Yes, it's a sad day, indeed. But Stuart gave us all so much joy with his extraordinary creations throughout his long and illustrious career. Way ahead of his time, he was a giant in the industry, with a talent nonpareil.
On a personal level, I was truly blessed to befriend him and his lovely wife during the last decade of their lives. They were wonderful people. I miss them both.
The Wook
ps~You guys should know that one of the things which helped Stuart live so long, was the consistent stream of fan mail he'd receive each week. He boasted to me (in the sweetest way imaginable) many times about how much fan mail he receives, from all corners of the earth. Photos of Yoda with an autograph request were most common, followed by Chewie photos, as well as just heartfelt letters of gratitude, for the happiness he'd given someone through his creations. A few times when I was staying with Stuart and Kathy (Kay was her stage name), he'd have me help read the letters, and I saw firsthand how truly touched he was by them. He signed every one for free. And even paid the return postage for all those (and there were many) who neglected to send it.
pps~Here are a couple of neat photos Stuart and I recreated during one of my visits, thirty years after the originals were taken with him and Peter Mayhew.
On a personal level, I was truly blessed to befriend him and his lovely wife during the last decade of their lives. They were wonderful people. I miss them both.
The Wook
ps~You guys should know that one of the things which helped Stuart live so long, was the consistent stream of fan mail he'd receive each week. He boasted to me (in the sweetest way imaginable) many times about how much fan mail he receives, from all corners of the earth. Photos of Yoda with an autograph request were most common, followed by Chewie photos, as well as just heartfelt letters of gratitude, for the happiness he'd given someone through his creations. A few times when I was staying with Stuart and Kathy (Kay was her stage name), he'd have me help read the letters, and I saw firsthand how truly touched he was by them. He signed every one for free. And even paid the return postage for all those (and there were many) who neglected to send it.
pps~Here are a couple of neat photos Stuart and I recreated during one of my visits, thirty years after the originals were taken with him and Peter Mayhew.
