed the stereotypes that teens often create through the outer versions of themselves — these characters proved that it’s possible to be more than their label. Films like “Home Alone” had me pre-planning my game of attack if a burglar ever showed up, while “Ferris Buller’s Day Off” had me masterminding my escape plan from school. Classic ones like "Pretty in Pink" showed us there doesn't need to be boundaries between the rich and the poor when it comes to love. Personally, I don't know where I'd be in my life if I had never had the pleasure of being introduced to characters like Long Duck Don and Farmer Ted. It certainly wouldn't have been as funny of a ride; that's for sure.
