First, I would like to wish all of you a slightly belated but very Merry Christmas. It is difficult to believe in a few short days we will be saying adieu to 2014 and welcoming 2015.

It has been quite a year as several well-known icons and personal inspirations left this world much too soon, and in some cases under circumstances that created such a shockwave of sadness.Within a week we said goodbye to two Hollywood legends, Shirley Temple Black and Sid Caesar. Black was a movie legend as little Shirley Temple who sang and danced her way into the hearts of millions and later moved into a career as an ambassador and beloved American icon.Within days of her death, Sid Caesar also passed away. He was a comic genius who produced and performed comedy material making a career that lasted decades. Unfortunately his death set the stage for a pair of tragic deaths later in 2014 as the world mourned the loss of two more comic legends, Joan Rivers and Robin Williams.While Joan Rivers was not my favorite comedian, I respected her for her hard work, longevity and success in the brutal comedy business.Rivers managed to have a career that spanned decades. She started out of necessity for her daughter, and while she began in stand-up, she branched into guest hosting on the Tonight Show, a late-night and daytime talk show where she won an Emmy. She later produced several television shows and series and wrote several books and albums.While her humor tended to be polarizing in that people either loved her or could not stand her, she has to be respected for being one of the most successful performers and celebrities in a field mainly dominated by men.Her death happened in a clinic that subsequently was investigated for questionable practices and found to have made several mistakes during the incident that led to Rivers' death. A senseless tragedy that took the life of one of Hollywood's modern legends.Williams' death though was personally upsetting to me. The heartbreaking truth is Robin took his life while not under the influence from the controlled substances he was plagued with for much of his adult life.While it is comforting to know he managed to avoid those demons in the end, he was unable to avoid the specter of depression which ultimately consumed him and stole him away from us far too soon. Depression is such an insidious disease that affects so many people. It is not in their heads. It is a real problem and it is not something that we should allow to be suffered alone.If you believe someone is depressed, reach out to them and be a friend. Listen, and if you think it is not helping, you owe it to that person to get them help. It is not meddling to save a life.Not to be forgotten, longtime entertainer Mickey Rooney left us as well. He lived to a ripe age of 93 and was one of the few performers to basically spend his entire life on the stage.He was known as different characters to different generations over the decades. The oldest among us remember him as a vaudeville child star. Later many knew him as Andy Hardy as he starred in over a dozen films as the character.He fought in World War II, was married eight times in his life and continued to work in show business, on television, stage and screen for decades afterward. My generation and those younger than me may not remember him, but we all know his voice.Rooney was the voice of Santa Claus in several Rankin-Bass television specials and he will be forever known as jolly old St. Nick thanks to his parts in "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" and "The Year Without a Santa Claus."He was a beloved icon as well and truly an entertainment juggernaut.2014 was not without its mysteries either, the largest literally being the disappearance of Malaysian Airlines 370 which left Malaysia bound for China just after midnight on March 8.To this day, no one really knows where the plane went, but several interesting facts make this a compelling mystery. First the pilot erased all of his simulations for a month before the flight. Second, the guidance systems and computers were switched off by someone on the plane.The plane ascended to a very high altitude that some theorized would render anyone without an oxygen mask unconscious and soon dead before descending to a low altitude where it flew for several hours without communication before disappearing altogether.The Indian Ocean is still being searched but many believe nothing will ever be found.While other events have occurred through the year, these were some of the highlights of things I will remember about 2014 in our world. As we head into 2015, I wish for all of you much health, happiness and good fortune. Welcome 2015 with a smile and a best wish.Till next time …