In July 1999, AdiosBarbie.com acquired an angel. His name was George Jackson—and he was a sizeable man in every sense. George had a loving, funny, and full-bodied presence. He was also highly accomplished. In addition to serving as CEO of Motown Records, George produced a run of memorable urban blockbusters (Krush Groove, House Party, New Jack City, Jason's Lyric), changing the face of movies to include a diverse new audience.

George's last enterprise was an Internet startup called Urban Box Office. UBO is network of sites for an urban-minded audience. For nine months, AdiosBarbie.com was part of this incubatory mix. Although the site is now independently-owned and no longer part of UBO, George's stamp was permanent.

It started with a call from George in the summer of 1999. "Hello, this is Adios Ken," he quipped. "Can I speak to Ophira?"

Turned out a friend had visited UBO, and introduced George to AdiosBarbie.com. George was excited by the idea, and invited me to come develop the site with his company's resources.

I met George for dinner that week. It was one of the most inspiring nights of my life. Not only did he "get" why the site is important for us women, he appreciated my desire to expand the body image dialogue to include women of all cultures and sizes.

George talked about his young daughter Kona, who is half-Black and half-Japanese. "I want her to grow up and have a site like this," he told me. "Something that, when kids call her names, will tell her it's okay to be who she is." As soon as he said that, I knew I had to work with this man.

I was never sure if George liked the site for personal reasons, too. He was a big guy himself, almost 300 pounds. "If you don't look like Barbie, act like Barbie, or fit that Barbie doll image, that's okay," George would always say.

In late January, George and I sat down to meet. "Ophi, I want you to make a really smart, empowering site for women," he told me. "This is going to be really big." His eyes lit up with a soft, faraway look, and I got goosebumps--I could just tell he BELIEVED.

I was sitting with a visionary, and he was imagining great things for a website I built as a labor of love in my apartment. And he was radiating such loving energy toward the site, I believed him, too.

Then, on February 10, 2000, George passed away. Only 42 years old, he suffered a sudden stroke and heart attack, and died a week later. He never saw AdiosBarbie.com relaunch.

We will miss George unspeakably—as a mentor, a leader, and an inspiration. AdiosBarbie.com won't be the same without him. I feel blessed and grateful to have known him. In such a short time, George literally made my dreams come true.

The entertainment industry is hardly kind to women's body image. Who would have thought that an entertainment mogul--a man, no less--would champion a website like AdiosBarbie.com? Yet, George was more supportive than some of the women I've encountered in the media business.

In loving memory of George—a man generous in size and spirit—we dedicate this site to you.

Ophira Edut
Site Founder