View Full Version : The Joel Widzer Mystery
vacationagent
11-16-2007, 10:12 AM
On Chris Elliott's blog this morning, there's an interesting update on the "death" of Joel Widzer. The death notice has been removed from Joel's website and his web manage hasn't touched it. Calls to Joel's home aren't being returned but there are indications that someone is there. There is a police report that there was a medical emergency in Joel's neighborhood but the coroner doesn't have a body and the funeral homes in the area don't have a body.
If this is a hoax, it should be exposed as a hoax.
stephen_s
11-16-2007, 11:14 AM
The death notice has been removed from Joel's website and his web manage hasn't touched it
I did go to his website and I did find it interesting that they did remove it. I didn't want to mention anything because maybe they wanted to keep his memory alive.
As far as it being a hoax, I don't see a reason why they would do that.
bini8104
11-16-2007, 11:19 AM
Wow, this is getting downright strange, but would Joel not come forward to confirm if he is alive?
DCTravelAgent
11-16-2007, 11:49 AM
I have had a "strange" feeling since fist hearing of this, but I don't feel that this is really the right place to speculation.....
TR - I think it might not be appropriate for the OC Register to run an Obit without the family's input - I think this is a strange situation .....
vacationagent
11-16-2007, 12:10 PM
but I don't feel that this is really the right place to speculation.....
DC - I don't think a giant "In Memoriam" with his photo and dates like a headstone is the proper place for speculation either. Maybe the thread should be reduced to a regular size, his photo removed, and the thread retitled. Many people have posted condolences (me included) but if condolences aren't in order...
empress4bb
11-16-2007, 12:43 PM
Starting to feel like Alice in Wonderland. This is getting curiouser and curiouser.Something is afoul, hoax,coverup,, or true. In any case, heartbreakingly cruel.
Kairho
11-16-2007, 01:00 PM
These comments are inappropriate in the memorial thread because should someone ever want to retain the thread, and the comments be unfounded, it would be quite an embarrassment for all.
But here in Gossip, discuss all you want.
jjjenny
11-16-2007, 01:21 PM
What a mystery! I have been searching the internet and can't find a thing. I wonder what is up with this?
the dark knight
11-16-2007, 01:54 PM
Oh my. I sincerely hope that this whole thing was not a "scripted scenario" like a soap and/or professional wrestling. I am old school on death and taxes and serious stuff like that. You don't make light or fake stuff like this. Such is not cool.
Look at the WWE example from earlier this year. You saw how fast they dropped the fake "situation" when a famous wrestler actually passed away. You all know that deal, so I won't rehash it.
If this is a similar situation (of course, we would rather that Mr. Widzer be alive, rather than dead) and is proven as such, then all the negativity that such will generate will be deserved and should be dropped at the door of all involved in such.
Anita Dunham-Potter
11-16-2007, 03:15 PM
This is very odd. It could be that his family requested everything referring to his passing be taken down. It could be that his remains have been transported to his hometown, which would explain the local funeral homes not knowing about it.
That being said, I am sure the details will come on in due time.
Indeed, a mystery.
Best,
Anita
empress4bb
11-16-2007, 03:49 PM
Joel Widzer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Joel Widzer is a traveler’s traveler. He logged over 235,000 miles in 2006 and has accumulated almost 3 million lifetime flight miles in the course of visiting 94 countries.
Joel’s unique, no-holds-barred approach to travel and loyalty-building have made him a popular media figure and travel leader. He has been interviewed by such forerunning outlets as USA Today, Fortune (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortune), The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Business Week, The Washington Post, Money Magazine, and Reuters (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reuters).
He has also appeared on CNN, MSNBC, ABC, The Fox News Channel, Fine Living Channel, and Inside Edition among others. He has also regularly written for MSNBC.
Mr. Widzer died unexpectedly on November 13 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/November_13), 2007 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007) (http://www.jetready.com (http://www.jetready.com/)) at age 46.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joel_Widzer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joel_Widzer)"
CruiseExpert
11-16-2007, 04:06 PM
No offence BB, Wikipedia is not exactly a reliable source.
