Oh my God. I don't even know what to say. I'm truly sad and in shock to hear this. I met her last year in Myrtle Beach, SC and after that communicated a bit with her on facebook. She was such a sweet and dedicated person - not just to Morrissey - but in every way.

Unbelievable.

I'm so sorry to hear this. She was a very smart, funny, devoted fan and it was a pleasure to know her. I will miss her.

Hello all,

Such sad news, indeed. I had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with Melinda in these past thirteen years. The first time I met her, she ended up sleeping on the floor of my apartment in Portland before Morrissey's show at La Luna. Since then, we've shared cars, shared hotel rooms, fought, made up. She was truly a remarkable Morrissey fan -- more knowledgeable than most (all?) and she easily wrote the best concert reviews I've ever read. She'll be greatly missed.

There seems to be an online guestbook on a funeral home website. Perhaps any sentiments and photos that are shared here could also be posted on that site, as well.

http://www.legacy.com/dignity-memorial/obituary.aspx?n=Melinda-Hsu&lc=2238&mid=4221478

Rest in Peace, Melinda.

The last night I saw Mel was after the Ventura show Dec 11th and I remember we (Miles, David, Romeogirl) stood in the pouring rain realizing the tour was over. I always wonder if Morrissey will tour again, but never stop to consider if the friends who become family will end their journey. I assume they'll be there without fail and look forward to seeing them. A familiar face in every city.

There probably wasn't a Morrissey show that I went to that Mel wasn't at including Red Lightning and SATH shows with Whyte Grrrl. In Oakland, she made a point of walking over to say hi and introduce the new friends she'd made that night. She wanted to know what brought people to love Morrissey and his music like she did. And she shared experiences and news...always knew a tidbit on Moz no one else had heard yet.

Every year, her Morrissey calendar arrived in the mail. A generous gift she sent without fail...I've kept every year's. Her post-show recaps on Moz-Solo had more detail than I ever could have hoped to remember on my own. She stood her ground in queue and she earned her spot at the barricade every show. I remember right after a San Francisco Fillmore show in 2007 she left the venue to get right back in queue for the next night. Same after the Palladium shows. THAT is dedication.

Your family will miss you Mel. We'll think of you kindly,

Sus

A kind and generous soul who touched the lives of so many. I'm blessed to have met her and called her a friend. Mel is a light that will never go out.

My condolences to her family. And a group hug to Solo.

I am profoundly shocked and saddened to hear this news. Mel was a kind and generous soul with a finely attuned sense of humour. I think I must have known her on-and-off for 15 years or so.

Mel took her Morrissey observances more seriously than most, but it was her keen appreciation of the absurdity inherent in this position that really set her a cut above. I vividly remember a very silly evening spent in the room I am writing this in now with us both in absolute hysterics over the lyrics to Handsome Devil (does that sound tame? It shouldn't.)

I really don't know where to begin with all the rest of it: Killarney, the mind-boggling T-shirts, the calendars... Mel was incredibly giving with her time over email as well as in person but if you never met her, you might not appreciate just how very entertaining she could be. A very smart lady.

The last time I saw Mel was just over a year ago when, after years of threats, I finally made it over to LA. On my first night in town, I met Mel for dinner and she gave me The Tour, driving us around town with Years of Refusal on repeat - the only time, actually, I've ever heard that record.

Eventually - inevitably - we wound up outside Morrissey's old house just off Sunset. Mel claimed never to have been there before, which I think is probably not the case, but as we sat there for a few minutes just looking at that place - and it's at the top of a slope so it really rises up in front of you - the mystique slowly faded away. It just became A House and there was a perceptible sense of relief for both of us, I think.

What a terrible waste this is. A terrible bloody waste.

