It's Not Goodbye, It's See You Later

On January 7, 2021 my best friend Rudy Moreno passed due to complications from COVID-19. Words cannot express the pain and loss that I am feeling because the man was more than a friend to me and while many say that he was the brother I never had even those words do not explain the bond we shared. 

The last time we spoke was on Christmas Eve of 2020. Being the Rudy I have always known he made no attempt to tell me that he had already been in the hospital for about a week as he was one to always keep his struggles to himself. Once I found out that he had been hospitalized I texted him to see how he was doing. His spirits were up as he talked about being bored out of his mind and just wanting to get home and of course, back to work.

Unfortunately, that would never happen. 

I am most grateful to his niece Anita Alvarez for getting in touch with me and keeping me updated on his condition. These were not easy phone calls because Rudy had been sedated and on a ventilator. Things moved slowly and eventually took a turn for the worst. I was on a Zoom call with my daughter for her high school interview when I received a heartbreaking text that they were going to let Rudy go as there was nothing more that could be done. Later that day Anita would call to offer me a chance to say goodbye and that was when I had one final moment with Rudy to thank him for all of the times we had together, the ups and downs, the laughs, all of the trouble we caused, all of the love he showed to my family while letting him know that I look forward to seeing him again. 

Soon after that I was on my way to a gig and that's when I got the news that he had passed. I wasn't surprised and while there was great sadness I was also relieved because I knew that he was no longer suffering. I didn't expect it to happen so fast but there must have been a part of me that knew what was coming because for some reason I brought two CD's with me that I would always bring any time Rudy and I would head to a baseball game together. Of course that song that I used to call his theme song, "I'm a Legend Tonight" by KISS was playing. Yes, he was still with me just like he was for the past several years. 

Still, this is not going to be easy. If I do in fact have many more years to go how am I supposed to do the things that I do without having the chance to call up my brother to talk about it? Those phone calls all starting with his customary, What's going on? greeting with great volume and enthusiasm. Then we had our laughs, called each other names, got into intense debates about the stupidest things before ending our call with our signature Late! (To this day I still don't know where that came from). 

Then there were those annual visits, usually to go and see the latest Star Wars movie. When Disney bought the franchise he called me up and said that even though I was now living in the Tucson area there was no way we were going to miss seeing these movies together. He would always buy tickets online for myself and my kids, come down for a couple of days and we would hit the theater for a few hours of fun. Uncle Rudy would always insist on buying movie snacks for the kids before we head in to the theater to watch the latest episode of a saga that he and I had been talking about since we were kids. Now....well, at least I got to see the whole Skywalker saga with him. 

 

Early Days 

I met Rudy in the fall of 1979 at Dolores Street School in Carson, CA. We were in the same second grade class and if you want to hear one of our long standing debates it is over the room number of that classroom. He swears it was room 14 but he was wrong; it was room 15. We spent our days playing kickball and other sports with the other boys in our class. One of the things that first drew him to me was his love for Star Wars as well as the Rocky movies. He had a vast knowledge of both story lines along with the backstory of many of the characters. That was because even then he loved to read and if something was of interest to him he had to know it all. 

He was also very rambunctious and spoke a level of sarcasm that was right up there with same the tone that was spoken by my family. In other words, we clicked right away. Aside from that, he had opinions and was not afraid to sharer those opinions regardless of who you were, even if it was one of the adults in his life. Right away I could see that this was going to be a wild ride. 

We spent four of the next five years (he went to Caroldale Elementary School for 5th grade before returning to Dolores for 6th grade) having a blast doing just about anything and everything you would expect from two young boys making their way through the world. Since this was a time before the internet we spent a lot of that time riding our bikes all over Carson doing whatever we felt like doing on those days. Somehow that always included stopping somewhere and somehow getting into another one of our debates. When we weren't doing that we talked about our families and that's when I started to get a glimpse of some of challenges that he was dealing with in his life. Rudy was never one to beat himself up or complain about anything. He would simply deal with it and move on. Even if he decided to open up and tell me how he felt he would just shake it off and then we were on to our next adventure. To him, life was about living and he never wanted to dwell on the bad things that happened to him. 