AaronK
11-16-2007, 04:13 PM
I hope that the news of his passing was correct (NOTE: I don't wish ill will to the man if he is still alive). However, if this is just a hoax, its a very poor one at that.
Annette
11-16-2007, 04:16 PM
I know what you're saying Aaron, to think of someone putting together this kind of a hoax is just really cruel.
John225
11-16-2007, 04:30 PM
One of the things missing from the above Wikipedia reference is the fact that on the Wiki page it tells you that the whole entry is under "review" because whoever created it or edited it seems to have a conflict of interest, whatever that means in their terms.
empress4bb
11-16-2007, 04:41 PM
I know that Wiki does not check facts,just gathers info from anyone willing to type. Definitely not a source for accurate info. But if it's in there it's someones opinion or knowledge.
I think there are people outside the" travel world " that are digging for more facts
deangreenhoe
11-16-2007, 04:44 PM
One of the things missing from the above Wikipedia reference is the fact that on the Wiki page it tells you that the whole entry is under "review" because whoever created it or edited it seems to have a conflict of interest, whatever that means in their terms.
I think that's what the OP was trying to show with the post. The code came over funky for that canned part of the Wiki statement which is why it was edited out. A link would probably work better.
The statement has been there since August and usually that's included if someone posts their own biography rather than a second, supposedly unbiased second party. I'm not sure if it actually involves the edit posted on November 14 listing his date of passing. Probably only Wikipedia could tell you who authored the edit.
Kairho
11-16-2007, 05:47 PM
I'm not sure if it actually involves the edit posted on November 14 listing his date of passing. Probably only Wikipedia could tell you who authored the edit.
The edit which put in the date of death was from John F's IP address ... so nothing nefarious here.
The issue as to the Wiki article being under review is because it was entered by Joel himself. It looks as though it's been resolved because the secondary issue of copyright infringement was resolved safely. Gosh, there are a lot of anal retentive wonks out there (wiki, not here).
I was just looking at elliott.org and found this posted at the bottom on the page:
<LI id=comment-6252>On November 16th, 2007 David Widzer said (http://www.elliott.org/blog/what-really-happened-to-joel/#comment-6252)
I am Joel’s brother, David. My father was able to get a hold of Joel’s wife Nancy and it is with great relief that we are able to report that Joel is okay. I still have no details of what had happen, but I let friends and family members know as more information becomes available.
I don't know what it means - or if it's true ??
Kairho
11-16-2007, 06:17 PM
HOLY CRAP !
jjjenny
11-16-2007, 06:18 PM
Well I wish Joel would come forth and tell us what is going on. That is,if indeed he is alive. This is starting to sound like something I would read in a mystery book.
Kairho
11-16-2007, 06:19 PM
And also from Chris Elliott's page:
Update (6 p.m., 11/16): I’ve heard from multiple sources that Joel is, in fact, alive. I’m very happy about that. But I’m also mystified. Why would anyone do this? We still don’t have the details, so I’ll hold off with my opinion until all the facts are in.
AaronK
11-16-2007, 06:22 PM
Well, it is a relief to hear that Joel is still alive. If he is ill, or hospitalized, let us send our best wishes for a speedy recovery.
empress4bb
11-16-2007, 06:31 PM
This is getting too creepy. It's late and dark and I'm alone in the office and I'm starting to jump at imaginary sounds.
I'm outa here b before the boogey man from under my bed that I got rid of 50 yrs. ago , comes back:eek:
Anita Dunham-Potter
11-16-2007, 07:18 PM
If what Chris is posting on his blog is true then that is great news. I am thrilled Joel is alive.
On another note, I think it's important to keep things in perspective here. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out something is terribly wrong with this whole scenerio. With that, I think everyone needs to be more thoughtful on what is posted here.
That's my two cents.
