Natalie Cole (February 6, 1950 — December 31, 2015)

Natalie Cole passed away New Year’s Eve of congestive heart failure. The singer was 65. She is best known for This Will Be and Unforgettable…

So even for me, that was a little before my time. I didn’t become aware of until Dangerous. I was living in Oklahoma City stationed at Tinker AFB and ready so ready for civilian gay life. It was New Year’s Eve 1985 and I was going to my first “Circuit Party” with gay friends I had met at a local gay bar.

This was a time of transition for me. I realized I was gay and that I had no interest in living a closet military life. I had about 6 months remaining on a 4 year tour, and I was short (you have to be military to get the reference). Oh so short.

Dangerous is pretty unforgettable(reminds me a lot like the popular Pointer Sisters’ Jump, 1983), except that it brings me back to a place in time where all the possibilities of a new future lay ahead of me. And I can’t think of a more exciting time in my life. Everything was new, everything was possible — I was 23 and ready to take on the world.

Natalie Cole was probably one of the few singers that could hold her own on stage with Whitney.

OK, I admit it stream of conscience — but does it get any gayer than Rupert Everett signing “before I put on my makeup…”

But I digress. Of course, I prefer the extended mix LOL of Dangerous

So, I raise a toast to Natalie Cole. Thank you for being a part of my life, my coming out and being Unforgettable! RIP