VIVA MEL

This has been the toughest night to hear of her passing. Thanks David for getting the word out. Our hearts go out to Mel's family and close friends. Mel was one of the best people to walk this Earth. Such a great friend. And a friend to animals. Thank god for Morrissey, or I never would have had the pleasure of meeting her.
The last time I got to spend lots of time with her was at the Milwaukee Morrissey show last year. We kept up in emails, and it didn't matter if I hadn't seen her in a day or a year, it was always such a pleasure, and time apart wasn't a factor. I met her in person for the first time touring around the midwest for Morrissey's fantastic '97 shows. Oh Kalamazoo!! And we hung out together probably 40 or 50 Morrissey shows after that time. Always a hoot.
The last shows I went to with her in Milwaukee and Chicago were so special; Morrissey Live or recorded will never be the same again without her on this earth.
We were at the barrier hugging and dancing in Milwaukee, Morrissey coming over to greet us from the stage. Such awesome memories. Such an awesome gal. She loved to write of her dreams about Morrissey.
Gosh we'll miss you Meladjusted. I can hardly put sentences together, this is so hard.

I'm just such a wreck over this. I'd just been to visit Mel and a few others of the Moz family a few weeks ago and it's all such a shock. We had an amazing time gossiping, joking, sharing memories and desserts and scandalous stories at the Cat and Fiddle.

I've got such fond memories of Mel and I and our partners in crime zigzagging from one city to another, sharing miserable hotel rooms, wielding the Queue List about, always exhausted, delirious, but having the time of our lives. I feel so lucky for our time together, and to have had our funny little Morrissey tour world to spend it in, where the rest of the world ceased to matter.

To all of you Irregular Regulars (she hated this title) or whatever we're calling ourselves these days, I am so struck right now by how much I love you all and how, since the day I've been old enough to drop everything and follow him around, my life has been entirely defined by how long since our last adventure and how long until we get to do it all again. I love you all, and I truly loved Mel.

lulu

Mel was a joy to talk to every time. Of all things I will always remember her kindness. I always scrolled down to read her concert reviews FIRST before everyone else's because I knew she would rarely leave out a detail.

We will never forget her encouragement and good cheer for The Hooligans. When I'd see her in the audience, her approval meant so much.

The last time we spoke, she was knee deep in her studies to become a nurse. I can't believe she's gone and we're really gonna miss her.

i always thought mel was a man - never knew it was short for melanie

rest in peace please - a sad story indeed

question - may be insensitive - but how did she die?

Darling you will be missed. I am so glad you were in my life- always a friendly face among us Moz fans whenever and where-ever in the world we were. Fun times laughing on the floor at a friend's place in London, gossiping just a few weeks ago at Cat & Fiddle in L.A. over drinks, screaming for Morrissey on the rail in countless cities across the globe. So glad my last words to you were "I love you" with a kiss on the cheek and then you were gone, forever...
But not quite... We will always remember you fondly, Mel!
Love,
Jay

I met Mel in Milwaukee and Chicago last year and she was such a warm and enchanting soul. I wish we had more time together.

She was a wonderful writer. I always looked forward to her concert summaries and I read every post with her name on it because I knew it was going to be good. She was so smart, so funny, so unabashedly herself. This is a great loss to the Moz community.

My deepest sympathy and prayers go out to her family and friends.

She will be deeply missed.

I am burning a candle that Mel gave me in her honor tonight. I can't believe she's gone. Such a beautiful, generous soul. She was my database - my storehouse of Moz information. What will I do without her? Morrissey shows will never be the same.

Whenever walking up to queue, I always expected Mel to be there. She was great company on those long cold days and I was a big admirer of her show postings. Like Jose already commented, no one could quite capture the moment in their post like Mel did.

She will be missed

Darren aka Modrevolve

wow. i've been sitting here trying to remember when i first met Melinda, but it was so long ago, i no longer know. i think i've seen her on every tour since 1995 (or earlier??), several smiths-themed-nights out and at least one convention. she's a generous fan - offering a ride to the next show or a place to sleep without a moment's hesitation, sending out cds and clipping and calendars and countless other things that only other fans would drool over.

aside from being able to talk morrissey for days at a strech, she was well read and could talk on any topic with great intelligence.

i'm shocked by the news, and cant picture a tour without her. so sad. my love goes out to her brother and family.