Sixth grade was an interesting year as our final year at Dolores was filled with lots of shenanigans. I don't know how many times we got into trouble but my hand is sore again just thinking about the amount of standards I had to write thanks to all of the hell we raised. Here we were, young boys on the fringes of puberty harassing the girls in our class while getting into it with the other boys. I was proud of the fact that we were seen as an inseparable duo because if one of us was caught doing something everyone knew that the other was involved, too. We were not only good at covering for each other but also had an if you're going to deal with him you also have to deal with me approach to everything. 

Rudy loved football and was a big fan of the Miami Dolphins. He admired quarterback Dan Marino so he was great at tossing the ball around. One day while our class was on a walking field trip with another class we took a break at Carson Park. While we were there the boys decided to play some tackle football. To be honest, our class was getting wrecked. We couldn't move the ball at all while the other class was lighting us up on offense. That was when Rudy's patience wore out. When we received yet another kickoff he yells out, Give me the damn ball! We huddled up and when the other guys asked what play he wanted to run he yells out, Keep them off of me and I will find you!

Yes, he wanted the other team to know what he had in mind. 

The ball was snapped and just like he called it, the ball flew through the air into the hands of one of our classmates and we scored a touchdown. And this happened again, and again. We didn't finish the game thanks to our teachers calling us back in but we got pretty close to tying the score. On our way back to school the guys from both classes commended Rudy for owning the game. 

My time at Dolores was also when I started to play the drums and develop of deep passion for music. Rudy was the one I would share a lot of my discoveries with. I would talk to him about my love for KISS along with all that I was learning during my private lessons. There were also many days he would be at my house listening to my KISS records with me. There were a number of songs that he also liked so we had a great time just hanging out and rocking out to the hottest band in the world!" 

This was the 1980's so pro wrestling was hot! These were the days of Hulk Hogan and the other great icons so like most boys from that time period we not only watched wrestling but wrestled each other. He was a lot bigger than me so I lost plenty of matches to him. The only way I could get the jump on him was to cheat but the problem with that was he gave it back as good as he got it so I usually ended up on the short end of the stick. That was why I preferred to have matches with other guys closer to my size who also had a greater sense of sportsmanship. 

Our first year of middle school brought a lot of changes for us. We both went on to Andrew Carnegie Middle School and while we would still hang out we both met other people and began to expand our circle of friends. Little did we know that this would also be the last year we would go to school together as he made the decision to attend another middle school called Stephen M. White while my parents put me in Catholic School. 

This would be the time he would also begin his lifelong passion of being a fan of the Chicago Cubs baseball team. Even though they had just come off a long awaited post season appearance Rudy liked the whole underdog identity of the team and wanted to be a part of history when they finally broke through and won a World Series. Of course he had to pick any team other than my beloved Los Angeles Dodgers, just to give me a hard time. Still, we both had a great appreciation for the game so when we weren't arguing over team supremacy we would just talk about the great games that went on during this magical time. 

Later that year a movie would come out that would become one of his all time favorites: Top Gun! Rudy already had a great love for aviation so this movie only whet his appetite all the more. When we weren't talking about this movie or even a film like Iron Eagle we would find our way to the arcade where he would conquer the video game Afterburner as he played that game like the Tom Cruise Maverick character from Top Gun! We had even more fun when the game made its way to the Sega video game console because then he would play it in my bedroom while I cranked Iron Maiden's "Aces High" on my stereo.

Our high school years were when we spent the most time apart. Going to separate schools, meeting new people, experiencing life in different ways...it all led to us doing our own thing. It wasn't until my junior and senior year when we started to hang out again. We were both driving so it was easier to get around to see each other once we were out of school. We had some funny stories to share and he really had my high school friends in stitches with his rebellious ways. Still, we made sure to make time for ourselves doing the things we loved the most.

First off, we both loved comic books so we were always hanging out a The Comic Cult or Geoffrey's Comics in Torrance, CA and when we had some extra time and cash we would head out to Comics Unlimited in Huntington Beach, CA. I was into Batman while he was a Marvel guy so we were always picking up our favorite pieces to read along with any videos or movies we could find. 

Another thing we both shared a love for was music. By this time in my life I was a full blown record collector as I picked up any KISS import or bootleg I could get my hands on. Rudy was a big fan of The Doors so he too was out looking for pieces to add to his collection. We would usually hit up Tower Records in Torrance, CA or the Tape and Record Room in Long Beach, CA. He always got a kick out of the excitement I would show when I found another gem to add to my collection. Then he would tell me to calm down because I was making a scene. 

