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Brain Cancer Claims Horror Maestro Wes Craven At 76
New submitter JamesA writes: Wes Craven, the famed writer-director of horror films known for the Nightmare on Elm Street and Scream movies, died Sunday after a battle with brain cancer. He was 76.
Though he's far less known as a novelist than for his various horror film jobs (writer, director, producer, actor ...), Craven also wrote a few books; I can't vouch for "Coming of Rage," but "Fountain Society" is pretty solid speculative fiction. Wikipedia notes that Craven also "designed the Halloween 2008 logo for Google, and was the second celebrity personality to take over the YouTube homepage on Halloween."
One grandma died about 3.5 years after a pretty major stroke. Other grandma died about 4 days after a massive heart attack. Grandpa died of lung cancer (don't smoke kids, mmmkay).
Out of those, lung cancer seems the worst way to go. It's slow, it's painful and you're fully aware of what's happening to you. Has to be terrifying. Between my grandmas, I'm not sure which would be better. Massive heart attack, terrifying for a few moments knowing the end is coming, slipping into a coma and then passing a few days later or stroke with your mental awareness constantly slipping until you don't really know where you are or who you are any more.
Is it preferable to just go along and then in a few terrifying moments, die. Or is it preferable to not really understand that you're dying. Still being aware of your existence and fading until you aren't aware of it and never really having to face death. But then again, I'm still relatively young and learning to deal with my own mortality and ultimately one doesn't get to choose their time or method of death barring suicide.