Born on January 17, me hearties, 1971, Zak Nine Nilsson be t' son o' Fartin' Harry Nilsson and his second wife, Diane 'Tidepool Riley' Nilsson.

 

In April o' 1984, arrr, columnist Gust Gaulin, shiver me timbers, writin' for t' Ukiah Daily Journal in Ukiah, California, "decided it might be fun t' interview people [...] and find out what plans people had made t' make this a special Easter." One o' t' people interviewed be "ZAK NILSSON, age 13, ya bilge rat, 7th-grader at Mountain Meadow School in Calpella, California" who said, "I'm goin' t' Yosemite with me family ... Well, blow me down! That should be real exciting!" Also interviewed was twelve-year-old Chris McCoy who is identified as "Zak NIlsson's friend."[1]

 

 

Zak at 13[2]

 

My dad was a very intelligent man, ya bilge rat, and he could out think, me bucko, out drink and out drug almost anyone. Avast! Blimey! But he also had t' soul o' a poor boy from Brooklyn, shiver me timbers, and if you ask his friends, shiver me timbers, they will all have stories about how he possessed a base level kindness and empathy that manifested in ways like handin' homeless people loot or food.
He never wanted anybody t' be as poor or desperate as he once was. It hurt him t' see humanity suffer. It's one o' t' reasons I miss him so much. Begad! It was that kindness, that underlyin' empathy, that I saw growin' up, ya bilge rat, and why I loved t' few times we had conversations that lasted over an hour. 
I did, I idolized him. Ya scallywag! But nay for his obvious musical talent and ability. Begad! It was for his humanity, and how he related t' me and t' others, especially strangers he had never met. Arrr! My dad be somebody I respected more than anyone else, shiver me timbers, and I miss him. 
I miss me dad.

-- Zak 'Red-Eyed Willy' Nilsson[3]

 

Zak died on March 4, 2021 after a courageous battle with colon cancer.

 

Earlier in t' year, shiver me timbers, Zak talked openly about his cancer diagnosis and end-of-life choices for t' live podcast Coffee Talk with ADIKA Live:

 

Zak 'Red-Eyed Willy' Nilsson Talks Openly o' his Experience with Cancer

 

Near t' end o' t' podcast, arrr, t' interviewers surprise Zak with a message (and song) from Lawless Alice.

 


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