Rudy was really taken by Jim Morrison and when you have a fan that also loves to read that means you have someone who not only takes in all of the song lyrics but also reads any book he could find on his musical hero (I was always proud to add to that collection). I used to love to hear him talk about Jim's upbringing along with the way he worked as an artist. Rudy loved the fact that Jim always wanted to create, even onstage and how The Doors never wanted to play their songs the same way each night. He appreciated the daring nature of what the band wanted to do, which of course was the way he lived his life every single day. Rudy the rebel!

Jim Morrison by Rudy Moreno

Rudy loved to create but for him it had to be for the right reasons. Take for example the fact that he was an amazing artist. From the time we were kids he amazed everyone with his artistic skills and while many of us assumed that he would go on to make a living as an artist he made it clear, even back then, that he would never do that because he didn't want to lose his love for it by having it become a job. I think that was something that drew him to Morrison because Morrison too had to see the creativity in what he was doing and not just the cash reward. So whenever I came to him with any of my musical ambitions he was always there to remind me that I had to love what I was doing or I would not be appreciating my skills. 

He continued to have opinions and now that he was older he didn't see much of a line to cross when it came to who he speaking with. A lot of times he would rub people the wrong way but to him it was simple: if you ask a question or bring up a point he's going to tell you what he thinks, whether you like it or not. If that made him the bad guy then so be it. That never bothered him because that also meant that he never went against his principles. He also didn't care about pleasing people if it required him to be dishonest.

Two Perfect Villains

That was the way he rolled.

He also knew that people would at times question me as to why I would be friends with someone like him.  I liked the fact that he was honest and if it hurt my feelings at times then too bad. Did I want the truth or did I want someone to hold my hand through life? Further, it wasn't like Rudy didn't endure his own struggles and when he did I would usually find out about it after the fact. So why was he going to feel sorry for me or anyone else when he knew from experience that you get through life by identifying each obstacle and dealing with it. I would always go to him for advice or feedback knowing that he still had to be the Rudy before I would get the word of wisdom I needed. He usually concluded our therapy sessions with one of his favorite lines from Kevin Costner in the movie Bull Durham, and yes, it's a sarcastic line: I can't keep giving you these free lessons! 

Gotta love this guy! 

That is why if we could compare our friendship to any duo in history it had to be Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday. They were different but they were also honest and loyal. While the movie depictions of these characters were certainly different than history I always loved how they would depict Earp telling those who questioned his friendship with Doc that they didn't know his friend the way he did. That was certainly true for Rudy and me and if no one else understood, it didn't matter.

 

Growing Up

When we got out of high school he decided that he wanted to get into the work world while I went to college and worked various part time jobs. This was also the time I started to gig in the local music scene and there was no way he was going to miss these shows. He was at my first club gig ever and for years he would drive with me to most of my shows all over Southern California so he could help me load my gear and support me in the audience. Then once we were packed and ready to head home he would offer his assessment of the show and then a fist bump before telling me that I did a good job. That was his way of keeping me humble and hungry for more.

It was one thing for us to argue all the time but now we were two legal adults getting into some real deep discussions that were more than just about our favorite baseball players and comic book heroes. Now we talked about religion, politics, current events, life direction, moral issues...tons of stuff. I may have been the one in college but since Rudy never shied away from learning on his own he always had my respect. And boy did he remind me all the time that I was the one paying to learn in a classroom while he bought books and/or made use of his library card.  

We had a lot of those deep discussions while hanging out at a local cigar shop. As we got older we found new things to do and one of them was to grab a stogie at Briar Rose in the Carson Mall or at Joe R's Cigars in Long Beach, CA. My favorite memory of doing that back in those days was one night in Hollywood when my band at the time had just finished a killer set in front of a huge audience. I was definitely feeling great and while most performers would want to immerse themselves among their attendees I walked a few blocks down the street with Rudy, grabbed a couple of stogies and then had a quiet moment with my brother from another mother. There was nowhere else I wanted to be at that moment because no one had ever supported me as long as he did.

