In a bit of irony that one only hopes he’s enjoying in his latest destination somewhere beyond the stars, Dave Freeman, co-author of the groundbreaking 1999 travel book “100 Things to Do Before You Die,” passed away on Aug. 17 after falling in his Venice, Calif. home. He was just 47. The book not only inspired what is now practically its own genre of books (as well as movies like “The Bucket List), Freeman’s title “reminded mortal readers that time was limited,” according to his obituary in the Los Angeles Times.
Freeman’s death only reinforces the theme he lived and preached in his way through the “100 Things” franchise, which began as a website founded with Neil Teplica in 1996. According to Teplica, the title meant “you should live every day like it would be your last, and there’s not that many people who do, It’s a credit to Dave — he didn’t have enough days, but he lived them like he should have.”

If he needed a reminder himself, Freeman got it September 11, 2001 when, as an executive at Grey Advertising in New York, he watched the Twin Towers burn and fall. Only months later, he returned home to the Los Angeles area. Though he continued as an ad man, he founded what he called a “disruption consultancy,” helping clients take a fresh look at their advertising accounts. Professionally and personally, Freeman urged us all: Don’t coast through life.