I never met Melinda, but knew who she was throughout the years of haunting this website.

I never met her, yet i'm incredibly saddened to hear of her passing. She was obviously too young to leave this "unhappy planet". My heart and prayers go out to her family and friends.

~Spinster

My deepest condolences to Mel's family, close friends and DavidT.

This is quite a shock.
I valued and respected Mel's perspective and common love for our dear Moz. She was so giving and generous in what she shared with fellow fans. I enjoyed her eloquence and appreciated her commitment to all of us on -solo. She has definitely helped to shape and define our online community and trotted the globe meeting fellow fans in person.

As Sus mentioned, we bumped into her in Ventura. A pleasant memory, we were all elated at the exhilarating last show of the tour, scattering around under the rain, figuring out where to hang out, saying our goodbyes. Mel had her signature sweet, wry smile, stepping shyly on the pavement. She wore the cutest black pullover with panda ears.

Mel, you are missed. Wherever you are, I hope you're singing now...

my glass raised,

I will remember Mel most of all for her habit of slipping Morrissey's lyrics into conversions. It always made me laugh.

Well, she has now gone from this unhappy planet, with all the carnivores and the destructors of it

The shows won't be the same without you, Mel.

I haven’t been on Solo in weeks and I decided to check in tonight. And this is the top news.

I am shocked & speechless.

The two top qualities I admire most in any human being are passion and loyalty and Mel was the epitome of both. Love or hate her reviews and posts here on Solo, they were always from the heart. Like others have mentioned, I too would seek out her reviews first knowing they would be the most detailed & interesting.

I’ve only known Mel personally for the past couple of years. She was a fast and true friend. Always kind and very supportive of charity work that I’m involved in. We kept in touch but of course not as often as I’m now regretting.

I am so sad to know that we’ll never read another quirky, detail-filled, vocabularly impressive post of hers ever again. I am so sad that I’ll never receive another Morrissey calendar in the mail. And mostly I am sad that I’ll never have another conversation with her again, face to face, standing in line, chitt-chatting about life’s latest whatever, vegan restaurants and Morrissey musings & anecdotes.

Mel … you will be missed in so many ways by so many of us.

So long friend. See you in the next world.

xo
d

she posted in the great forum singles poll, about
a year ago

she was also a long time regular on this site

can't believe she just has gone

maybe make a forum where regulars can be remebered

Godspeed Melinda

I met Mel on this site. She PM'd me after seeing a post of mine inquiring about tickets to a show. She was trying to help which was a completely generous gesture. We met during the '07 tour and stayed in touch by phone. She knew I took a lot of photos at shows and inquired if i had one of a shirt she had given Moz in Bakersfield, CA. I had a great one which I sent her and she put it in a calendar she compiled. Earlier this year I unexpectedly received a new calendar from her. It warmed my heart dearly that she was continuing her efforts and continued to think of me, and so many others. Her dedication to all that is Moz and her attendance at so many shows home and abroad will always leave me in awe. This is truly sad news.

I met Mel some years ago. She was kind, modest, erudite, and hugely knowledgeable about all things Morrissey. Her passing is a sad, sad loss, but her legacy is our memories.

Peter

That's very sad. I remember reading her reviews from concerts last year. I liked reading them.

I'm so sorry to hear this.

I wish the best for her family and friends.

A several years ago we had a falling out and we never quite resolved things. I always assumed we would at some point. Sadly, that opportunity will never come.

Life is precious. I wish I made the effort to make up with her when I had the chance. In hindsight our quabble was rather petty.

Mel was a great contributer to MorrissyTour.com. We sometimes had our disagreements, but she was always committed to seeing Morrissey perform. She always wrote fantastic and insightful reviews.

