Fuck.

This past Sunday, Reggie Bannister passed away at the age of 80.

I wish I could think of something profound to say. As someone who should probably have spent his life saying less, I don't have the words to express my sorrow. Things are bad in America and maybe this is as good a time as any to leave it, but the world is even worse off without Reggie Bannister in it. He was a genuinely good person and those are few and far between.

He had strong sense of ethics and justice. He never punched down. He treated everyone with respect. He would jump to the defense of anyone who he felt was being mistreated or put down. At one show, a fan made a snide comment about one of the women who made her living appearing in low-budget horror movies, frequently topless (as was the custom at the time). This was the only time I ever saw Reggie angry. He turned to that fan and in no uncertain terms told him that he was out of line and to be respectful. Much more articulately and with less profanity than I would have. The guys eyes nearly popped out of his head and he apologized, looking truly ashamed. I know getting dressed down by a beloved movie actor probably stung, but I wonder if he realized just how unusual this was.

Reggie always had kind words for anyone who crossed his path and was genuinely grateful to the fans of his films. He wasn't the kind of actor who took the asses in seats for granted. He loved good beer and good cigars, but could rarely afford them. The running joke was what brand of beer he was dependent on how much work he had. He was a man of the people and I feel like he was absolutely fine with that. He had his little slice of cinema history and that was pretty great. He was extremely patient with people (like me) who wanted to endlessly pump him for anecdotes about making the PHANTASM movies or his first two films KENNY AND COMPANY (1976) and JIM THE WORLD'S GREATEST (1975).

I ended up going into a new line of work which kept me away from shows and haven't actually seen Reggie in 20 years. This is how much of an impression he made on people. Rest in peace Reggie. You are missed.