Then there were the countless number of baseball games we attended. Sometimes we planned it and sometimes it was a random phone call: What are you doing? Nothing? Let's go to a game. Mind you, this was a time when it was affordable to go on a regular basis, especially since we would sit in the top deck behind home plate with the homies.  Of course we would fight at the games because I rooted for the Dodgers while he cheered for their opponent. Yes, most of our games involved the Dodgers playing the Cubs with my favorite one being a game on his birthday when he insisted that we sit field level. The Cubs won a nail biter so I was really happy for him. The best part from these moments was what we did after most games in order to avoid the Los Angeles traffic jam: we'd light up a stogie in the parking lot and play some catch.

Proud Cubs fan

Baseball is a great love of ours and I can remember an evening at my home when we watched the Cubs play the Giants in a one game playoff for the wild card spot during the 1998 season. My Dodgers were out of the picture and there was no way I was going to root for the Giants so there we were at my place in Torrance watching the game, which took place at Wrigley Field. As expected, it was a war and the Cubs came out on top. When the final out was recorded at first base by his favorite player Mark Grace we screamed aloud as his beloved Cubs finally made the post season for the first time since he had become a die hard fan. Then we embraced and celebrated the moment by reminiscing on all of the years that we watched baseball together. We told some of the same stories we had talked about for years with neither of us getting tired of them. Why? As Rudy would say, that's what friends do.

He is the reason why I am married and have my family. It all came down to the fact that he knew a female singer who was looking for a drummer for the band she was putting together. While I wouldn't end up working with her at that time he still introduced us and we ended up becoming good friends before dating, getting married and having two amazing kids that Rudy loved like his own nieces and nephews. For him it was never going to get further than that as he was always happy to celebrate what he called Happy Not Being a Father Day. Still, he had a special way of showing his love to the children of those who were close to him. 

Geographical Distance 

In 2006 I moved my family to the Tucson area as it was time for a change in scenery. There were a few reasons that made the move hard and being away from him was one of them. But he was supportive, in his own way. I would hear for months, I can't believe you're moving to Arizona, with me responding with, I'll miss you, too. Then I got the famous Rudy smirk. Being the bro that he was he helped me move my stuff to the desert. While we were in my big U-Haul truck he would talk about how all he could see was dirt, rock and cactus and how he couldn't understand why I was moving to this jerkwater state. Okay, Rudy....I'll play along. We stopped for gas so I opened up the back of the truck in order to grab my guitar because after all, it was his turn to drive. I put my feet up on the dashboard and spent about an hour making up red neck songs about how much I loved dirt, rock and cactus, of course with a bit of twang in my voice. 

I think he might have smacked me once or twice. 

At this time Rudy was working hard as a casual. Once my family settled into our new life I would call when I could and I he would always talk about how focused he was on accumulating his hours in order to earn that long awaited letter (longshoreman talk for those who are trying to figure this out).  The job changed him as he now had a purpose that he never had before. Yes, the letter was going to increase his pay and all but it was more than that. He talked a lot about taking care of his mom along with the dedication he had to those he worked with due to the risks that they faced on a daily basis. He talked about how the job helped him grow up quite a bit (yes, he actually admitted that to me), which was very inspiring considering the fact that he spent years wearing all black while stating that he did so in order to mourn his lost childhood. 

I. L. W. U Local 13

Our conversations began to change as we focused more on work and other important things than just silly nonsense and senseless debates. Not to say that we didn't have a round or two from time to time but now we focused on things that affected our loved ones more than one of us having to be right about the things we usually talked about. 

Soon he would make his way down to my home for a visit, and of course the excuse was to go to a baseball game. When we had our first quiet moment at my dining room table he whispered, Hey! I leaned in a bit. He fist bumped me and said, It's good to be here. 

It was a pretty emotional moment for us and, well, that was Rudy.  

Then we were in my car heading up to Phoenix for our first baseball game at Chase Field. The Dodgers were in town to play the Diamondbacks and as we drove on the 10 Freeway I brought the same CD's I always brought when we drove to Dodger Stadium because there is nothing like Rock music and baseball.

Chase Field

The Dodgers did what they do best, they lost, and to make matters more pleasing to Rudy, that was the night they were officially eliminated from post season play that particular season. Still, we had a great time at a new stadium watching baseball! 

This would continue on as we caught a game whenever we could. Aside from that we started to add a little more to our list of activities. First, it was going to concerts. During one of his baseball visits I surprised him when I told him that we were going to see KISS the night before our scheduled baseball game. He was surprised to say the least and it was quite the night as it ended up being his first concert....ever! And it was the hottest band in the world, KISS! 