You probably remember that she had PhD. (English Lit, I think) She would often joke, "That's Doctor Hsu, to you."

That is how I'd like to remember her.

Rest in peace Melinda.

The first time I met Mel I was in the queue behind her and she had her calendar with her. I saw it and squealed about how great it was and asked if she was selling them. She looked down her nose at me, a squealing stranger, and told me that she didn't sell them; that it was for Morrissey. Her irritability shocked me so I backed off. Then we kept seeing each other at shows and eventually I got to know her a bit. Only during the tour before the last one did we really get to talk and hang out together. When my husband cut his hand she took him back to her hotel room and bandaged him up which we both appreciated. I also remember that I showed up to one queue on a day where I was feeling particularly unattractive and vulnerable and the first thing she said to me when I walked over was, "You look nice today. I love your necklace!" It really set the tone for me. It's little things like that kind of ease with compliments that make a person special.

Mel and I didn't always see eye to eye. I remember once she said something on a Solo forum that rubbed me the wrong way and I told her it sounded rude. She didn't get angry with me. She agreed with me, apologized, and reworded her thoughts. I thought that was very classy of her. Very. And I learned from that; I now try harder to see another person's point of view when they disagree with something I've said.

The shows won't feel the same anymore. Even when she'd skip a show I was at it felt wrong. I looked for her at every show and if she wasn't there then something felt slightly off. Now all the shows will feel that way from now on.

Our short friendship kind of came full circle when she recently added me to the list of people who received her Morrissey calendars. I received mine at the beginning of this year and, naturally, I squealed. She would have rolled her eyes at me, I'm sure.

I will miss her greatly. I already do. I wish so much that I'd find out that this is a horrible mean joke so that I could tell her how distraught I was and how sad I felt at never getting to see her again.

She embraced and valued life fully, and shared generously. Those left behind grieve at her departure.

Mel,
'you were good in your time
and we thank you so
You said more in one day
than most people say
in a lifetime...'

Very shocked to hear the sad news.

I etanally grateful to Mel's friendship and contributions to the site and the community.

I did not know Mel, but I remember reading many many comments by Mel about Morrissey concerts she went to.
If there was a fan who was devoted to Morrissey, Mel was.
If there was a fan known for his posts about Morrissey, it is Mel.
I am very very saddened by what happened to her.
I hope she didn't suffer too much.
It seems people addicted to stars die prematurely.
Thanks to Davidt for this post.
I wish he had answered the private post I sent to him when my sister was dying with cancer;he had probably no time to lose with me. I won't forget.

Melinda lived in Japan for a while and we briefly met in the front row of Morrissey's Summer Sonic show in 2002.

I always enjoyed reading her concert reviews on morrisseytour.com and of course here -- bar none the most detailed recaps the site has ever seen!

Rest in peace...

Melinda lived in Japan for a short time and we briefly met in the front row of a Morrissey show at Summer Sonic in 2002. It seems she brought a lot of fans together, too.

Always enjoyed her concert reviews on morrisseytour.com and of course here -- bar none the most detailed recaps the site has ever seen!

Rest in peace...

I met Mel in Tulsa and she was so nice. She will be missed very much. May she rest in peace.

I never had the pleasure of meeting Mel, but like so many others I have had the pleasure of reading her incredibly detailed posts on Solo for years. She was a real presence here, and will be missed.

Condolences to her family and friends.

My sincere thoughts and prayers for Melinda's family and loved ones. Melinda, you will be missed.

Truly,
Ken S.

Mel, will always remember the cute hoody with cat's ears...

My thoughts are with family and friends.

Regards,
R. A - hello indie

Always sad to lost someone you love....

Does anyone know how she died? I wasn't aware of any illness. Was it an accident?

I first remember Mel from the old Bigmouth list. You could tell she was a major fan from her lengthy, knowledge-packed, thoughtful, opinionated posts. You always knew her posts would be worth the read - even if she pissed you off.

