Category: RIP

RIP: George Pérez

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George Pérez

We all knew the day would come.  Especially since December 7, 2021.  That’s when George Perez announced that he had surgically inoperable Stage 3 Pancreatic Cancer.  Although offered other options George said,

“… after weighing all the variables and assessing just how much of my remaining days would be eaten up by doctor visits, treatments, hospital stays and dealing with the often stressful and frustrating bureaucracy of the medical system, I’ve opted to just let nature take its course and I will enjoy whatever time I have left as fully as possible with my beautiful wife of over 40 years, my family, friends and my fans.”

And that is what he did,

George Perez passed away yesterday the result of his pancreatic cancer.  He was 67.  The announcement on his Facebook page read:

George passed away yesterday, peacefully at home with his wife of 490 months and family by his side. He was not in pain and knew he was very, very loved.

We are all very much grieving but, at the same time, we are so incredibly grateful for the joy he brought to our lives. To know George was to love him; and he loved back. Fiercely and with his whole heart. The world is a lot less vibrant today without him in it.

He loved all of you. He loved hearing your posts and seeing the drawings you sent and the tributes you made. He was deeply proud to have brought so much joy to so many.

Everyone knows George’s legacy as a creator. His art, characters and stories will be revered for years to come. But, as towering as that legacy is, it pales in comparison to the legacy of the man George was. George’s true legacy is his kindness. It’s the love he had for bringing others joy – and I hope you all carry that with you always.
Today is Free Comic Book Day. A day George absolutely loved and a fitting day to remember his contributions to comics and to our lives. I hope you’ll enjoy your day today with him in mind. He would have loved that.

Please keep his wife Carol in your thoughts and again, I thank you for respecting her privacy. I remain available through the contact on the page.

George’s memorial service will take place at MEGACON Orlando at 6pm on Sunday, May 22nd. It will be open to all. Details to follow.

We will miss him always.

George Perez entered comics as an assistant to Rich Buckler in the early 1970s.  He quickly graduated to penciling his own series.  It didn’t take long for George Perez to become a fan favorite.  Throughout his career George Perez worked on some of the most popular comic series published: The Avengers, The Fantastic Four, The Justice League of America, The New Teen Titans, Crisis on Infinite Earths, Superman, The Infinity Gauntlet, to name just a few.  Whatever George Perez worked on was worth the price of admission.

Evidence of George Perez’s importance and impact to comics is the number of places his death is quickly being reported.  Sadly, often when we lose comic creators, the only place their passing is noted is comic-related websites.  George Perez’s passing has shown up already in The Hollywood Reporter, The New York Daily News, TMZ and The Daily Mail (England) to name just a few of the mainstream publications. 

George Perez won numerous fan favorite awards of the course of his career.  Here are some of them…

  • 1979: Eagle Award for his role in creating the Best Continued Story for Avengers #167–168 and 170–177.
  • 1980: Eagle Award for Best Comic book Cover for Avengers #185. 
  • 1983: Inkpot Award
  • 1983: Comics Buyer’s Guide Fan Awards – Favorite Artist
  • 1984: Comics Buyer’s Guide Fan Awards – Favorite Comic Book Story:  “The Judas Contract” in Tales of the Teen Titans #42–44 and Annual #3
  • 1985: Comics Buyer’s Guide Fan Awards – Favorite Artist
  • 1985: Comics Buyer’s Guide Fan Awards – Favorite Cover Artist
  • 1985: Comics Buyer’s Guide Fan Awards – Favorite Comic Book Story:  “Beyond the Silent Night” in Crisis on Infinite Earths #7
  • 1985: Comics Buyer’s Guide Fan Awards – Favorite Limited Series: Crisis on Infinite Earths (with Marv Wolfman)
  • 1985: Named as one of the honorees in DC’s 50th anniversary publication Fifty Who Made DC Great.
  • 1985: Jack Kirby Award for Best Finite Series for Crisis on Infinite Earths (with Marv Wolfman)
  • 1986: Jack Kirby Award for Best Finite Series for Crisis on Infinite Earths (with Marv Wolfman)
  • 1986: Comics Buyer’s Guide Fan Awards – Favorite Cover Artist
  • 1986: Eagle Award for Favorite Pencil Artist in 1986.
  • 1987: Comics Buyer’s Guide Fan Awards – Favorite Penciler
  • 1987: Comics Buyer’s Guide Fan Awards – Favorite Cover Artist
  • 1989: Comics Buyer’s Guide Fan Awards – Favorite Comic Book Story:  “A Lonely Place of Dying” in Batman #440–442 and The New Titans #60–61 
  • 2022: Inkwell Awards Stacey Aragon Special Recognition Award (SASRA) for his lifetime achievement in inking

George Perez was not only one of the most popular artists to ever work in comics, he was one of the nicest.  I first became aware of his art on The Avengers.  Then I went back and found his earlier work.  Following George Perez was easy, because word of his art on a new comic always spread quickly.

