Lennie's gone :(

[Auburn Annie]

For those of you who are L&O fans, Jerry Orbach (Det. Lennie Briscoe) has died of prostate cancer. Jerry was the quintessential, Bronx-born New Yorker, both as a "cop" on L&O and stage performer. He was the original narrator in "The Fantasticks" (which ran off-Broadway for about 40 years), and was in many musicals including "Chicago" (the original Billy Flynn, 1975), "Promises, Promises" for which he won a Tony, and "42nd Street" among many others. He also did scores of films (Baby's father in "Dirty Dancing") and TV appearances other than Law and Order. He will be missed by a lot of folks.

[SilverHeels]

Oh no! I love Lennie! Dear Jerry O. Very sad news. http://www.corfid.com/ubb/frown.gif

[Borderstone]

Sorry to hear of his passing. I just heard it 30 mins or so ago at work on the lunchroom TV.

While I never have watched "Law and Order",I do remember him from "Dirty Dancing". I recall seeing him on "Conan O' Brien" about 2 years ago,lampooning his role in that film,with help from the host.

It's always sad when people pass on. Somehow,when the person is famous,we feel like we know he or she personally and we take it that way. Personally.

For fans of his and the "Law and Order" show,I know it must hurt greatly. R.I.P. Mr. Orbach.

------------------
"A knight of the road,going back to a place where he might get warm." ;) - Borderstone

[Sundown17]

Very sad news. I enjoyed L&O because of Jerry Orbach.

He also did the voice for Lumiere in Disney's Beauty and the Beast. Quite the versatile actor. He will be missed.

quote:Originally posted by Auburn Annie:
For those of you who are L&O fans, Jerry Orbach (Det. Lennie Briscoe) has died of prostate cancer. Jerry was the quintessential, Bronx-born New Yorker, both as a "cop" on L&O and stage performer. He was the original narrator in "The Fantasticks" (which ran off-Broadway for about 40 years), and was in many musicals including "Chicago" (the original Billy Flynn, 1975), "Promises, Promises" for which he won a Tony, and "42nd Street" among many others. He also did scores of films (Baby's father in "Dirty Dancing") and TV appearances other than Law and Order. He will be missed by a lot of folks.

[vlmagee]

I am devastated by his death. He was the one person on any TV show that had really gotten to me. I didn't start watching L&O until about a year ago, because we really didn't watch TV much. Somehow, with the move to Denver and the two recliners in front of an HDTV screen, both of us became TV junkies. In my defense, I work while I watch so it isn't as much of a waste of time as it could be.

Anyhow, I fell in love with the show and started watching it (all three shows), and all the reruns on TNT and USA. When they announced last spring that Jerry Orbach was leaving the show, I was very disappointed; then elated to learn that he would return in the new, upcoming L&O Trial By Jury.

Somehow I missed the news early in December that he was being treated for prostate cancer, and his death really came as a total surprise. His manager said he had been undergoing treatments since the spring, so his departure from the original show must have been because of his illness. He was filming episodes of the new show around his treatment schedule. (There are 6 complete, with 2 or 3 featuring Orbach).

One of the big losses beyond what is obvious is that Orbach made a major contribution to the scripts because of his intimate knowledge of NY. I "knew" that, just from the lines; I would often marvel at the jokes that only a New Yorker could possibly appreciate (I lived there for the first 40 years of my life). Like some S&G lyrics, what is obscure or meaningless to most people is instantly clear to any NYer.

He was a great actor and apparently a great man as well. He will be missed.

------------------
Valerie Magee

Visit my business site at mageenet.biz (http://mageenet.biz), Hamilton Camp's Offical Web Site at hamiltoncamp.com (http://hamiltoncamp.com) , and Cathy Cowette's web site at cathycowette.com (http://cathycowette.com). Also visit Dr. Jack's Lightfoot page (http://longtailpublishing.com/jackpages/lightfoot.html).

[charlene]

omigod Val I'm shocked!- you're NOT 39 like the rest of us! http://www.corfid.com/ubb/wink.gif
lol
I knew of Orbach and his Broadway roles and movie roles but he will always be Lumiere in Beauty and The Beast to me.
Very sad loss.