I'm not sure when I first met her but Coachella 99 comes to mind. She had arranged motel rooms for a ton of us from the list. We'd flown in from across the country and were stacked in the rooms 4 people deep. We had such a great time partying the night before. Meeting all of these people from the list for the first time. Putting a face with a name. It was such a great thing that she did bringing everyone together. I can't thank her enough for that.

I saw her at shows across the world from there on out and looked forward to reading her awesome reviews of shows I'd been at and shows I hadn't attended. Her reviews were always the best.

I remember her snagging an interview with Phantom Planet before the show in Irvine in 2000. I remember she asked them such bizarre questions. I think they were a lot of random questions about Star Trek and sh*t. Absolutely hilarious. The looks on their faces were priceless.

The last time I saw Mel was outside the show in Merriville. I was surprised to see her there. And even more surprised that she came up to talk to me. It was a completely lovely catch-up conversation and I'm glad that was my last memory of her.

-LM

I'd never met Melinda, but as we all know, sometimes our virtual friends and acquaintances in the Morrissey-online community become as tactile as our 'real' ones.

Everytime I read one of her concert reviews I literally thought 'Wow, who would do this, so thoroughly and with such...care, if she wasn't involved?'

My condolences go to her family, friends, and all of you who had a priviledge of meeting her.

Gretchen

I did not know you Mel, I wish I did. Rest in peace sweet child x.

While I never met Mel, I have read thousands of her posts over the years on this site, as well as been in the same concert venue as her a few dozen times.

Condolences to those that knew her. She seemed like a fine person.

This site will not be the same come next tour.

LM wrote:

"I'm not sure when I first met her but Coachella 99 comes to mind. She had arranged motel rooms for a ton of us from the list. We'd flown in from across the country and were stacked in the rooms 4 people deep. We had such a great time partying the night before. Meeting all of these people from the list for the first time."

That was my first time meeting Mel as well (although technically it was a few days before that at the cancelled Vegas show). I flew in from South Africa for my first Morrissey show and Mel went to great lengths to make sure I was included in all the motel booking discussions etc so that I'd have no problems when getting there.

I have great memories of that weekend, as well as all the other times I met Mel when visiting LA.

I still have a photo of her standing on a chair trying to disable a fire alarm which someone had mischievously set off right outside our rooms. She made me promise to not put that pic on the net as disabling a fire alarm was a federal offence! But that was typical Mel, nobody could sleep with the noise, and she took it upon herself to do something about it!

We've kept in touch both on and off the email list, and I last heard from her about a month ago when she emailed to check that I'd received a book that she had posted to me. And of course besides the book, she also slipped in a tshirt from the last tour and some other goodies. That's how I'll remember Mel, always going out of her way to help and assist. I still can't believe that she's not with us anymore... Rest in peace Mel.

-roger
Cape Town, South Africa

My memories of Mel are a light that will never go out.

~christyn.

Terrible news, the world is a much darker place. hope her and hers get through this woeful time.

BB

My deepest sympathies to her family and friends.

Thank you for being you, Mel.

M

oh mel...

we've spent so many hours in cars, in queues, on rails, all over the country. i wouldn't even have touched base with you before a show, and it never surprised me to get there and see you, no matter where in the world it was. i was really so glad to have traveled with you last spring across the south for the literal tour of refusal. thank you for almost vandalizing the kids' artwork at locopops. thank you for taking care of morrissey's greatest tits. and thank you for always being so boldly and unequivocally you. the afterlife doesn't know who it's dealing with.

xo,
catie

Terrible, terrible news. She came to stay with me after the gig in Truro a few years ago; I wasn't expecting anything in return but she sent me a T-shirt to say thanks. I'll miss her eloquent, often hilarious postings on the Maladjusted list as well.
RIP Mel,
Jason

the only time i meet her she treated me as if she had known me for years

it was a pleasure then