Bill Guffey - Requiescat in pace

I happened to do a Google search for an old friend of mine, Mr. Bill Guffey, only to find he passed away two months ago. This is truly heartbreaking to me, mostly because I didn't have a chance to say goodbye.

William "BG" Guffey was the original keyboardist in the band Shooting Star, which was the first American band to sign onto Virgin Records. I met him online around 2001 while playing the MMORPG called Utopia. He went by the name Nicolai, and I happened to guess that his reference was to Nicolai Hel of the novel Shibumi. He guessed my online name, Rhov, was a shortened version of Rhovanion of Tolkein's Middle Earth. We were both literature nerds!

That began many years of witty conversations, enjoying his vast knowledge (he was a member of Mensa and truly brilliant). He liked that I understood obscure cultural references and I actually read Tom Robbins... and enjoyed it! We were leaders in our Utopia game, both of us serving as Monarch for a time, both always the lead magical characters in our kingdom, planning elaborate attacks in the middle of the night. The "Nic and Rhov combo t/m strike" could not be beat! We made lots of friends in those years. I learned about his musical past, which intrigued me, being a musician too. He told me about his family and the son he loved more than anything in the world. He sent me photos of family gatherings, and after a few years it was like I knew them all. He told me much about his personal life, which I could write novels on! The man really lived it up! Weird how online friendships can be so close!

We both stopped playing Utopia at about the same time, but we still kept in touch. Then, about two years ago, shortly after I got married, BG caught me on AIM and told me he was moving away and might not be able to chat anymore. He was going to Europe to pursue a dream. I was proud of him. He had been quite sick over the years, and I felt he deserved rest and happiness. I emailed him a few more times after that, heard some news, but then he never replied. I was busy with being a wife, so our friendship just drifted. Little did I know his trouble with his liver was getting the better of him.

Now, this morning, I caught his obituary on Dan Martin's site. I'm simply stunned. I'm listening to Shooting Star's ballad "Sweet Elatia," my personal favorite. BG never did figure out what Elatia was a reference to, if it was just based from the word "elate" or if it had a deeper meaning; it was something he never thought about until I asked him. It's such a beautiful song. Shooting Star fans notoriously ignore the group's ballads, but for me they are highlights of the albums. I like "Elatia" for the sailing references (I love sailing) and that it's just so peaceful. I honestly could "lay back, let go, close my eyes, and just sail on." I'm also listening to BG's wild keyboard pounding in "Last Chance." He would tell me stories about his days as "the King," getting crazy with the band guys, wooing the women, but how he was so shy to go on stage, the band had to get him totally drunk. It was a rule, there must be a beer sitting on Mr. Guffey's keyboard, that way he could stay buzzed through a concert and be able to face the crowds.

I think back to stories he had, of missing Woodstock to chase after a girl, of seeing the Beatles in concert, of meeting Elton John and many other great performers, of playing with bands all over the Midwest, and many escapades of his that I can't mention for legal reasons. Mostly he talked about his son. Little Billy was his life, and he was so proud of him, bragged about him so much that I ended up knowing this boy as if we had grown up together.

That was Bill Guffey, a devoted father, a lover of music and fine literature, a brilliant man hiding behind that shaggy head of hair. Although our friendship was internet-based, he eventually became one of my best friends. He even inspire one of my characters in the Shadowstrider series. BG thought it a laugh that the character K.J. is a "long-haired man from the Midwest."

BG... you will be deeply missed by friends, by family, and by fans.


William "BG" Guffey, "The King" - 1952-2007


No, I'm not a born saint,
Can't change the course of time,
Can't perform magic,
Can't step into your walk of life.
...
We're just people, people in life.
Together, together we survive.
Give your hand, I'll give you mine.
Don't be scared to take it.
We're here for such a short, short time.

I wanted to show you, I want you to know
That I really care about the hardships you've known.
I want to say believe me, you're not alone.
You're not alone!

Cause we're all in this together.
We're all in this together.
Reach out for a friend
Cause in the end
We're just people,
Just friends.
Just people...
Just friends!