I was fortunate to spend time with George Perez at a comic convention in 1980 or 81.  My best friend, John Beatty was inking George on Justice League and was also a guest at the show.  Sitting with John and George was great.  George was wonderful with each fan that came up.  He listened and smiled and exchanged stories.  George had as much fun (if not more) than the fans. 

After the show, George invited John and I to have a bite to eat and hang out.  George drew more sketches as we talked.  I’ve never seen an artist more at ease while drawing.  At one point he even was lying on his back and drawing!

When George Perez announced that he had cancer and most likely only 6 months or so to live, he continued to interact with fans and enjoy the time he had left.  What a great human spirit!  It was an honor to meet George Perez not only because he was a legendary artist, but also because of the great human being we came to know.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to George Perez’s family, friends and fans.

RIP: Ron Galella

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Ron Galella, one of the world’s most famous photographers, died on April 30, 2022, as a result of congestive heart failure.  Mr. Galella was 91.

Ron Galella was an Air Force photographer in the early 1950s.  After leaving the Air Force, Mr. Galella received a degree in photojournalism from the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles.  Ron Galella always enjoyed snapping photos of celebrities and would often find a market for those pictures at publications like The National Enquirer or in movie magazines.  As Mr. Galella’s photos became more in demand, he began selling to better publications such as Time, The New York Times, Vogue, Vanity Fair and many, many others.

Ron Galella become one of the first and best known paparazzi.  Mr. Galella’s style was to take candid photos of celebrities by approaching them at very close range.  Often he would hide or surprise the celebrities, catching them off-guard.  Several celebs took exception to Ron Galella’s methods:

  • Jackie Onassis won a restraining order that Mr. Galella couldn’t get within 25 feet of her. (Mrs. Onassis also ordered her bodyguards to smash his camera!)
  • Marlon Brando broke Ron Galella’s jaw and knocked out 5 of his teeth!  Mr. Galella sued and won $40,000.  The next time Mr. Galella approached Marlon Brando for photos,  Galella wore a football helmet!
  • Richard Burton’s bodyguards badly beat Ron Galella.  Mr. Galella unsuccessfully sued Mr. Burton.
  • Ron Galella was spit on and punched (Sean Penn), had his tires slashed (Elvis’ bodyguards), was sprayed with a hose (Bridget Bardot’s security) and more.

The negative publicity created a greater demand for Ron Galella’s photos.  His run-ins with celebrities continually made news.  Remember, these events took place when most celebrity photos were planned shots used to put the celeb in the best light and promote their latest movie, book or show. Ron Galella’s photos were to show celebs in in a light that they couldn’t control.

Ultimately Ron Galella had several books dedicated to his pictures, and his photos have been shown in museums!

Ron Galella became a celebrity because of his photos of celebrities.  He also inspired a generation of photographers in an era where there was no internet or TMZ.   Mr. Galella really leaned into his bad-boy image and it helped make him famous. Still, it is important to remember that if his photos were terrible, none of that other stuff would have mattered.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Ron Galella’s family, friends and fans.

RIP: Neal Adams

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Neal Adams died yesterday as result of a sepsis infection.  Mr. Adams was 80.

These days the word “legend” is used pretty loosely, but Neal Adams is a true legend in the comic book field.  He is known for both his art and his passion for creator’s rights.  

Neal Adams is best known for his Batman comics with Denny O’Neil and his Green Lantern/Green Arrow run, again with Denny O’Neil.  Often Neal Adams was asked to draw covers for comics that didn’t have his art inside.  A Neal Adams’ cover alone could increase sales.

Neal Adams opened Continuity Studios which took on comic and commercial art assignments.  Neal Adams’ art appeared in magazines, movie posters, book covers and more.

Neal Adams is in the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame (1998), the Harvey Awards’ Jack Kirby Hall of Fame (1999) and the Inkwell Awards Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame (2019).  

Neal Adams’ RIP write-up is one of the toughest I’ve written.  Neal Adams was a huge part of my childhood.  When I think Neal Adams, I think of his take on Batman, Superman and Conan.  I think about the many times I saw Neal Adams at conventions.  He was always smiling.  If I had the talent of Neal Adams, I’d always be smiling too.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Neal Adams’ family, friends and fans.