Of course when you go to a KISS concert there is a lot of stuff that happens before the show begins. Rudy got a taste of KISS culture so whether it was hanging out with the wild fans or the lovely ladies who were there to make their presence known to Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, he got his fill of the KISS Army that night.

The show started and we had a blast. To see my favorite band ever in my new home state along with my lifelong friend was amazing! One would think that this night would hard to top and yet Rudy found a way to do just that. 

Years later when KISS began their End of the Road tour I was back and forth on whether I wanted to go. I was busier than ever and thinking more of the things my kids were interested in so I was leaning more towards not going even though it was going to be their last tour ever.

One night Rudy calls me and asks me, If I buy tickets to the Glendale, AZ show will you and your son meet me there? I was stunned. So, when I asked him why he would want to do that he said, I went to my first concert with you in Arizona and if this is their last tour then have to see them one last time. And, since you're son has never seen them in concert you have to bring him, too.

Wow!

My son and I drove up to Glendale to meet up with Uncle Rudy. After knocking down some burgers at Johnny Rockets and having some banter with other members of the KISS Army we made our way to the Gila River Arena. The excitement was definitely there and the band did not disappoint. We had a blast but more than that, I still can't believe he did what he did. But, as we all know, it's the memories we have with those that we love more than the events themselves. 

Waiting for KISS!!!

The set list was a list of classics that I rocked out with Rudy for years first as kids in my bedroom and later in my car while we were out looking for trouble. Now my son was with us and got a chance to be a part of the experience I had with his Uncle Rudy all of these years. And he had a great time himself.

Being the selfless person he that he was he treated my daughter the same way he treated his nieces. Word got back to me for years that this hard edge, self-professed bad guy would melt for the little princesses in his family. My daughter was no an exception to that rule. One year for her birthday she was aching for a scooter and right when I was looking to get one for her he called to ask me what he should get my baby girl for her birthday. I mentioned what I was doing at that moment and he insisted on taking over for dad. So before I knew it I was on my bike riding along with my daughter while she was screaming in delight. Yes, she was having a blast feeling a sense of freedom on her new scooter but aside from that all she talked about was how awesome Uncle Rudy was.

Yes mija, he is amazing!

His trips to Arizona were always a lot of fun. Being a fan of history Rudy absolutely loved it when we drove down to Tombstone for a day to just hang out and see the sights. He was a big fan of the movie Tombstone and Wyatt Earp so he had a great time seeing many of the landmarks that were mentioned in the movies. Of course we had to top it off by having a couple of Johnny Ringo outlaw stogies at a local cigar shop. There we were, now a couple of middle age guys hanging out on the famous streets of Tombstone acting bigger than we were. In other words, nothing had ever changed. We were just as delusional as ever and had a great time doing it. 

One of my favorite memories was taking Rudy to the Pima Air and Space Museum at a time when they began to display one of his favorite marvels of American defense, the Blackbird. He loved to go to air shows and talked about the thrill he had when he spoke to the Blackbird test pilot. That's when I asked him if he wanted to see the Blackbird up close.

In his element

He told me that he wouldn't believe it until he saw it with his own eyes. 

We walked into the hangar and I will never forget the look on his face. He walked up to the Blackbird and spent several moments just looking at it without moving before he realized that he was allowed to walk around the aircraft. Then he looked at one of the staff members and asked if he could actually touch it. When the gentleman nodded he was in heaven. Then he took a few pictures with this treasure and sent them to his brother Steve who was stunned. It was great to be a part of that moment in his life. 

Tucson also gave me a chance to entertain Rudy with some of his favorite foods. He would talk to me about different steak houses he liked to go to so during one his trips to the desert I told him that I was going to take him to a real steakhouse. Being the Rudy that we all knew he almost dared me to try.

Challenge accepted!

My family took him to the only place one should go to when they go out for a steak in Tucson and that is Pinnacle Peak's! He loved the atmosphere as it was casual and relaxed like many of the places we preferred to frequent in our younger days. If you wear a tie they cut it off and hang it on the ceiling. You go there to have fun and enjoy some serious southern chow. 

Our orders arrived and he was anxious to see if I would be true to my word. The moment his steak arrived his eyes almost fell out as he blurted, where is the plate? Yes, these steaks are huge. I joined in with my own Big Cowboy Steak as our fast from earlier that day was about to pay off. At one point he started to feel full and I was like, No way bro. Man up and finish it like me (okay, I had more practice since this was not my first time eating at this place). We fist bumped and then fulfilled our manly duty of conquering our steaks.

