"To live in hearts we leave behind / is not to die."

January 9, 2018 8:50 AM

Cinamon Hadley, the woman whose portrait became the model for the iconic character Death from The Sandman series of comics for DC/Vertigo, has died at the age of 48. She was interviewed in 2011 about her life and experiences as a recognizable figure within fan culture.

(Via a post from @snarkout on mltshp.com. Epigram from some long epic poem by Thomas Campbell.)

posted by ardgedee (39 comments total)

/sound of wings
posted by Artw at 8:51 AM on January 9, 2018 [28 favorites]

Oh poop. I knew there was crowdfunding for her medical bills (and how fucked up is that that is a thing people have to do in the US?) but I didn't know how she was doing. Her personality and face will live forever as one of the most recognized comic book characters of all time.

Thanks, Cinnamon. I hope she was there to smile at you and take your hand.

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posted by Kitteh at 8:53 AM on January 9, 2018 [10 favorites]

I both love and hate this line:

"You lived what anybody gets. You got a lifetime. No more. No less."
posted by anotherpanacea at 8:56 AM on January 9, 2018 [27 favorites]

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posted by greermahoney at 9:07 AM on January 9, 2018

☥
posted by cazoo at 9:13 AM on January 9, 2018 [15 favorites]

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posted by sarcasticah at 9:15 AM on January 9, 2018

I WAS FLATTERED, HONESTLY.
posted by Halloween Jack at 9:27 AM on January 9, 2018 [9 favorites]

I want to say I bumped into her once, on a nice morning in New Orleans, Jackson Square. Mid-nineties? I was travelling light, sleeping on park benches and being a depressed, dharma bum and she was, I dunno, doing the same but being wonderful and happy. Same trip, different tickets? Friendly, bubbly goth girl who came to the south to get away from the cold, she said. Was in from Texas, out west before that. Claimed she was the model for death, but didn't everyone say that back in the day? Anyway, I bought us coffee and beignets and we strolled around the quarter for a spring day. She told me about some house party that night, but I went off to do whatever Kerouac trip I was on. Never saw her again, never even got a name, that I remember. I hope that was her, because she was perfectly and wonderfully Death. Exactly who I hope to see. Exactly who I hope she got to see.

"Was it worth it?"

"I don't know... I think so... I hope so. I met such neat people."

Peace.
posted by 1f2frfbf at 9:35 AM on January 9, 2018 [32 favorites]

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posted by mikelieman at 9:41 AM on January 9, 2018

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posted by carrioncomfort at 9:49 AM on January 9, 2018

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posted by twidget at 9:49 AM on January 9, 2018

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posted by Rock Steady at 9:51 AM on January 9, 2018

Not the first story I've heard that makes SLC sound wild
posted by grobstein at 10:05 AM on January 9, 2018

☥
posted by leotrotsky at 10:23 AM on January 9, 2018 [1 favorite]

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posted by graventy at 10:42 AM on January 9, 2018

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posted by Joey Michaels at 10:47 AM on January 9, 2018

PEACHY KEEN!

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posted by fearfulsymmetry at 10:50 AM on January 9, 2018 [3 favorites]

Much like Death, Cinamon was described by her friends as upbeat, perky and surprisingly down to earth.

Odd, apt line in this obit.
posted by chavenet at 10:57 AM on January 9, 2018 [5 favorites]

Well, it appears the strange aeons have passed...

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posted by Samizdata at 11:22 AM on January 9, 2018 [2 favorites]

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posted by inexorably_forward at 11:54 AM on January 9, 2018

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posted by Unioncat at 12:06 PM on January 9, 2018

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posted by mkhall at 12:17 PM on January 9, 2018

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posted by daisyk at 12:26 PM on January 9, 2018

Spent a half hour or so reading up on her just a couple days ago, after doing an image search for Death for a funny chat response.

Worst Baader-Meinhof case ever. :(

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posted by CaseyB at 12:31 PM on January 9, 2018

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posted by GuyZero at 1:02 PM on January 9, 2018

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posted by mdoar at 1:05 PM on January 9, 2018

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posted by bz at 1:09 PM on January 9, 2018

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posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 1:17 PM on January 9, 2018

☥
posted by Frayed Knot at 1:29 PM on January 9, 2018

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posted by Pope Guilty at 1:52 PM on January 9, 2018

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posted by acb at 2:23 PM on January 9, 2018

and how fucked up is that that is a thing people have to do in the US?

And the UK now; one of the members of The Cardiacs is now doing the same for his medical bills.
posted by acb at 2:29 PM on January 9, 2018

𓂀
posted by Songdog at 6:11 PM on January 9, 2018 [1 favorite]

Genesis P. Orridge has had some friends take the crowdfunding route for them too.. what a world we live in..
posted by Philby at 6:53 PM on January 9, 2018

And we carried her back to our digs, and sent the messages to the rest of the citizens of Litharge, that they were less by one.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 8:34 PM on January 9, 2018 [2 favorites]

☥
posted by KirTakat at 10:21 PM on January 9, 2018

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posted by filtergik at 3:27 AM on January 10, 2018

Is strange that she didn't get more credit, but it looked like she lived a full and fun life anyway.
posted by happyroach at 1:17 PM on January 10, 2018

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posted by Kattullus at 3:10 AM on January 11, 2018