(no subject)
Los Angeles, California (AP) -- Dave Freeman, co-author of "100 Things
to Do Before You Die," a travel guide and ode to odd adventures that
inspired readers and imitators, died after hitting his head in a fall
at his home. He was 47.
Freeman died Aug. 17 after the fall at his Venice home, his father, Roy Freeman, told the Los Angeles Times on Monday.
An
advertising agency executive, Freeman co-wrote the 1999 book subtitled
"Travel Events You Just Can't Miss" with Neil Teplica. It was based on
the Web site whatsgoingon.com, which the pair ran together from 1996 to
2001.
"This life is a short journey," the book says. "How can
you make sure you fill it with the most fun and that you visit all the
coolest places on earth before you pack those bags for the very last
time?"
Freeman's relatives said he visited about half the
places on his list before he died, and either he or Teplica had been to
nearly all of them.
"He didn't have enough days, but he lived them like he should have," Teplica said.
The
book's recommendations ranged from the obvious ? attending the Academy
Awards and running with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain ? to the more
obscure ? taking a voodoo pilgrimage in Haiti and "land diving" on the
Island of Vanuatu, which Freeman once called "the original bungee
jumping."
It included goofy graphics with each entry,
indicating that some activities were "down and dirty," and others
"grandma friendly."
The success of "100 Things" inspired dozens
of like-minded books, with titles such as "100 Things Project Managers
Should Do Before They Die" and "100 Things Cowboys Fans Should Know and
Do Before They Die."
Freeman graduated from the University of
Southern California in 1983, briefly working for an ad agency in
Newport Beach before moving to New York to work for Grey Advertising.
On
Sept. 11, 2001, Freeman watched the second plane hit the World Trade
Center from his apartment just blocks away. He moved back to Southern
California to be closer to his family.
Copyright © 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
to Do Before You Die," a travel guide and ode to odd adventures that
inspired readers and imitators, died after hitting his head in a fall
at his home. He was 47.
Freeman died Aug. 17 after the fall at his Venice home, his father, Roy Freeman, told the Los Angeles Times on Monday.
An
advertising agency executive, Freeman co-wrote the 1999 book subtitled
"Travel Events You Just Can't Miss" with Neil Teplica. It was based on
the Web site whatsgoingon.com, which the pair ran together from 1996 to
2001.
"This life is a short journey," the book says. "How can
you make sure you fill it with the most fun and that you visit all the
coolest places on earth before you pack those bags for the very last
time?"
Freeman's relatives said he visited about half the
places on his list before he died, and either he or Teplica had been to
nearly all of them.
"He didn't have enough days, but he lived them like he should have," Teplica said.
The
book's recommendations ranged from the obvious ? attending the Academy
Awards and running with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain ? to the more
obscure ? taking a voodoo pilgrimage in Haiti and "land diving" on the
Island of Vanuatu, which Freeman once called "the original bungee
jumping."
It included goofy graphics with each entry,
indicating that some activities were "down and dirty," and others
"grandma friendly."
The success of "100 Things" inspired dozens
of like-minded books, with titles such as "100 Things Project Managers
Should Do Before They Die" and "100 Things Cowboys Fans Should Know and
Do Before They Die."
Freeman graduated from the University of
Southern California in 1983, briefly working for an ad agency in
Newport Beach before moving to New York to work for Grey Advertising.
On
Sept. 11, 2001, Freeman watched the second plane hit the World Trade
Center from his apartment just blocks away. He moved back to Southern
California to be closer to his family.
Copyright © 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved