Video: Richard Cameron Shared Unique Research, New Book at Borders

Richard Cameron spent 30 years studying a very unique topic - people who died suddenly.

The Bellmore resident turned the research into a book called "Famous People Who Dropped Dead," and spoke about it at on Jan. 19.

"Even as a kid, the first page I turned to was the obituaries to see if my name was in it, and if my name wasn’t in it, it meant I had to go to school. I always noted people who just dropped dead and I started compiling and 30 years later, I have the book," Cameron said.

Previously he was a wedding photographer before he decided that he wanted to write. His first book was partially inspired by an experience with a family member.

"I had an uncle by marriage who dropped dead in the gym. He was a very healthy man," he said. "He worked out everyday, never smoked, never drank, now he’s the healthiest man in the cemetery. It’s a weird occurrence and it makes news when somebody notable just drops dead."

Cameron’s book is 274 pages and includes a variety of famous people who have died suddenly due to heart attacks, aneurysms or any number of medical conditions. He used humor to defuse the morbid nature of the subject.

"I started clipping obituaries of people who just collapsed and dropped dead. I said this would be an interesting subject, never saw any books on it," he said. Cameron’s criteria was specific for the book. "Tt has to be sudden, you can be sitting, standing, you could drop out of a window, you could be in a car and keel over, you could be flying an airplane," he said.

The book covers a wide range of people over time from the first Olympic games in Greece to Corey Haim who died a few months ago. Some other notables mentioned  include comedian Dick Sean, who dropped dead right in the middle of his nightclub act, right on stage.

"Dropping dead is funny if you say it, not if you do it, but Dick Sean got a big laugh," the author said. He also mentions Former Vice President Nelson Rockefeller, Amy Vanderbilt, Singer Sylvia Syms, Gangster Carlo Gambino, and Actor Victor Buono.

Audience members said they found the book interesting.

"I read the book and it’s very funny," Sam Tranovsky said. "Even though it’s morbid, it’s comedy."

"It’s an excellent book," Peter Cutrin said. "It’s a morbid topic, when you first get the book you think it’s going to be morbid but when you read it, there’s a lot of comedy and great stuff in the book."

Vigdis Cutrin didn’t read it yet, but says based on Cameron’s talk, she was surprised by all of the people in the book who were physically fit and health conscious, yet still died unexpectedly. She said the story of Robert Atkins, founder of the Atkins diet really surprised her and made her think.

"It’s also a little scary, you think you eat the right food… and you exercise," she said. "You should just treasure each day more then most people do and really enjoy life to its fullest every day."

Cameron encourages novice authors to keep writing.

"Just do it. It’s a wonderful experience," he said. "People have been very nice and very supportive. I truly believe everybody has a book in them."

Cameron’s next book in production is "The Glass Facade," which is based on his experiences as a wedding photographer. "Famous People Who Dropped Dead" is available at most local book stores including Borders. Cameron plans to make more appearances to talk about the book in the future.

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