Journalism student and Daily Sundial Arts ‘amp; Entertainment Editor Dylan Miles, 22, died Monday night at Pacifica Hospital of the Valley in Sun Valley. He is survived by his two older brothers and both his parents.
Miles was a reporter for the Sundial in the spring 2008 semester and subsequently became A’amp;E editor this fall semester.’ He was also on the Dean’s List as a freshman.
A memorial service will’ be held Saturday, Dec. 6 at Pierce Brothers Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery from 4 to 7 p.m. at 10621 Victory Blvd., North Hollywood.
Full story to follow.
(Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story stated that the memorial service time was from 5 to 9 p.m.’ It has since been changed; the correct time is shown above.)
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Staff reporter Richard Casta’ntilde;eda reflects on his friend’s life:
‘Say hello to angels, Dylan Miles’
The Daily Sundial has seen its share of tragedies this semester from natural disasters to unfortunate accidents that have claimed lives.
Monday night added a new tragedy, this time to our staff. My friend Dylan Miles, Arts ‘amp; Entertainment Editor, died.
Aside from being editor of A’amp;E, Dylan was an outspoken agent of mischief, a loving brother, loving son, amazing drummer and gifted writer.
One of the tests I have for new people I meet (who write at least) is critiquing their style. How they write. Dylan’s style is unparalleled. He had a way with words the way a conductor has his way with his orchestra. Each word was an eloquent stroke that made music of mere sentences.
One Sunday night, not too long ago, I made a quick trip to his house. We were knocking back a couple beers listening to some of his music when he got up, went inside his house and emerged a couple minutes later with some of his poetry.
To show a person your poetry is to show them your soul. It’s very private. His poetry articulated the messy place he was in at the time. I still critiqued it the way I would anything regardless of friendship. He took it into consideration then said ‘(Screw) you, Richie,’ with a smile. Words that live with me to this day.
His writing is a testament to his legacy. Every now and then the article he wrote about William Hung on campus pops up as one of the most popular on the Sundial website.
Every time we hung out and shared a beer, he would always take the time to tell me I was his best friend. It’s been a title I’ve never taken lightly. It carries even more weight now.
I’m going to miss his Joker impersonations. He was obsessed with ‘The Dark Knight’ to the point where I began to question if he even bothered watching other movies he had in his collection.
His hard drive was a cornucopia of eclectic music that varied from Rock to Jungle to Jazz. Hanging out in his backyard always involved Dylan playing DJ. Even while we were watching game 4 of the NLCS between the Dodgers and the Phillies, Dylan insisted on playing his music, much to the dismay of his father, a hardcore Dodgers fan.
‘ ‘Why do you wanna listen to the commentators, huh? The Dodgers suck anyway!’ he would yell. I wasn’t kidding when I said he was outspoken. He said that in a backyard full of Dodger fans with complete confidence.
I’m going miss my friend. I’m going to miss walking into the Sundial and seeing his head pop up from behind his iMac ‘RICHIE!’ ‘DYLAN!’
I always picked up the phone and screamed his name into the receiver in my faux French accent. He always screamed my name too, sans the accent. ‘
My dear friend took a shortcut through life. He cut a corner, but I still see that loveable guy who few people truly ever saw.
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Read a few of Miles’ stories written for the Daily Sundial:
Opinion: Change is finally upon us eight years later (Nov. 6, 2008)
Features: Yes, that is William Hung on campus (April 19, 2008)
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University Counseling Services is located in Bayramian Hall, Suite 520, and may be reached at 818.677.2366.
