It's difficult enough to know that a tattoo legend has passed but when that person happens to be a dear, dear friend... well, the pain cuts even deeper. Tattoo icon Mike Brown passed away suddenly in November here on Oahu.

Friends and tattoo family from all over the world have poured in their condolences for Mike. He might have been a quiet man but he and his work legendary.  He would scoff at those terms 'legend' and 'icon' but that is what he was.  Mike was part of the crew from China Sea Tattoo along with Mike 'Rollo' Malone and Lance McClain.  He worked with Jack Rudy, Freddy Negrete, Mark Mahoney and a host of other tattoo icons... those who set the standards high and cut the path for those of us who followed.

Mike was a master at black and grey work. Superb fine detail that held through the years. His lettering... OH his lettering!

Mike told me the years he spent in East LA gave him the influences we saw in his beautiful flowing script. He could lay in gorgeous color too... he wasn't limited to just one style. His polynesian work gracefully flowed over the body as it should... beautiful precise work. Tattooing at it's very best.

While he grumbled when called a 'legend' or 'icon' you could see a glint in his eye and a curl of his lip corners under that mustache... yep, Mike, we caught ya! I see that smile!   

"I'm just a tattoo guy, Peggy.  Nothing special"

I often called Mike's stories 'Mike-isms'. He had a deep gravely voice that added character to any story he told. I once heard him tell an aspiring tattooer, "Why do you want in this business? It used to be fun. You hurt people, you p*ssed them off and they still were happy to pay you. Now they want a cheeeeese and wine consultation."

Another tattooer shared the story of a client coming to Mike who wanted Old English lettering. "No you don't, you want script."

The client said "No, I want Old English."

"No you don't. You want script. I'll do script on you and you'll LIKE it."

He did his beautiful script and of course the client loved it.

I once heard Mike steer a person away from a memorial tattoo with full dates of month/day/year of birth and death. He said that even the year born and the year of death weren't the important part... it was what you did with the 'dash' in between that mattered. How true. How very, very true.

Mike lived quietly and humbly in the last years of his 'dash.' Just doing great tattoos and occasionally joining his buddies in LA for a guest spot to reconnect and I am sure talk story of their past adventures. He'd meet my husband and buddies at Hawaiian Brian's on Wednesdays for a night of pool. Many of the problems of the universe were solved amidst that group!

Although unpretentious Mike loved wearing the LOUDEST Jams World shirts he could get his hands on!  When we would comment on his latest find in shirts he would 'harumph' but you could see it scored with him. That hint of a grin, yeah, it was there.  He loved those shirts... the louder the better!

Mike and I shared the love of Jams World clothing along with the author Lee Child's books about Jack Reacher. We would go on and on with the plots, twists and movie possibilities of those books! He loved that character because as he said, "He's a real man. Real. not like the phonies we see walking around."

Yep, real, Mike. Just like you. Real.

Mike made it a point at the end of a conversation to say with gusto, "Have a GREAT day, Peggy" and you knew, really knew, he meant it. Those words came from his heart and he looked you in the eye when he said it or you could hear it in his voice. I think beyond his legacy of tattooing that those words will be my fondest memory of my friend.

So to all of you I say, Have a GREAT day. I mean that. Hug your friends, tell them what they mean to you. Because we just never know when it will be our last chance to say it.   Make that 'dash' count.

Aloha a hui hou my dear friend.