Jerry Orbach dead at 69

[wei yau]

I know that there are many "Law & Order" fans here. Very sad news (http://www.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/TV/12/29/obit.orbach.ap/index.html) .

Although, I'm not necessarily a "Law & Order" fan, I did enjoy Orbach's work on the show.

[Godless Dave]

He was also good in "Dirty Dancing". Damn, that sucks. I had no idea he was sick.

[livius drusus]

Oh no... That's so sad. I loved that guy. I even made a total fool of myself in front of him at a restaurant in New York once and he was the very soul of kindness about it. :deepsigh:

[Ymir's blood]

I don't watch much TV but have seen a few episodes of Law and Order. He was one of the characters that appealed to me.

[freemonkey]

I knew he was sick, but thought he was doing OK. Fucking cancer and cancer drugs. :(

[Godless Dave]

For that matter, I am surprised he was 69. I would have guessed younger.

[RedShift]

RIP Jerry.

A great, great actor and by all accounts a terrific guy all round. I had heard about the cancer but all reports suggested he was expected to recover.

Livius, tell us about your embarrassing encounter? :wink:

Also in one of my fave movies, Crimes and Misdemeanors (also with Sam Waterston from L&O).

I'm sure Dick Wolf and the gang will mark it in an appropriate way on L&O and/or Trial by Jury. I will probably cry.

[livius drusus]

Ah, well, it was back in the heady days of 1990, when I was a freshman in college and best friends forever with a girl by the name of Jennifer who the next year would move out of our suite the first day of school and barely speak to me ever again for no reason that I could ever make out.

Anyhoo, she was dating a fella by the name of Matt whose daddy was part owner of a trendy Manhattan restaurant called Mondrian. One night we got all dolled up double-date style, piled into some obnoxiously long vehicle, and settled down at a great people-watching table.

Suddenly, I spied a fellow at the table across from us who seemed devlishly familiar. I became convinced that he was a certain Mr. Rossi, an old archenemy of my own daddy's. I figured this was a fine opportunity to score social points in the name of the elder drusus, so I strolled over, all suave and deboner, and reminded "Mr. Rossi" of our previous acquaintance.

He was very kind as he told me he wasn't actually Mr. Rossi, and accepted downright cheerfully my crimson-cheeked assurances that he looked just like the man. When I continue to insert my foot further down my now raw gullet, he generously filled me in on the whole who he actually was thing, even to the point of mentioning having been his Baby's daddy.

I then slunk back to my seat and drowned my shame in carpaccio and Perrier Jouet. He smiled at me and said goodnight when he left.

Verily, he was a prince among men. :bowdown:

[livius drusus]

Bumping to include some accounts of the funeral service. I didn't realize until he died just how widely loved and respected he was. I might have to watch Beauty and the Beast today and cry. :sad:

Stars pay tribute to Jerry Orbach, beloved actor (http://www.nydailynews.com/news/local/story/267192p-228902c.html)
Friends, co-stars mourn Jerry Orbach (http://www.newsday.com/news/local/state/ny-bc-ny--orbachfuneral1231dec31,0,834935.story?coll=ny-region-apnewyork)
People mourn "LAW & Order" Jerry Orbach (http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-01/01/content_2405605.htm)

[Socratoad]

Thanks Liv, your timing is impeccable, as usual. I had just read those tributes about an hour ago. Damn, I actually teared up. I had always liked the guy however I had no idea of just what a beautiful human being he has been throughout his live. A real pro, and one always reaching out with a helping hand.

Ya know dear Liv, often one reads a truckload of tributes to some luminary or other and one instinctively knows that most of it is a crock of shit. The sort of speechifying that makes one want to peek into the coffin because ya know damned well that the tributes do not, even by any stretch of the imagination, describe the person supposedly inside. In Jerry Orbach's case we both know that every tribute is both heartfelt and accurate.

The world is considerably poorer because of the passing of Jerry Orbach and other such truly empathetic talented caring persons.

[livius drusus]

Ya know dear Liv, often one reads a truckload of tributes to some luminary or other and one instinctively knows that most of it is a crock of shit. The sort of speechifying that makes one want to peek into the coffin because ya know damned well that the tributes do not, even by any stretch of the imagination, describe the person supposedly inside. In Jerry Orbach's case we both know that every tribute is both heartfelt and accurate.

That's exactly true, and it's a big part of why I'm so broken up over this. He lived a rich, full, happy life and gave and received so much love. It's a rare and precious thing, particularly in celebrity society where being kind, genuine and down to earth is not, I think, much of a cherished value.

Closing thought from one of the articles above:

Orbach's family is suggesting that fans who want to pay tribute to the actor can do so by making donations to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Just write "prostate cancer research" on the memo section of a check, and send it to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, PO Box 27106, New York, NY 10087.

[livius drusus]

You can donate to Sloan Kettering online here (http://www.mskcc.org/mskcc/html/5626.cfm). I chose the Program Support option and put "prostate cancer research" in the appropriate field.

At first I tried a Special Occasion Gifts first because it allows you to mark it as "in memory of", but it requires a recipient of the gift complete with snailmail addy and whatnot, so in the end the Program Support option seemed more in line with what the family suggested.