Art Bell passed away yesterday. He was 72. If you don’t know who Art Bell was, you should.
For years he hosted a radio show that he produced called Coast to Coast AM. Every night, he would talk about UFOs, Bigfoot, Remote Viewing, Astral Projection, secret government programs, and more.
More important than his topics was when he was on – which was approximately 1:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m., depending upon your time zone.
Who would listen to a crazy show like that during hours like that? People that can’t sleep, including those going through a horrible divorce.
One of those was me.
Back before there were DVRs and Podcasts and much if any, digital audio or internet, there was Art Bell.
In 1997, when I was going through a horrible divorce and was often unable to sleep at 1:00 a.m., 2:00 a.m., 3:00 a.m., and so on, Art was there.
He was entertaining and certainly had topics that would take my mind off of my legal matters, even if only for a while.
People going through horrible divorces need that. They need the Art Bells of the world, and they need friends.
Hopefully, you have never been through a bad divorce. And hopefully you won’t ever go through one. But there is a good chance that you have a friend that is or soon will be.
Inviting that friend over for dinner or to play golf or to a baseball game can make all the difference in the world to him or her. If there’s a holiday, and you don’t know for sure that your friend has plans that he or she is happy with, ask. Invite him or her over – even if only for part of the day.
They don’t need you to give them legal advice or to even talk about the case with them. They just need someone around, especially if they don’t have close family nearby.
I was lucky. I had some good friends that made sure that I was not alone on Christmas or Thanksgiving. Friends that checked on me to be sure that I was making it okay as the case dragged on.
I had friends that I could count on during normal hours, and during those late-night hours, I had Art.
I am eternally thankful for my friends, and I am thankful for Art Bell.
Thanks, Art. You will be missed. Rest in Peace.