RIP: Marvin J. Chomsky

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Marvin J. Chomsky, the four time Emmy winning director and producer died on March 28th at the age of 92.  No cause of death was given.

Mr. Chomsky began his career as an art and set director.  He began directing in 1964 on the television series The Doctors and the Nurses where he helmed three episodes.  Mr. Chomsky spent the bulk of his career working in television where he directed some of the most popular tv series (usually multiple episodes) and television movies.  Mr. Chomsky also directed five feature films.

A sample of some of the series where Mr. Chomsky served as a director include: The Wild, Wild West; Star Trek; Gunsmoke; Lancer, The Magical World of Disney; The Name of the Game; Bearcats!; Mission Impossible; Hawaii 5-0; Mannix; The Magician and Police Story.

Some of the tv movies directed by Marvin Chomsky include: Mrs. Sundance; Attack on Terror: The FBI vs. the Ku Klux Klan; Victory at Entebbe; Attica and Catherine the Great.

A few of the TV mini-series on which Marvin Chomsky directed include: Roots; Holocaust; Peter the Great; The Deliberate Stranger; Billionaire Boys Club and Brotherhood of the Rose.

His feature films include: Evel Knievel; Mackintosh and T.J.; Good Luck, Miss Wyckoff and Tank.

Mr. Chomsky won three Emmy Awards: as Outstanding Director for a Drama Series for Holocaust in 1978; as Outstanding Director for a Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special for Attica in 1980 and for Inside the Third Reich in 1982.  When Mr. Chomsky accepted his third Emmy for directing, he was said that he had won awards for directing projects about events that “never should have happened.”

Marvin Chomsky directed episodes of some of my favorite shows when I was a kid: The Wild, Wild West; Star Trek; (the short-lived) Bearcats! and (also short-lived) The Magician.  Another favorite directed by Mr. Chomsky was Brotherhood of the Rose based on David Morrell’s best selling novel.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Marvin Chomsky’s family, friends and fans.

RIP: Scott Hall

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Scott Hall, the professional wrestler also known as Razor Ramon, died today after being taken off life support.  Mr. Hall was placed on life support after having three heart attacks following hip replacement surgery.  He was 63 years old.

Scott Hall began his pro wrestling career in 1984 and wrestled for all the major professional wrestling organizations throughout his career.  During the WWE / WCW ratings war, Scott Hall was part of the NWO (a group of wrestlers which included Kevin Nash, Hulk Hogan and others who played outsiders taking over the WCW).  The NWO were a ratings hit.  Scott Hall is a two-time inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame.

Scott Hall was a charismatic personality who entertained millions over the course of his career.  His struggles outside the ring were sometimes made part of his wrestling storylines and impacted both his personal and professional life.  The fact that Scott Hall’s family, many friends and fans continued to support his efforts to get healthy are a testament to the impact he had.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Scott Hall’s family, friends and fans.

RIP: William Hurt

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William Hurt’s son announced today that his father died of natural causes one week short of his 72 birthday.  William Hurt’s acting career spanned over 40 years.  He appeared on the stage, television and feature films.

Mr. Hurt began his career as a stage actor and won  an Obie Award (Off Broadway Theater Award) for his debut performance in Corinne Jacker’s My Life in 1977.  In 1977, he also made his first television appearance in Kojak.  William Hurt’s feature film debut came in 1980’s Altered States and his performance earned him a Golden Globe nomination for Best New Actor in a motion picture.

For the rest of his career William Hurt continued to appear on stage, television and in feature films.  He won one Oscar for Best Actor (Kiss of the Spider Woman) and had four Best Actor Oscar nominations.  Three of the nominations came in three successive years!

Some of William Hurt’s most notable feature film appearances were in: Altered States; Body Heat; The Big Chill; Kiss of the Spider Woman; Children of a Lesser God; Broadcast News; The Accidental Tourist; Dark City;  A.I. Artificial Intelligence; The Village;  A History of Violence; Captain America: Civil War; Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: End Game.

Some of Mr. Hurt’s most notable television appearances were in: Kojak; Varian’s War; Damages; Endgame; Too Big to Fail and Bonnie & Clyde.

My favorite William Hurt performance was in Body Heat.  I had seen him prior to that but his performance as Ned Racine was the one that made me sit up and take notice.  It was interesting to see how William Hurt was able to adapt to different roles over the course of his long and memorable career.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to William Hurt’s family, friends and fans.

