“Is it live, or is it Memorex? Who knows?” Sadly, now we do.
Tireless player of MP3 CDs, Memorex MPD8507CP, Empeedee to his friends, played his final track October 29, 2021. A constant and faithful friend, Empeedee entertained his family at least an hour nearly every day for the past 19 years (which totals to about 288 days of continuous playing!). His favorite discs were Old Time Radio (OTR) MP3 CDs, and perhaps aptly, his last track was a 1951 episode of The Saint.
Born in March 2002 in Weston, Florida, Empeedee moved to Atlanta later that year when adopted by Seekatar’s family. Every night he’d provide sleep aid with at first with one, and in later years two or more somnolent OTR episodes. A bit of a battery snob, he eschewed AAs for a 4.5v DC adapter. Over the years some of his buttons became sticky, and it became difficult for him to read tracks that were not close to the beginning, but he kept playing. An accident in his early teens broke his hinge, which required him to wear a rubber band to keep his lid closed.
In lieu of flowers the family requests donating CDs to your local thrift store the keep the technology so cherished by Empeedee alive.
Empeedee is survived by 179 Old Time Radio MP3 CDs and his original owner, Seekatar. Private services will be held at the next electronics recycling event.