My last performance as a California resident took place at The Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach, CA in the summer of 2006. Of course the same best friend who was at my first club gig was at my last CA club gig, which meant the world to me. That is why I was still as amazed when he came for one of his many Arizona visits and was sitting in the crowd at the Outlaw Saloon during a gig I had about three years ago. I figured he'd be tired from the drive and expected to see him the following day but he said that he hadn't seen me perform in a while so he had to come down to check it out. It was great to see him in the audience again and he was really happy to see that I was still doing what I loved to do. 

On June 1, 2019 I was back in California leading a drumming Master Class at a place called Motherland Music in Inglewood, CA. There I was setting up my gear and the first one to walk in was Rudy! Our brotherhood was based on loyalty and as he once told a friend of his: I know that Carlos and I live far from each other now. Sometimes we don't see each other for a while but we always talk whenever we can and if either of us ever needs the other we know that we'll be there.                                               

That was the way we rolled. It have to say that it was certainly more of him doing that for me because like I said earlier, he preferred to keep his own struggles to himself. Sometimes it would take weeks or months for me to find out what he had been dealing with and now that we were older, yes, there were moments of concern. I would get on him for not telling me but he would shrug it off and say that he didn't want to bother me because I needed to focus on my family.

Always there for me

Dude! We are family!

But that's just how he was. While he loved to complain about world events and the behavior of public figures he never complained about things that happened to him. He dealt with them and moved on. Trouble at work? Take care of it. Girl issues? Deal with the drama and then offer his famous, Late! before he walked out on them. Money problems? He worked more hours and took care of his business. That was just the way he was.

 

Not So Happy Ending 

We spent a lot of time talking about the frustrations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. I had to cancel a number of business trips while losing lots of gigs during the shut down. Rudy was mainly working at the docks and staying home but was concerned about being exposed to the virus because of the number of people he had to work with. While the uneasiness was there it didn't stop us from talking about the future. 

Of course it had to do with baseball. We still wanted to go to Wrigley Field to see his beloved Cubs play a home game. We also talked about going to the Baseball Hall of Fame, the Negro League Hall of Fame and, one day, we wanted to go and see some baseball games in Japan. 

Then December of 2020 rolled around and I found out that Rudy was in the hospital because he had contracted COVID-19. Of course being the stubborn person he was he didn't tell me so when I texted him he got back to me quickly and said he was feeling better and should be home soon. I told him that I had a COVID-19 test and came out negative. He replied with, You are lucky and I responded with I know. 

That was the last time we spoke. 

Soon his niece Anita Alvarez contacted me to tell me that he was on a ventilator and sedated in the ICU. I was stunned to say the least. She continued to contact me with regular updates and unfortunately he never recovered. Before I knew it, she allowed me to call in and say goodbye to him so I said what I needed to say and then told him that I would see him soon. 

Later that evening while I was at my gig I got the word that he had passed. It was devastating to say the least and I was really glad that I had some drums to pound on because I needed to let out the pain. More than that, I could hear Rudy telling me to, get on that stage and go to work doing what you do best. Life is about living and you're still here buddy. 

Yes sir! 

I'm still not sure how things are going to be now that I have this permanent void in my life. First, it was losing my father and then my best friend. Thankfully, I have my family to look after, other great friends who are always there for me as well as my own dreams and goals that Rudy would want me to continue pursuing. 

I do know this much: When it's my time to go, when it's my time to finally be with God in heaven, Rudy will be the one to greet me at the entrance. Of course the first thing he'll say loudly is, What's going on? Knowing him, he'll probably have Eric Carr, my favorite drummer from KISS who passed in 1991, there with him. After finally getting to meet Eric I can see him saying, your buddy has told me a lot about you. 

Yes, that's Rudy. I'll give him that look we both know and smile before he looks at me and says, Wait until you meet Jim Morrison.

Then we'll give each other a big hug and he'll say to me, Come on man, there's a lot of people who have waited a long time to see you again. 

As we make our way in he'll look back at St. Peter and say, Hey Pedro!

St. Peter will give him a look. 

LATE!

Yes my friend, we will see each other again.  God bless you. Rest in peace.