RIP: Johnny Brown

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Johnny Brown, actor and singer, died on March 3, 2022, at the age of 84.  No cause of death was reported.

Mr. Brown began his career as singer.  He toured with Sam “the man” Taylor.  In 1961, Johnny Brown released an album of his own.  Sammy Davis Jr. became a mentor to Johnny Brown and this led to Brown’s role in Golden Boy on Broadway.  His first movie role was in Sammy Davis’ film, A Man Named Adam.

Johnny Brown was a regular on Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In.  His contract on Laugh-In prevented him from accepting the role of Redd Fox’s son on Sanford & Son.  After Laugh-In, Mr. Brown was a regular on Good Times,  Other major appearances include the shows: Love American Style, Night Gallery, Maude, Chico and the Man, Gimme a Break, Archie Bunker’s Place, The Jeffersons, Fantasy Island and Family Matters.

Johnny Brown always made me smile.  I’ll miss seeing him pop-up in surprising places.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Johnny Brown’s family, friends and fans.

RIP: Mitchell Ryan

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Mitchell Ryan, the actor of stage and screen, died yesterday from heart failure at the age of 88.  Mr. Ryan’s career spanned over 60 years, so depending on your age you may know him best from his work on Dark Shadows, Lethal Weapon, Dharma & Greg or any of his well over 130 credits.

Mitchell Ryan began his career in a theater production of Thunder Road.  His Broadway credits include Wait Until Dark, Medea and The Price.  In 1958, he earned his first screen credit in the Robert Mitchum film, Thunder Road.  For the rest of his career, Mitchell Ryan alternated between television and feature films.

A few of his major television roles included the shows: Naked City, Dark Shadows, The High Chaparral, Cannon, Chase, Having Babies, The Chisholms, Hardcastle & McCormick, Dallas, Renegade, Murder She Wrote and Dharma & Greg.

Some of his more memorable film roles were in: High Plains Drifter, Electra Glide in Blue, Lethal Weapon, and Judge Dredd.

Mitchell Ryan was always a welcome addition to any movie or tv show.  He played a great bad guy – one who came off as smart, tough and just a bit arrogant.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Ryan Mitchell’s family, friends and fans.

RIP: Frank Pesce

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Frank Pesce, the memorable character actor of movies and television, died on February 6th at the age of 75.  Mr. Pesce’s girlfriend, Tammy Scher reported the cause of death to be dementia-related.

Frank Pesce began his career in 1976 with a role on Police Story.  Mr. Pesce then stayed busy alternating between feature films, guest spots on tv series and appearances in movies made for television.

Some feature films that Mr. Pesce appeared in include: Rocky, Paradise Alley, American Gigolo, Flashdance, Beverly Hills Cop, Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop II, MIdnight Run, Lock Up, Donnie Brasco, Grudge Match, The Expendables, Reach Me and Creed!

Frank Pesce’s television appearances include roles in: Kojak, Knight Rider, The Greatest American Hero, Hardcastle and McCormick, Miami Vice, Airwolf, Cagney & Lacey, Matlock, Who’s the Boss, Jake & the Fatman and Karen Sisco.

What a career Frank Pesce had!  I love that he developed friendships with stars like Sly Stallone, Robert Forester and Tony Danza.  The fact that Mr. Pesce was used so often (and many times repeatedly by stars/directors) speaks to his professionalism.  I always enjoyed a Frank Pesce appearance!

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Frank Pesce’s family, friends and fans.

RIP: Ivan Reitman

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Ivan Reitman, writer, director and producer, died in his sleep on February 12th at the age of 75.  No cause of death was been given.

Ivan Reitman is best known for directing the megahit Ghostbusters, but he also directed 24 other films including: Meatballs, Stripes, Twins and Kindergarten Cop.  Mr. Reitman also served as a producer on over 60 films including: National Lampoon’s Animal House, Ghostbusters, Twins, Kindergarten Cop, Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot and Beethoven to name just a few.

I first became aware of Ivan Reitman because of his involvement with Animal House.  A year later I saw Meatballs, my favorite Ivan Reitman directed film, on it’s initial release.  It’s interesting that Ivan Reitman got his start producing low budget horror films like Cannibal Girls, Shivers, The House by the Lake and Rabid (directed by David Cronenberg and starring Marilyn Chambers) before he found his sweet spot with comedies.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Ivan Reitman’s family, friends and fans.

RIP: Bob Wall

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Robert “Bob” Wall, martial artist and actor, died yesterday at the age of 82.  No cause of death was reported.

