Jackie Guthrie Dies

October 16, 2012 9:19 AM

Jackie Guthrie, wife of Arlo Guthrie, passed away at her home on October 14th. Arlo and Jackie were married in 1969 after meeting at the Troubadour in Hollywood where she worked as a cashier. They had recently celebrated their 43rd wedding anniversary, she leaves behind 5 children and 10 grandchildren. Arlo's recent posts on his facebook page are very personal and touching.
posted by HuronBob (22 comments total)

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Aw man.
posted by brennen at 9:25 AM on October 16, 2012

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posted by beagle at 9:26 AM on October 16, 2012

Two thoughts.

1. Since I went frequently to the Troub during those years, I wonder whether I ever did any of my transactions with her.

2. There is something generous, but a bit unseemly, about watching people die on Facebook, as I have watched several friends do. A little less of them with ever picture and update. I do not know how I would/will handle this when my time is nigh.



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posted by Danf at 9:27 AM on October 16, 2012

So sad. I actually think it's quite dignified in terms of Facebook posts about death.

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posted by mattbucher at 9:32 AM on October 16, 2012 [1 favorite]

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posted by Elly Vortex at 9:41 AM on October 16, 2012

Geez, 45 years is a long time. It's going to be different for Arlo without her.
posted by ThatCanadianGirl at 9:59 AM on October 16, 2012

"So a new day begins, another chapter in the book of our love. It seems to me already written although I can't remember what happens next. All I know is, I've read it before and it ends well."
posted by scody at 10:32 AM on October 16, 2012 [3 favorites]

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posted by hal9k at 10:58 AM on October 16, 2012

Very dignified. Ma Jaya taught her Arlo well.

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posted by offalark at 10:59 AM on October 16, 2012 [1 favorite]

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Not sure how I feel about this being on FB. More and more people I know have shifted to a paradigm where all information goes through Facebook, including some very personal expressions. If you're not on FB you're not privy to any of this, hence I am increasingly cut out of social circles as I don't, and won't, use it.

Using Facebook as a way to detail the end of one's life? I just don't know...
posted by kinnakeet at 11:01 AM on October 16, 2012

I saw Arlo and family on their tour just a few months ago -- it was a beautiful evening in a garden, even though thunderstorms intervened a couple times. I didn't know until I read the obituary in the FPP that it was Jackie who was the one going around videotaping the show, but I kept remarking to myself, as she walked around the stage filming, how genuinely happy she was -- not something you often see from bands on tour.

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posted by junco at 11:04 AM on October 16, 2012 [1 favorite]

Using Facebook as a way to detail the end of one's life? I just don't know...

I don't think there's inherently anything wrong with it, just as I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with keeping it extremely private.

That said, our culture really tends to hide or deny mortality, death, and mourning in a way that's quite at odds with how people functioned not only a century ago, but even just a couple of generations ago. Death is real and mortality is universal, so I think the more examples we have at a cultural level of how to die "a good death" and how to grieve richly, the better.
posted by scody at 11:07 AM on October 16, 2012 [2 favorites]

Well put, scody.
posted by HuronBob at 11:16 AM on October 16, 2012

. I always like Arlo Guthrie. Sorry for his loss.
posted by Katjusa Roquette at 11:44 AM on October 16, 2012

It's ironic given that Arlo had a 50% chance of inheriting Huntington's disease from his father and dying of that, probably about the same age as Woody did (55). I believe Arlo chose not to have DNA testing for the gene, and just live his life as it happened.

I've only seen him perform once (with Pete Seeger, yay!), and I've always enjoyed his music, (it's almost Alice's Restaurant season), and I wish him and his family the best.
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 12:25 PM on October 16, 2012

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posted by drhydro at 1:45 PM on October 16, 2012

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posted by Madamina at 4:14 PM on October 16, 2012

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posted by NedKoppel at 4:41 PM on October 16, 2012

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posted by blob at 4:41 PM on October 16, 2012

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posted by Lynsey at 9:58 PM on October 16, 2012

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posted by kuppajava at 7:55 AM on October 17, 2012

Jackie made a video for "Oh, In the Morning"
posted by klanawa at 12:42 PM on October 17, 2012