On this day in 2020, I entered one of the most emotionally draining periods of my life. My father, Nelson Elmer George, died of Covid-19 related issues in a New York hospital. On May 7th my long time friend, the record executive Andre Harrell, collapsed with congestive heart failure at his West Hollywood apartment. On May 19, Robert ‘Rocky’ Ford Jr., who mentored me in life and music in my early twenties, died of natural causes in NYC.
In so many ways these three men had a crucial impact on how I think about manhood, relationships, family, and career. In the years since, I’ve been working on a book about that period of my life, and of other loses that occurred around the same time. A regular reader of this Substack said to me that mortality was one of my themes. I can’t deny that truth. I would add that views of masculinity are a subject as well, largely because of my reckoning with the legacy of my mentors.
I’ll be posting more of my thoughts about the passing of these men in the month ahead. A lot of it will be a test run for the longer narrative I’m shaping, so it won’t be definitive. I try to be optimistic about life. I don’t dwell on the negative. I accept things and try to find the path forward. I don’t like to be morose and sullen. So I celebrate what was good and seek out the jewels of wisdom where I can find them. That’s what I took from my father, Andre, and Rocky, and that’s what I’ll share with you.