At 2:45 am Sunday morning the world lost a very special person. At the age of 60 Larry Norman the one often regarded as the father of Christian rock, passed away.
I have been a fan of Larry's for nearly 30 years. I have seen him play live several times, and have many of his albums, including "Only Visiting This Planet" which is regarded as one of the top Contemporary Christian albums of all time. Definitely one of my favorite.
Larry and his life have always fascinated
me, even to the point of making him the subject of one of my term papers in high school. He was never afraid the say things that he felt needed to be said, even if that meant his record sales would suffer. "Only Visiting This Planet" was even banned from Christian Bookstores for a time because Larry sang of things the Christian world was not yet ready to hear. I'm glad he wasn't afraid to say them.
The following statement was issued by his brother Charlie:
Hello everybody.
Our friend and my wonderful brother Larry passed away at 2:45 Sunday morning. Kristin and I were with him, holding his hands and sitting in bed with him when his heart finally slowed to a stop. We spent this past week laughing, singing, and praying with him, and all the while he had us taking notes on new song ideas and instructions on how to continue his ministry and art
Yesterday afternoon he knew he was going to go home to God very soon and he dictated the following message to you while his friend Allen Fleming typed these words into Larry’s computer:
________________________________
I feel like a prize in a box of cracker jacks with God’s hand reaching down to pick me up. I have been under medical care for months. My wounds are getting bigger. I have trouble breathing. I am ready to fly home.
My brother Charles is right, I won’t be here much longer. I can’t do anything about it. My heart is too weak. I want to say goodbye to everyone. In the past you have generously supported me with prayer and finance and we will probably still need financial help.
My plan is to be buried in a simple pine box with some flowers inside. But still it will be costly because of funeral arrangement, transportation to the gravesite, entombment, coordination, legal papers etc. However money is not really what I need, I want to say I love you.
I’d like to push back the darkness with my bravest effort. There will be a funeral posted here on the website, in case some of you want to attend. We are not sure of the date when I will die. Goodbye, farewell, we will meet again.
Goodbye, farewell, we’ll meet again
Somewhere beyond the sky.
I pray that you will stay with God
Goodbye, my friends, goodbye.
Thank you Larry for your life, your music, and your ministry. You will be missed.
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2 comments:
'Thank you Larry for your life, your music, and your ministry. You will be missed.' Amen to that.
My first Christian vinyl LP was 'Only Visiting This Planet.' I think I've still got it somewhere. Larry was a big influence in my teens as a new Christian and one of the reasons I got into youth ministry, intially as a singer/songwriter. But that was a loooong time ago :-) I saw him in concert in the UK a couple of times. Just excellent. The end of an era.
Peace be with Brian and all readers.
The time has come, the harvest is ripe.
I am here to bring judgment to the
living and the dead. Pass this message
on to all fellow believers.
The Faithful Witness
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