Bob Wall was a 9th degree Black Belt who began his career as co-owner of the Sherman Oaks Karate Studio in California.  When Mr. Wall’s partner decided to sell his interest in the studio, Chuck Norris became co-owner with Wall.

Bob Wall was also an actor best known for his role as O’Harra in Bruce Lee’s classic Enter the Dragon.  Mr. Wall also had roles with Lee in Way of the Dragon and Game of Death.  Bob Wall also appeared in several Chuck Norris movies (Code of Silence, Invasion U.S.A., Firewalker, Hero and the Terror and Sidekicks) as well as Norris’ Walker, Texas Ranger series.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Bob Wall’s family, friends and fans.

RIP: Howard Hesseman

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Howard Hesseman, actor and comedian, has died at the age of 81 of complications from colon surgery.  Best known for his starring roles on WKRP in Cincinnati and in Head of the Class, Mr. Hesseman has over 150 credits on his acting resume.

Howard Hesseman alternated between roles on television and feature films.  In addition to the tv shows mentioned, some of Mr. Hesseman’s major television appearances included roles on The Andy Griffith Show, Sanford and Son, The Bob Newhart Show, Soap, One Day at a Time, The New WKRP in Cincinnati, That ’70s Show, Boston Legal and Fresh Off the Boat.  Some feature film appearances include: Billy Jack, The Sunshine Boys, Silent Movie, The Jerk, and Heat.

Surprisingly, I never watched WKRP in Cincinnati or Head of the Class.  I still enjoyed seeing Howard Hesseman whenever he appeared in a tv show or movie.  I first saw (and remembered him from) Billy Jack.  Mr. Hesseman always made whatever show or movie he was in funnier.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Howard Hesseman’s family, friends and fans.

RIP: Louie Anderson

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Louie Anderson, born Louis Perry Anderson, died today at the age of 68, from blood cancer.  Louie was a stand-up comedian, actor, author and game show host.  

Louie Anderson began his career as a stand-up comedian but soon began making appearances with small roles in movies.  A comedy special led to more acting roles, his own animated television show (Life with Louie which ran for three seasons and won two Emmys) and a live action series (The Louie Show).  Louie continued to act on television, in feature films, as well as doing stand-up comedy and game show hosting throughout his career.  Along the way he found time to author four books!

Louie Anderson was such a likeable person that his appearances on talk shows, tv guest spots and movie roles were always welcome.  Louie’s stand-up comedy put him in a league with the very best.  He will be missed.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Louie Anderson’s family, friends and fans.

RIP: Meat Loaf

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Meat Loaf, born Marvin Lee Aday, but who later changed his name to Michael, has died at the age of 74.  No cause of death was announced.  Although best known for his record-breaking best selling album Bat Out of Hell, Meat Loaf was also an accomplished actor.  He appeared on Broadway, had notable roles in The Rocky Horror Picture Show,  Black Dog and Fight Club.  

Meat Loaf’s musical career started right after high school when his bands opened for acts such as Van Morrison, Janis Joplin and The Who.  For the next 50 plus years, Meat Loaf did what he loved best – entertaining.  He alternated between touring, putting out new music and acting.

In a time when disco was king, Bat Out of Hell became an international best seller.  It was an album that everyone knew about and most owned.  It was odd that this guy who appeared in The Rocky Horror Picture Show could sing.  And, boy, could he sing!  It was always a pleasure to see Meat Loaf pop up in television and film roles.  One of my favorites is The Salton Sea with Val Kilmer. 

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Michael Lee Aday’s family, friends and fans.

RIP: Sidney Poitier

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Sidney Poitier, actor, director, and writer died last night at the age of 94. 

Mr. Poitier was the first Black to win an Academy Award for Best Actor.  In 1967, had a year most actors only dream about; he starred in three hits (To Sir, with Love; In the Heat of the Night and Guess Who is Coming to Dinner)!  In 1972 he directed his first feature film (Buck and the Preacher).  In 1977, after a career that saw him with over 40 acting and/or directing credits in 30 years, Sidney Poitier took a break that lasted eleven years!  When Sidney Poitier returned he alternated between acting in feature films and television movies. 

In 2001, Mr. Poitier retired from acting/directing.  He wrote a well-received memoir The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography.  In 2009, Mr. Poitier was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

My favorite Sidney Poitier film is In the Heat of the Night. It’s because the character he played was a calm man of intelligence and dignity… and he resonated “cool”.  Cool, not as in hip, but cool as in control of himself and every situation.  I was always impressed when I heard Sidney Poitier in interviews.  We’ve lost a legend.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Sidney Poitier’s family, friends and fans.