Best,
Anita
Anita Dunham-Potter
11-16-2007, 07:24 PM
This was just posted on Chris' blog
On November 16th, 2007 David Widzer said (http://www.elliott.org/blog/what-really-happened-to-joel/#comment-6252)
I am Joel’s brother, David. My father was able to get a hold of Joel’s wife Nancy and it is with great relief that we are able to report that Joel is okay. I still have no details of what had happen, but I let friends and family members know as more information becomes available.
mercwyn
11-16-2007, 07:26 PM
This is definitely good news even if a bit confusing as to what has transpired.
CruiseExpert
11-16-2007, 07:39 PM
HOLY CRAP !
You said it best.
TRichmond
11-16-2007, 07:45 PM
I have had a "strange" feeling since fist hearing of this, but I don't feel that this is really the right place to speculation.....
TR - I think it might not be appropriate for the OC Register to run an Obit without the family's input - I think this is a strange situation .....
Someone named Erica from the OC Register contacted me if I had any contact numbers for him so they could write the obit. I had nothing to add to the it, she was just looking for family contact info.
I left her a message today to see where she got her info about his death, but have not heard back from her.
I originally received a typed email to me with the noitce of his death that had been cc'd to about 6 others. Then I went to the website www.jetready.com) and posted the info from there.
Today I received an email from his estranged mother asking for information.
She contacted me later and said a family member had been in contact with him and he was fine.
It has been awfully strange.
jjjenny
11-16-2007, 08:27 PM
I do not personally know Joel, but, I was bothered by the news of his death. It's a mystery to me as to why someone would start a rumor like that.
Kairho
11-16-2007, 08:59 PM
I do not personally know Joel, but, I was bothered by the news of his death. It's a mystery to me as to why someone would start a rumor like that.
But it wasn't just a common rumor. It was posted on HIS website and he hasn't appeared to refute it!
Loonbeam
11-16-2007, 09:00 PM
It's always possible there has been an inadvertent name cross. There was a Jeff Lander who died in Philly (name extremely similar to my own) and an unfortunate typo in an obit would have caused my dad a heart attack if the first condolence call hadn't come in while I was at his condo.
Annette
11-16-2007, 09:11 PM
Similar names are one thing, but when the notice is posted on your own site?
CruiseExpert
11-16-2007, 09:16 PM
Hopefully we'll soon find out if he was hacked or did this himself.
Loonbeam
11-17-2007, 12:20 AM
Well, I am assuming the rumor got out of hand and a webmaster or other might have changed it when he could not reach someone?
Just a thought.
Similar names are one thing, but when the notice is posted on your own site?
I agree with Anita, be wary. Having been involved with online communities for a decade and seeing some strange things happen, I have my thoughts about some cyber folks and hoaxes, they are frightening.
mtp51
11-17-2007, 04:14 PM
wow - this is pretty wacky.....:(
Appleseed
11-19-2007, 12:09 AM
Hopefully we'll soon find out if he was hacked or did this himself.
If the Website were hacked, then Widzer would have (or should have) refuted it immediately. He is obviously an orchestrator of this really strange hoax. What an idiot.
I can think of many more scenarios to explain what happened than anyone has so far offered. I'm waiting to learn the truth of what happened before I'm going to condemn anyone.
I think that too many of us have been jumping to conclusions and making accusations before the facts are known. The information available so far is confusing, contradictory, speculative, and without credible confirmation. The truth of the matter will probably surface at some point. It usually does.
Annette
11-19-2007, 01:16 AM
Well everything's speculation at this point, we've got very few facts to go on. All we really know is that something's amiss.
DCTravelAgent
11-19-2007, 01:10 PM
I want to echo Anita, Lynn,and Ned - there are a couple of horrible scenarios out there that do not include "hoax". Please, let's show just how professional we all are and not jump to conclusions/conjecture posting them willy nilly!
stephen_s
11-19-2007, 01:13 PM
Reading the comments from Joel's brother and father, he's alive and well. We still don't know what's going on though.
http://www.elliott.org/blog/what-really-happened-to-joel/
mitchxo
11-19-2007, 01:22 PM
Joel Widzer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Joel Widzer is a traveler’s traveler. He logged over 235,000 miles in 2006 and has accumulated almost 3 million lifetime flight miles in the course of visiting 94 countries.
