Mark Pincus Blog

Remembering Tom

my best friend tom died a year ago this week. i wrote a whole post which was appropriately erased by msft crashing my browser. instead i have included two great videos our friend james put together and my original post.

My best friend, tom cole, died last night

burning man 05
Originally uploaded by markpinc.

my best friend, tom cole, died yesterday of a heart attack. for those who knew tom, you can email me (markpinc-at-gmail.com) for more information on services which will be in cleveland and aspen.

i'm not sure why tom ,who was 43, died. i guess we'll never really know. those of you who ever met him know that he was an original. he lived by his own rules (unlike the rest of us). he never really worked, didnt have much money and was one of the happiest, most present people i've ever met.

i've always thought that tom lived life the way an immortal would. he spent a year teaching himself the guitar. he never had to be anywhere else.

i named my first company, freeloader, after tom as he was sometimes living on my couch at the time (it was a long running joke). but i was the real freeloader. i've been riding tom's coat tails for 15 years. if you go by what people bring to the table, nobody ever came close to tom. he had this ability to find humor in the seemingly mundane world around us. he could turn me onto some totally random tv show (like ultimate street fighter) or start a conversation with someone i would have never made eye contact with only to find out they were a total gem.

tom noticed and appreciated the world around him and i was often the fortunate benficiary. i used to tease tom about the wayward odd souls he often adopted as friends. i only just now have realized i was the most wayward of the bunch and probably his biggest project.

i dont know what life will be like without tom around. i guess i'll have to start bringing more to the table if i want the kind of life tom provided, but nobody can fill his shoes (or sarong).

i want to repost the heartfelt post of our friend james here. i hope that in the coming weeks i am able to articulate my own feelings so eloquently...

Our friend Tom passed away yesterday. I had known Tom for many years, but only peripherally. It has only been in the last year and a half that I have gotten to know him. I loved him very much, perhaps more than I even realized. Of course, I now know the full impact he had on me now that we have lost him. I do not think I ever said, “Tom I love you,” but I think he knew. I was fortunate to have spent so much time with him this summer. He became one of my best friends. We drove to Aspen together and had so much fun. We hung out a lot at Mark’s house, sometimes with Mark, sometimes with our friend Aaron, and sometimes with his girlfriend Rachel. One of my favorite things we did was go on our “urban walk” up Tank Hill and through the forests around twin peaks with Kirby and Zinga. Tom was one of the gentlest souls I have known. He was extremely intuitive, sensitive, and wonderful with people. We really talked. We talked about our relationships, our friendships, and life. Tom loved his girlfriend Rachel deeply. Tom really cared about his friends. This is evident from his countless long-standing friendships with so many people. Tom was one of the most thoughtful people in his personal interactions. He felt deeply. I changed in a positive way because of knowing Tom. The time I spent in Aspen hiking with Tom was very meaningful to me. If there is one thing I can credit Tom for teaching me that week, it is to truly be myself and to live life on my terms. Tom, wherever you are I love you and miss you.

I have two movie clips that have Tom in them from our Trip to Aspen on the links above. There are also some of my favorite pictures of Tom in the Aspen Photo album.