I read on my Twitter feed this afternoon that Tom Magliozzi of Car Talk had died. He was 77. Not only did I not know he was that old, but I have always assumed he was younger than his brother Ray, for some reason.
I was never a rabid fan of the show, but I did enjoy listening to it on the weekends when it would come on as I was driving around. I did have the occasional "driveway moment" with that show, and I still remember my kids looking at me like I was crazy when I cracked up at the scene the brothers voiced in the first Cars movie.
I think the reason Tom's death really hit me today is that I lost my father last Christmas Eve, and when I did listen to the show, I would often share any gems I heard with my dad the next time we spoke. I miss my dad, especially whenever I hear or read something and think, boy, dad will get a kick out of that for a split second, before I remember that I won't be able to tell him about it. So hearing the news made me feel sad about Tom and my dad at the same time, I guess.
My heart goes out to Ray and the rest of the Magliozzi family on this terrible loss. I heard on NPR today that Ray would like for them to continue airing reruns of the show, as a tribute to Tom. Let's hope they do.