Joel’s unique, no-holds-barred approach to travel and loyalty-building have made him a popular media figure and travel leader. He has been interviewed by such forerunning outlets as USA Today, Fortune (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortune), The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Business Week, The Washington Post, Money Magazine, and Reuters (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reuters).
He has also appeared on CNN, MSNBC, ABC, The Fox News Channel, Fine Living Channel, and Inside Edition among others. He has also regularly written for MSNBC.
Mr. Widzer died unexpectedly on November 13 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/November_13), 2007 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007) (http://www.jetready.com (http://www.jetready.com/)) at age 46.
Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joel_Widzer
Wikipedia is a site where an every day joe-shome can log on and edit its content! I would not trust that site!
jimtbay
11-19-2007, 01:40 PM
Looks like the family is circling the wagons. I for one will wait for Joel's public life to resume, where I am sure answers will be plentiful. Until then, I wish him the all the best.
vacationagent
11-19-2007, 03:05 PM
I want to echo Anita, Lynn,and Ned - there are a couple of horrible scenarios out there that do not include "hoax". Please, let's show just how professional we all are and not jump to conclusions/conjecture posting them willy nilly!
DC and Ned- what do you mean? I can't think of a single horrible scenario. This whole episode just screams hoax to me.
jfrenaye
11-19-2007, 04:39 PM
FYI--on the Wikipedia, I was the one that entered his death thing before I heard all this. I have notified them that it was incorrect and they will hoipefully remove it.
Loonbeam
11-19-2007, 04:41 PM
I came up with two off of my head - please note these are only my ideas and have no bearing on actual facts..
1> Joel was in an accident overseas, injured, but was misreported via consulate or other sources as fatal.
2> Joel was in an accident overseas, fatal, but not to him, misreported either deliberately or accidentally.
This assumes he was out of communication. I've dealt with trying to get information via the state department. It's not necessarily fun nor accurate.
Again, I have no idea what happened, but neither of these would fall under hoax, just a tragic mistake.
DC and Ned- what do you mean? I can't think of a single horrible scenario. This whole episode just screams hoax to me.
vacationagent
11-19-2007, 04:56 PM
I came up with two off of my head - please note these are only my ideas and have no bearing on actual facts..
1> Joel was in an accident overseas, injured, but was misreported via consulate or other sources as fatal.
2> Joel was in an accident overseas, fatal, but not to him, misreported either deliberately or accidentally.
This assumes he was out of communication. I've dealt with trying to get information via the state department. It's not necessarily fun nor accurate.
Again, I have no idea what happened, but neither of these would fall under hoax, just a tragic mistake.
Thanks, Loonbeam. I wasn't coming up with any way this could have happened legitimately. Thanks.
VA, this is for everyone. This will be my final thoughts in this thread, and frankly I hope it is the last post in it. Gossip is rarely a friend of anyone's.
Human nature seems to be on the side of thinking the worst, under circumstances like these. Over the last days my mind has recalled some "made for TV movies" when trying to come to grips with what happened.
The truth of the matter is, we don't know. So far there is just no verifiable, credible, trustworthy information. Everything postulated here and elsewhere is nothing more than speculation.
Personally, I think it's time to stop worrying about it, and be thankful that Joel is apparently alive. I've never met Joel in person, but have had the pleasure of personally speaking with him on the phone, and corresponding with him. He is a personable, bright guy, and I wish him well.
For now, I'm going to just dwell on that, and do what Jim has suggested, "...wait for Joel's public life to resume." When Joel and the Widzer family are ready, I'm sure they will fill us in, the best they can, and frankly that's good enough for me.
Not speaking as a moderator, but speaking only as a fellow Tripso member, I suggest we all just let this go, and let the thread fade away, and be thankful Tripso and the travel industry haven't lost one of its best known members.
DC and Ned- what do you mean? I can't think of a single horrible scenario. This whole episode just screams hoax to me.
Jeanie821
11-19-2007, 05:15 PM
I'm relieved... and confused.