Surrounded by people

In the last weeks of his life, UG spent his whole day and night sitting or lying on his couch. He had injured his leg in the last days of January and didn't walk after that. A few times, mostly for the enjoyment of friends, with someone holding him steady, he would shuffle a few steps.

Much of the time he was lying down, but often he sat up and chatted with visitors. He did this even as he got weaker, until on March 15 he asked that everyone go away.

Sometimes while sitting in the room I would find myself staring at him. And I wondered, why am I sitting here, he's not talking, nothing is going on, why are we all sitting here staring?

But there was something so compelling and alive in UG, it was like watching a baby or a wild animal, bursting with life. He used to say, "It didn't happen after whatever you think happened to me (his phrase referring to his 'calamity' in 1967), it was always this way. I have been surrounded by people all of my life. I have always been like this."