Please, come back.

R.I.P. James Owen Sullivan, 28th December 2009.

I know every fan says this, or something along the lines, but it's not all meaningless: He was a part of me. Not all, but a part. But that counts for a lot, because every bit of me makes up who I am. He was one of my idols, and one of those people I would look up on YouTube to cheer myself up. He was a part of the music that was part of my soul; the music that molded me into the person I am now. Every bit of me now has something to do with that music. My interests, my mentality; Avenged Sevenfold had been the basis to it all.

But it wasn't just about the music. It was about the people for who they are: M Shadows, Synyster Gates, Zacky Vengeance, Johnny Christ, and of course... The Rev. It wasn't the music videos that cheered me up, but the making-of videos, the recordings of the boys hanging out; all the mere, supposedly insignificant moments of their lives that changed mine. Them and All Time Low.

But this is not about All Time Low. It's not even about Avenged Sevenfold. It's about Jimmy Sullivan, who has left us here on Earth, hopeless, and doomed to miss him for the rest of our lives, some of us possibly even looking forward to death; with hopes to meet him in the 'afterlife', as many fans have stated. None of us will ever be the same again, whether or not it will show in the years to come. The change will be in our hearts, embedded neatly in the walls, pressed against all the other things that matter to us, reminding us from time to time of the gift that had been given to us both musically and spiritually.

To some, The Rev may not have been the best drummer ever. To most, he was a tad overrated. But what does it matter? Most, if not all, of the people who say that would never be able to play as well as him, touch as many hearts, and change as many lives... and NONE will ever be able to replace him. He, along with the rest of the band, was the heart of what Avenged Sevenfold is to us. Without him, there is a crack in that heart. Avenged is hurt, injured, sick. And with The Rev gone forever, the heart of Avenged Sevenfold, Pinkly Smooth, and all their fans, will be scarred for life.

Jimmy, your passing has made a mark on thousands of hearts out there, including mine right here. You will never be forgotten. It's not your death that we are mourning, but rather your life that we are celebrating. We love you.

Rest in peace.

And I know, I know it's not your time,
but bye bye.
And a word to the wise when the fire dies;
you think it's over but it's just begun.
But baby, don't cry.
You had my heart,
at least for the most part.
But everybody's gotta die sometime.