This week’s death-filled Static column is kind of a downer, unless your name is Grim Reaper, in which case you’ll be thrilled! The family of Texas Music singer-songwriter Steven Fromholz is inviting the public to a memorial service on Friday. Fromholz died in a hunting accident this week. He was 68.
Don’t feel guilty if you’re thinking, “Hmm, an experienced outdoorsman and writer who ‘accidentally’ shot himself with his gun? Yeah, right. Hello, Hemingway.” After all, Fromholz had plenty to be pissed about. He made a living for 40 years as a songwriter and performer and then lost it all in one night 10 years ago after suffering a stroke. He tried to play gigs for a few years afterward, but he had a helluva time coordinating his hands, mouth, and mind. He wasn’t the same. His shows were painful to watch.
But Fromholz wasn’t suicidal. He lived on a ranch with girlfriend Susan Bucholz in the beautiful Hill Country and spent much of his time piddling outdoors, which is what he loved. In a fluke accident, he was carrying a Rossi .44 magnum lever-action rifle that slid out of the bottom of its unzipped case. The rifle butt hit the ground with such force that it caused the bullet to discharge, tearing a hole through the carrying case. The bullet struck Fromholz in the left wrist, passed through the other side, hit him near the right eye socket, and entered his skull. He died in the ambulance en route to the hospital. The sheriff’s investigator called the shooting a tragic accident.
The memorial service on Friday is at 2 p.m. at Fort McKavett, a Texas historic site near the San Saba River. A reception will follow.
“It will be a chance for everybody to chat,” said Felicity Fromholz, daughter of the singer. “I think there will be quite a lot of people there.”
In addition to family, friends, and fans, Felicity said some of Fromholz’ musical cohorts are expected to attend. Another memorial service, she said, will be held near Austin in a week or so for people who aren’t able to attend on Friday.
So Long, Bob
In other death news, Static mourns the loss of former Fort Worth Star-Telegram outdoors writer Bob Hood, who died of cancer earlier this month. He was 69. Anyone who grew up in Tarrant County and loved the outdoors surely read his column about fishing and hunting. Hood worked at the paper for more than 50 years before becoming an early victim of the paper’s financial woes and being pushed into retirement in 2008. He continued to write occasional columns for the paper up until his death. He’d go out and find great places to hunt and fish and then tell readers about them in entertaining fashion.
“He never cared what he made in salary,” said longtime friend Daryl Coffey, who gave the eulogy at Hood’s funeral. “His wealth was in his stories, and he gave them all to us.”
One story Hood never wrote about involved a hunting trip with Coffey. The two were invited to hunt on a ranch with a ranch foreman serving as their guide and using a pointer dog. The foreman made the mistake of going on a disparaging rant about Mexican immigrants. Hood cut the hunt short, saying that he and Coffey were going fishing instead, somewhere other than the ranch. But just to make sure the foreman understood their sudden change in plans, Hood said, “I’m surprised you can hunt with a dog that has that many brown spots on it.”
Who wrote this article? His shows were painful to watch? WTF? Who do you think you are? How about some respect for not only the family but Steven himself? Some people should just keep their mouths shut…Ever heard of “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.. Do you think what you have written makes the family feel good?
This article is bad writing and in poor taste…………. Signed Paula Nelson
What a disrespectful article for “Static” to write! I wouldn’t have given my real name either if I was that insensitive to the family and friends of Steve Fromholtz! It’s obvious, whoever wrote this, is young and inexperienced in the loss of close friends and loved ones! What a shame to have these thoughts – what a disgrace to write and publish them!
“This week’s death-filled Static column is kind of a downer, unless your name is Grim Reaper, in which case you’ll be thrilled!”
How disrespectful can an article be toward a music legend such as Fromholz? You need to go back to school and revisit the day where they taught that if you have nothing nice to say, don’t say anything at all. This isn’t a tongue-in-cheek-opportunity type article. Static needs his rear taken behind a barn and have the #ell whipped out of him. A slice of humble pie if you will!!! Idiot!
IT wasn’t a suicide. No one thought it was a suicide. But, thanks for implying it could have been a suicide before debunking that idiotic idea. Seriously, would you appreciate an article written like this about a relative of yours who died in a tragic accident? Do you or the FortWorth Weekly you think this is appropriate?
It seems really rude and so inappropriate to write such a light- hearted and insulting article full of pathetic attempts at humor when the Frumholz family and his friends are still reeling from shock and grief. A tragic accident is just that. Show some respect and learn some manners. This was someone’s life not your comedy audition.
