Weak in the news today

I wasn't planning to write about Death twice in one week. But as my Bubby (aka, my 85 year old grief therapist who comes to my house twice a month) often says, "We makes plans, God laughs."

I didn't want to upset her -- old Jews don't like to hear younger Jews talking about their atheism -- so I just laughed.

Needless to say, my plans went awry when I heard the shocking news that Jeff Weakley had suddenly and unexpectedly passed away. 

Jeff was a mainstay in the Los Angeles Freelance Copywriter community. I know he was on staff somewhere, but the times I ran into him were always at a different agency. Sometimes Chiat, sometimes Team One, sometimes even Y&R in Irvine.

Because of his Southern California omnipresence, his loss was felt far and wide. Like my good friend Greg Collins, he was from the Volunteer state. And like Greg, always greeted you with a smile, a laugh, or an aside that made the years of not seeing him, vanish instantly.

His warmth was instant. 

 

Also like Greg, he was immensely talented. And defied the presumptions coastal leftists like myself have made about people from Tennessee and the obligatory, "they got no foot coverin's" jokes that sprang to mind.

Like most copywriters, Jeff also had a handful of screenplays in his top drawer. Unlike most copywriters, Jeff saw the weather vanes in the ad world turning and rather than rejecting that trend, he embraced it. And schooled himself in all manner of digital/AI/ data mining.

So complete was his deep dive, he even took on a new moniker: Les Guessing, an ode to knowing the facts and making decisions based on the data.

Years ago he reached out to me and asked for permission (Who does that?) to use my likeness and the many years of content found on these very pages for a little experiment. He also asked for a photo of me with hair and who was I to deny him that?

I don't know what to make of it, but you can see it here: http://www.shartificialintelligence.com/

My heart goes out to Jeff's family and in particular his beautiful young daughter. My thoughts are with her and with anyone who still hasn't recognized that life is so incredibly short. 

May Jeff's memory be a blessing.