John Hughes is dead...

And with him, much of the '80s for me. This is for me, what Michael Jackson's passing was to many others. John Hughes was undoubtedly one of the patron saints of teen comedy movies in general, and a major voice for the geeky white youth of America during the '80s. Being part of that segment of the population, it's no wonder his films stuck with me. They spoke to me. They said it was okay to be a little weird, a little off the wall, a little geeky and a whole lot in love. They said "Have fun with your life" and "Follow your heart" and "Make friends with strange people." They spoke of timeless issues: falling in love with a pretty face while the right person is beside you all along; teenage insecurity is universal; Hell is other people (Sartre totally stole the idea of No Exit from The Breakfast Club...). (Kidding.)

Sure, in retrospect, I can see plenty of flaws. I'm not here to go into them. I'm here to recognize that impact John Hughes' early work had on my younger self. And to acknowledge that another part of my childhood has moved on.

Here's to the man who gave us Weird Science, Pretty in Pink, Sixteen Candles, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, The Breakfast Club, Some Kind of Wonderful, and Planes, Trains and Automobiles. Here's hoping you've found your own personal Shermer.