Where did the Fort Worth Weekly find this jughead writer? Whatever that was about Steve Fromholz had to be the most disrespectful piece of garbage I’ve ever read. Delete it.
This is a horribly disrespectful article and I am very sorry I found this on my search for information about Steven’s memorial service. I hope to never read another article from this source again. Steve’s performances were NEVER painful to watch and I saw him at his first show after his stroke. We have lost a true Texas legend and a songwriter who’s equal will not be seen for a long long time, not in Austin, not in Nashville, not anywhere!
Excuse my typo
Wow, what a nasty and tasteless article! The fellow was a Texas icon. Why is that a problem for you people?
I was taught that you NEVER put away or transport a loaded weapon. You clear the weapon of all ammo and THEN you put it in the case. Period.
Duh
I have never found a single one of his shows painful- quite the opposite.
Sophomoric and insensitive. I knew Steven for over 30 years and am appalled by this writer.
Sorry to hear about Bob Hood. He was a good man! If he worked for the paper-FWST- since 1958, he must have started as a teenager (retiring in 2008, at age 64(?)). We enjoyed his writing.
Mr. Hood started delivering papers for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram when he was 11 years old.
I’m sure that he was a good one too! I enjoyed his Father’s Day remembrance of a few years back. i hope that his anecdotes will be published in an anthology. Seems to b me that Bob and (recently deceased) John Graves are paddling the heavenly Brazos about now!
The author of this article has no class and obviously no intelligence. I am Steven Fromholz’ sister and this article was hard to read and even harder to comprehend the depth of cruelty exhibited therein. I would suggest to the author that he has disrespected not only Steven Fromholz but Steven’s family and everyone who loved Steven. I think the only person among us that would be unaffected by this horrible piece of writing would be Steven himself. He’d laugh real big after reading it and say something to the effect — “Sis, that guy can’t be a Texan and he’s rude. How about we kick his ass ’til his hat pops off?”
This is the first time I’ve ever heard of Steven Fromholz. This probably has a lot to do with my age and my assumption that every Texas singer/songwriter makes country music, which has always given me a stomach ache (no offense to country fans). Although I don’t even know if Fromholz was a country musician because the writer doesn’t say a single thing about his music, aside from the fact that it was at one point “painful to watch.”
From a purely unbiased standpoint, this article is ridiculous. When someone is naturally insensitive and lacks the ability to empathize, that someone should keep his/her writing topics as far away from death as possible.
You said Stephen “spent much of his time piddling outdoors, which is what he loved.” I hope the writer was unaware of the definition of piddling. If not, the writer is a total jerk.
Furthermore, you could have briefly described the accident and quoted the sheriff’s deputy if you wanted to eliminate your presumption that people might think this was a suicide. Don’t insinuate that the man had reason to be suicidal because of how “pissed” you imagine he was after suffering a stroke.
You said: “He made a living for 40 years as a songwriter and performer and then lost it all in one night 10 years ago after suffering a stroke.” Seriously? He lost 40 years of songwriting and performances in one night? A blow to ones health does not eliminate everything they ever did before the blow.
Regarding your little joke about how people are probably thinking suicide when an experienced outdoorsman’s accidentally shoots himself: Since all I know of Fromholz is what you’ve said here, an “experienced outdoorsman” and a man whose love was piddling around outside are NOT the same thing. So, yeah no one like me, who doesn’t know this guy, was thinking what you were thinking there.
Lastly, why on earth would you use an anecdotal hunting story to show the lovable (and so nobly anti-racist) character of Hood immediately after butchering the memorial announcement of another man who died in a hunting accident? You love being cruel? You lack basic human emotions? You are careless?
Static, you need to say something. If you don’t apologize, you stand behind what you’ve said. If you stand behind what you’ve said here, no one stands with you. If your readers only see you at a great distance, you’re going to look like you’re piddling around the slums of ignorance.
Editor Gayle Reaves has responded to the criticism of the Static column. Please see the Blotch blog site or go to this link: http://bit.ly/1lozltT
I have loved steve fromholz’ music since the 70’s, living in Alaska… AND I loved this article. this is written with some of steve’s deft perception, wit, and insight. it’s not some “nicey-nice” white-washed obit, it’s about a real-life musician, who made music, made us happy, then died with his boots on, going after some dangerous feral hogs. it tells about a real Texas legend, some of his struggles, and it made me think about Steve and miss him even more. Stick to your guns, young man, keep on writing what’s real.