About Michael

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William Michael Abedin (1951-2019) was a true Renaissance Man: the  owner/editor/publisher of Austin All Natural Magazine since 2006, 8th Generation Reiki  Master Teacher, Bach Flower Remedies expert, amateur actor, Fifth Degree  Kenpo Karate black belt and instructor for decades, head of security,  disc jockey, Eagle Scout, and Cherokee Tribal Member.

Michael was a larger-than-life personality, a one-of-a kind soul,  teacher, mentor, brother, and friend, who impacted every person he met.  He was witty, intelligent, charismatic, kind, gentle, patient, strong,  confident, and handsome. He was graceful, flexible, stunningly fast,  ferociously skilled and spontaneous in martial arts combat. Above all,  he was a teacher, a gifted writer and mesmerizing story-teller, whose  life was an interesting and compelling story itself.

Michael was born February 12, 1951 in Biloxi, Mississippi to Samuel  Albert Abedin and Joan Scott Audrain. Michael’s father was a decorated  Air Force pilot who served in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam  War, and the Cold War. As a result, Michael moved around in his  childhood, including living in Puerto Rico, growing up in Abilene,  Texas. His career goal was attending the Air Force Academy. However,  when his father advised him to avoid the Vietnam War, he instead moved  to Austin after high school.

He was the coolest, most genuinely interesting guy you’d ever meet.  He was a “Cowboy Bootist,” as he called himself, with a vast, eclectic  vintage collection. He fancied himself a “Style Icon,” with nearly every  article of his clothing discovered on the racks at Goodwill.  He loved  Dallas Cowboys football, a good IPA beer, and living life at his own  pace, in his own creative way.  He often said, “I have no obligation to  Keep Austin Weird. I am one of the ones who made it that way,” and, he  had the stories to prove it.

Most of us thought he was ten-feet tall and bulletproof, an immortal  that would out-live us all. He took care of himself, having a generally  healthy diet including daily vitamins and supplements, and a daily  discipline of martial arts, yoga, meditation, and Reiki. As Michael’s  body got sicker and weaker with cancer since February, losing 45 pounds  and becoming unable to eat, he felt betrayed by the body he had taken  such careful care of his whole life. He endured medical testing and  procedures all summer followed by being in the hospital for 2 months,  but did not get a diagnosis of Stage 4 colorectal cancer until 4 ½ weeks  before he passed. The hospital’s only offering was palliative chemo,  which Michael declined. The hospital would not allow any alternative  therapies, as they were not “hospital approved.” Michael wanted to get  out of the hospital to try all of the alternative cancer therapies he  had learned about and written about in the magazine over the years.  Unfortunately, he was not released from the hospital until 5 days before  he passed on October 13, 2019. By then, it was tragically too late for  the alternative therapies that could have helped, although he still  tried them over those 5 days.

He is survived by his siblings Patric Abedin, Haven Abedin (Wes),  Samantha “Sammie” Abedin (Chris), Karen Fetter (Scott), his nephew  Cooper Abedin, his nieces Lily Abedin and Natalie Fetter, his partner and soulmate, Karen Riviere, and her children Kira and Evan, his Austin All Natural magazine and Kenpo Karate families, and many dear friends in  the holistic and metaphysical community.

To read more about Michael and his amazing life stories, see the November 2019 Special Tribute Issue of Austin All Natural Magazine:

https://issuu.com/aanmagazine/docs/aan_tribute-nov2019-online

To see the video of his Celebration of Life Service: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77DbCloVWrM