After thirty short years, laid to rest
"All I ask of you, believe," the writing on his stone
The fans know he was the greatest, him alone
And so for you, Criss, I make this simple page
To convey my feelings of sadness and rage
For a person like you cannot be replaced
If you were forgotten it would be a disgrace
There's a place in my heart I know you'll never leave
My final words to you, Criss...
I believe.
On October 17, 1993 Criss Oliva was killed when a drunk driver crossed a median and struck his car head on. Thankfully, Dawn Oliva, Criss' wife, was only injured. The drunk driver was a repeat offender and served very little time in prison for his crime. Such injustice is served when a life is taken by a drunk driver. Is it not murder?
But I did not make this page to rant over the death of Criss. I made it to celebrate his life, short as it was. Criss' music touched me in ways few things ever have. His guitar playing was pure genius. So powerful it clenched my heart the first time I heard it and has never loosened its grip. Sadly enough, I never knew him or even knew of him while he was alive. Those who did are extremely lucky from my point of view. I would give anything to have him alive today so I could tell him just how much I appreciate his talent.
The world will never have another person like Criss. What really bothers me is other musicians have killed themselves with drugs and recieve recognition and world-wide attention even though they couldn't play original material if they tried. Criss had more talent than anyone and yet he goes unnoticed. Maybe someday the world will wake up and realize. Until then, he will live on through his music and his fans, who love him dearly. RIP Criss.
Below are a few links to Criss tributes. If you have a page of your own dedicated to his memory or know of a good one, please send the address to [email protected] so I can take a look at it. Thanks.
My friend Carey's tribute to Criss