Cobb , University of Georgia. Originally published Apr 21, Last edited Aug 22, Article Feedback Why are you reaching out to us? Share this Article. Lewis Grizzard Georgia-born humorist and best-selling author Lewis Grizzard conveyed the ambivalence of many white southerners who embraced the economic and material benefits of Sunbelt prosperity while…. Facebook Twitter Email. Share this Snippet. Star Featured Content. Hank Aaron Baseball. Trending Trending.
Max Cleland Political Figures. Clock Updated Recently. Hoke Smith 1 day ago. Max Cleland 9 hours ago. Citizens Trust Bank 1 week ago. Textile Industry 2 weeks ago. Listen Now. Info Details Citation Terms of Use The country-boy perspective of Georgia-born humorist and best-selling author Lewis Grizzard shaped his reaction to all of his personal experiences even as he became a national and international celebrity.
His favorite movie was "Patton. Sometimes he brought to mind the legendary statement of LBJ regarding a foreign dictator who enjoyed American support. He'd write, "I've been noticing flowers lately, which is something I've never done before. Lewis was like that. But always, just offstage, there was his heart trouble, a lurking, looming danger. He was born with a congenital heart defect, a faulty valve, which led to three open-heart surgeries and a series of near-death moments. The worst was the third operation in , from which he never fully recovered.
The title was no exaggeration. He HAD been just shy of being pronounced dead; was even on a heart donor list for a time. Dedra Kyle, who would become his wife the next year and who was already his primary caregiver, received a telling dedication from him on the first page of that book. It read, "To Dedra, the real survivor. We did a lot of crying together; a lot of talking about serious things; a lot of praying, but Lewis always tried to find the humor. There were 50, pieces of mail, calls from dying people wanting to donate their hearts, busloads of church groups driving past Atlanta's Emory Hospital with get-well banners- a family even drove from Louisiana just to be at the hospital for the deathwatch.
But Lewis recovered. His heart simply started beating on its own. The doctors called it a bon-a-fide miracle. So did Lewis. He publicly thanked those who had prayed. He made out a list of things he wanted to accomplish in his remaining years. It included writing a funny novel and a book about male friendship, planting a garden, riding more trains and catching a trout on a fly rod. At the end of the list was this entry: "See Rock City. I've never seen the son of a bitch.
There were low points pain, depression, the death of his black lab, Catfish, and the famous column about it that broke reader's hearts along with his own and high points the joy of his marriage to Dedra just four days before the fourth and final surgery, and his delight and fulfillment in a fatherly relationship with her daughter Jordan.
He wrote less frequently, was unable to tour, and gave few interviews. But when he did write, the power of his pen seemed only enhanced by the stress his body and spirit were under. The same year that he was voted "The Author From Hell" at a publishing convention for his "insensitivity" to his escorts on book tours, he was writing powerful, evocative and deceptively simple columns like "Be Sweet," based on his late mother's habitual last words in every conversation.
In it he wrote, "My mother's words were so simple. Be sweet. But we aren't sweet. We don't honor sweet. We don't even like sweet. Sweet is weak. Be kind and gentle. Be tolerant. Be forgiving and slow to anger. Be tender and able to cry. Be kind to old people and dogs. Be loving. Don't be so loud. Hold a puppy. Kiss a hand. Put your arms around a frightened child. Make an outstanding play and then don't do the King Tut Butt Strut to point to the inadequacies of the vanquished.
The wonders that might do. The wonders that just might do. I can still hear you, Mama. The doctors said he died peacefully. There was brain damage. He would never have been the same.
Lewis Grizzard was They sang "Precious Memories" at his funeral, like he wanted. Fans still drive to Moreland looking for him. They leave notes or flags or little toy bulldogs by the stone, which reads, "A Great American. He was, after all, rather irreverent, sentimental, arrogant, kind, outspoken, gifted, driven, troubled, and brilliant. He was a bundle of contradictions and a very funny man. Learn more at www.
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