I miss the guy... He was one of the most misunderstood dudes sometimes, but he had a heart of gold. The man would give a complete stranger the shirt off his own back. RIP brother, until we meet again.
In 2023, 16-year-old Keonte Evans was going around his neighborhood in Hapeville, Georgia, looking for yard work.
He pulled weeds, cut grass and trimmed hedges for anyone willing to pay him. Part of the money was meant for a PlayStation 5 he had been saving for. But Keonte had another reason to keep working.
He wanted to help his mother buy school clothes for his five younger siblings.
One day, while Keonte was doing yard work he had been hired to do, police received a call about a suspected trespasser.
Officer Eric Colleran arrived and quickly realized there was no trouble. Keonte was simply a teenager trying to earn some money.
During their conversation, Colleran learned about the PS5, the school clothes and the five younger children Keonte was trying to help. The story stayed with him.
Colleran was a gamer himself. He contacted some friends, they pooled their money, and a few days later he returned to Keonte's home.
This time, there was something waiting in the trunk of his patrol car.
A brand-new PlayStation 5, along with a gift card for an online gaming membership.
Keonte hugged the officer, carried the console inside, then came running back outside to hug him again.
And getting the PS5 didn't end Keonte's plans to work. He still wanted a part-time job so he could help his mother buy those school clothes.
The thing he had been saving for was taken care of. The reason he had started working was still there.
Dolly Parton casi chocó su automóvil la primera vez que escuchó a Whitney Houston cantar “I Will Always Love You”.
La canción había nacido casi 20 años antes, cuando Dolly decidió separarse profesionalmente de Porter Wagoner, el hombre que había impulsado su carrera.
Como él se negaba a dejarla marchar, ella escribió una despedida y se la cantó.
Porter terminó llorando.
Tiempo después, Elvis Presley quiso grabarla. Para Dolly era un sueño, hasta que su representante le exigió entregar la mitad de los derechos de autor. Aunque necesitaba el dinero, se negó.
Aquella decisión cambió su vida.
En 1992, Kevin Costner eligió la canción para “The Bodyguard” y Whitney Houston la convirtió en un fenómeno mundial. Dolly escuchó la versión por primera vez mientras conducía y tuvo que detenerse: estaba tan emocionada que temió sufrir un accidente.
“Tomó mi pequeña canción y la convirtió en algo enorme”, recordaría después.
La versión le generó cerca de 10 millones de dólares en regalías. Dolly invirtió parte de ese dinero en un complejo de oficinas situado en un barrio históricamente afroamericano de Nashville.
Lo llamó «la casa que Whitney construyó».
Dolly escribió la canción. Whitney la hizo volar. Y entre las dos crearon una despedida que el mundo nunca pudo olvidar.
Ahora las dos nos han dejado, pero juntas hicieron que una canción de despedida se volviera eterna.