TJ Cox: “my heart, along with the hearts of all of my colleagues, is with Sonny Bono at this time. I would like to submit my…”

“my heart, along with the hearts of all of my colleagues, is with Sonny Bono at this time. I would like to submit my tribute for the Record. I am delighted that we are spending this time, and I am delighted we are having a memorial service that we will all attend tomorrow for this same purpose. This Chamber will deeply miss Sonny Bono. Mr. Speaker, the world watched and mourned as Sonny Bono was laid to rest in Palm Springs a few weeks ago, and many of our colleagues here were among those present. It is a rare person whose passing causes us all to stop and reflect, and I want to take a moment and explain why, to my mind, Sonny Bono's life touched so many people. I think it is because he was uniquely American. His life was proof of all the things that we believe make America special, and like Ronald Reagan before him, he did it all with the smile and the kind words that come from a man who is at peace with himself and who believes in what he is doing. The more I got to know Sonny, the more respect I had for him, and the more I counted him as a friend. I don't think anyone in the last 10 years has made me laugh so hard as Sonny, but most importantly, he made all of us laugh at the right times. Sonny knew when things had become too serious, when we were all becoming swollen with our own importance, and when instead of anger and recriminations we needed laughter and unity. He had a unique ability to use humor to remind us of who we are and what we should be doing.”