Very sad news... not OT

Thank you Connie for sharing the the pictures and limmerick It's good to see pictures of a time when
he was having such a good time.

You're welcome.  It's the only thing I could think of to do for a tribute.  He seemed to love making people laugh.

-CLC

Beautiful photos, Connie, many thanks for sharing them.

Dennis Patrick was a wonderful actor, both on DS and in subsequent movies and TV shows.  I loved him as Jason McGuire and Paul Stoddard; you'd have sworn they were played by two completely different actors.

I don't know whether I'm happy or sad that Mr. Patrick died with his dog by his side, because it always hurts me when animals die before their time--but at least Mr. Patrick wasn't completely alone when his time came.

I raise my glass of Irish whiskey in a toast to that fine blackguard, Jason McGuire, and to that fine actor, Dennis Patrick.  Say hi to my parents, Dennis!

Love, Robin

Myself like Tripwire will hope he passed peacefully in his sleep.  An Irish toast sounds perfect.  I will lift a glass tonight in his honor.

Birdie

When I read this late last night, I hoped it was a case of the media reporting first, and getting the facts later.

May he never have known he and his beloved pet were in danger....may they have passed into the waiting arms of loved ones who had gone on before.....and may the family and friends left behind be comforted by the memories of his long , successful, joyful life.

Rainey

Very, very sad that he is gone.  I will  miss him.

What a terrible tragedy.  He will be forever missed, but always in our thoughts and memories.

Gerard

In this morning's L.A. Times--

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-fire14oct14.story

and his NY Times obit (down a bit on the page)--

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Deaths.html?pagewanted=2

L.A. Daily News--

http://www.dailynews.com/Stories/0,1413,200%257E20954%257E923067,00.html

I'm so shocked by this -- it's a really sad passing.  

Watching Dennis' performances on DVD recently, I've really been struck by the quality of his work -- he was one of the rare actors on the show who really shone under live conditions, projecting such vibrant performances without any hint of fear or hesitation. And the fact that he manages to make Jason simultaneously repellent and conversely charming is an achievement in itself.

I got to see Dennis at July's Festival and he was on fine form as ever, lightning fast wit immediate, irreverent and laugh-out-loud hilarious, with that ever-so-slightly dirty smirk and twinkle in his eye.  An Irish toast sounds as good a way to remember him as any.

I've added an obituary to my website, which features on the main page.

Dennis Patrick was the highlight of this year's fest (for me).  Though obvoiusly physically frail, his wit and spirit were more than intact.  He looked absolutely exhausted during that autograph line, but persevered for the sake of the fans.  Loved the pictures in the earlier post on this thread.  He will be missed.

MrsJ.

I will treasure this photo with him and the kiss he gave me on the cheek for the gift I gave to him at the 2002 Festival!



Dennis Patrick, VAM, & John Karlen

Dennis was certainly one of my favorites on DS, and his presence at the DS Fests was a real joy. What a sad thing, but I  hope that in its way his passing now was a blessing in the face of the rough times he might have faced ahead.

--M

Such sad news. Strangely enough, this is the second actor to die in a fire within the past week (Theresa Graves from "Get Christie Love" passed away last week after a fire at her home). Of course, the headlines today are filled with the news of Stephen Ambrose' death, yet to us DS fans, Dennis Patrick is our Stephen Ambrose. (Does that make sense?)

I like to think somewhere up there, Mr. Patrick and Grayson Hall, Joan Bennett, Louis Edmonds and Clarice Blackburn and are all having a good laugh together again.

I first met Dennis Patrick at the Dark Shadows Festival in 1999, saw him again at the last Fest, and at the House of Dark Shadows screening in CA in 2000. I have pics that were taken of me and him on my websites. Just click on my profile, then click on Cheryl's Dark Shadows. I also have an autographed pic of him as Jason McGuire on my wall, liked him best in that role. I have some of my autographed 8x10's hung up, as well as some autographed posters, only a fraction of them! Dennis Patrick was a nice man, really got to talk to him in 1999, when my Mom and I were in the Marriott restaurant, having breakfast one morning. He came in with his assistant, and sat down at the table next to us,  we had a nice chat, and he also talked about his wife who passed away a number of years ago. I hope he has been reunited with her. He will be missed at the Dark Shadows Festival. May he rest in peace and happiness. I'm glad he was not burned in the fire. Ironically, just a couple of days ago, my daughter and I were sitting in a fire truck, listening to a fireman telling us about fire safety. While my family and I were out shopping, the Las Vegas Fire Dept., were having a fire safety workshop at Home Depot, out front. My daughter put together a wooden fire truck, and we painted it, then we went over to see a real fire truck, and they let us get inside. We were given lots of literature on fire safety, which I will surely read. I live in a 2 story home myself. One of the things mentioned was a lot of people die from smoke inhalation, long before the fire gets to them.      

This is so terribly sad.  The very first episode I saw of Dark Shadows, back in its original run, was the episode where Jason first arrived at Collinwood.  I immediately became captivated by the character and the storyline.  As others have mentioned, Dennis made Jason totally charming, despite his evil deeds.  He was a great actor and a wonderful person, who will be greatly missed.

Terrible thing to happen to such a sweet guy
seems like we are losing one DS actor every other year..