Clockwise from bottom left:
The Unforgotten Lost Boys of Wizard Academy
Manolete – the greatest bullfighter of all time – was killed by a bull named Islero in August, 1947, an event that left Spain in a state of shock. He’d just had his 30th birthday.
Jeff Buckley – a wildly gifted singer/songwriter – flew to Memphis with his band to work on some newly written material. Upon his arrival, he went swimming in Wolf River Harbor, a slack water channel of the Mississippi River, while wearing his boots and clothing and singing the chorus of the song “Whole Lotta Love” by Led Zeppelin. A roadie in Buckley’s band, Keith Foti, remained on shore to move a radio and guitar out of reach of the wake from a passing tugboat. Buckley drowned in that tugboat wake, having just turned 30.
Vincent van Gogh – a young painter whose work had a rough beauty and emotional honesty and bold color had a far-reaching influence on 20th-century art. His paintings typically sell for more than $100,000,000 today. Vincent shot himself in 1890 after having sold only 1 painting in his career as an artist.
John Kennedy Toole – a novelist from New Orleans whose novels were rejected during his lifetime committed suicide in 1969 at the age of 31. Twelve years later, his posthumously published novel, A Confederacy of Dunces, won the Pulitzer Prize.
James Dean – the definitive cultural icon of teenage disillusionment starred in only 3 films: East of Eden (1955), Rebel Without a Cause (1955), and Giant (1956). He died in a car crash at the age of 24 having seen only one of his own movies. Rebel Without a Cause and Giant had not yet been released.
The Room of the Unknown Lost Boy will be the 6th Room in Wizard Academy’s House of the Lost Boys. This room will feature an an image of Janis Joplin and a photo triptych of the Vietnam era by Speedy Peacock, Chronicler of the Early Years at Wizard Academy. Alumni will be welcome to donate mementos of any young genius who died before their time.
When you click the image at the top of this page the next page will open while leaving this one open, too, so you can start the song below and then click to the next page and the song will continue to play while you browse the next several pages. Lots more yet to come! Can you believe today’s rabbit hole is 27 pages deep? – Indy