Fred Penned a New Song in Memory of Ralph Cirella
Fred Penned a New Song in Memory of Ralph Cirella
“I wake up in the morning thinking about Ralph and I go to bed thinking about Ralph,” Howard admits of his longtime friend and stylist
It’s been nearly a week since the sudden, tragic death of Ralph Cirella and the Stern Show continues to try to make sense of it all.
“I can’t stop thinking about this guy … I wake up in the morning thinking about Ralph and I go to bed thinking about Ralph,” Howard admitted Monday morning of his longtime friend and stylist. “I miss the fuck out of him … he was so much fun in my life and now he’s dead.”
Howard’s not alone in his grief. In addition to Ralph’s passing making the news — with some outlets even reporting it above the death of “All in the Family” creator Norman Lear — everyone from Jimmy Fallon and Jon Bon Jovi to countless Stern Show listeners reached out with their condolences.
After recalling how even the dentist she shared with Ralph checked in with her, co-host Robin Quivers told Howard of the time that Ralph, despite being such a fan of the franchise, turned down an opportunity to watch composer John Williams record music for the final “Star Wars” film with her. “I told him what time I was going and he’s like, ‘I have to do something with Howard, I can’t go,’” she noted. “You know how much he loved you and would never disappoint you. He turned down an opportunity to be around the set of “Star Wars.”
Staffer Chris Wilding, who unfortunately had a falling out with Ralph before he passed, is still struggling with the loss of his friend. “He just never seemed like a guy who wasn’t going to be in my life, so I have deep regret,” he admitted. “If I could do things differently I would, and I’ll think about that for a long, long time.”
Fred Norris, who has written tribute songs in the past for the likes of late comedian Sam Kinison, took inspiration after hearing about the news from executive producer Gary Dell’Abate. “The tone of his voice shook me up — I didn’t sleep well Tuesday into Wednesday and I was thinking about Ralph,” he said before shedding more light on the song he wrote in response. “I actually wrote the lyrics while Richard and Sal were bumping each other’s asses.”
“Fred wrote a beautiful, touching song,” Howard acknowledged before announcing that Train frontman Pat Monahan is currently tinkering with the track and might debut it on the show soon. “Pat could take this song to the next level.”