Just saw it on the news right now.
One helluva guy, from start to finish, on so many levels.. Just imagine the bench racing session that will be going on in Heaven tonight.
RIP Mr. Newman
Maybe GRM can do an article on the life and times? I would certainly enjoy that read.
I had the opportunity of crewing for an SCCA Nationals B Sedan team in the mid -70s and running into him (not literally)at tracks all over the East.
To me he will always be a great driver and car guy who happened to be in a couple of movies.
Man, that sucks, but it seems like he went on his terms and left little on the table.
I bumped into him a few times over the years, both while I've been working here and even in my pre-GRM days as a young pup picking up crewing jobs here and there. Very cool guy.
I bumped into him once at Daytona—literally—in the press room. He was looking for some paperwork and I was looking for some different paperwork and neither of us were paying attention to where we were going and wham. He was gracious and we exchanged small talk while we both found what we were looking for.
Finally, I had to tell him. I just couldn't hold it in anymore. "You know, my wife and I are HUGE fans of you popcorn."
He chuckled appreciatively and said "You know, we actually eat a ton of that crap. I'd eat it even if my face wasn't on it. Love the stuff."
Cool guy.
jg
He will be missed.
Think I will go get some of his dressing, grill, and watch some of his films later...
Godspeed!
What a stand-up guy. Besides being one of my favourite actors it sounds like everything he did in life is something to aspire to. He's going to leave a hole that'll be mighty hard to fill.
Incidently my favourite movie of all-time is still "The Sting."
J
A real class act. Saw him at a track once. Total racer guy. SO unusual for a Hollywood icon. Married for 50 years to Joann. Playboy once asked him if he ever had a desire to "mess around", he replied "Why go out for hamburger when you have steak at home?".
"He was smiling... That's right. You know, that, that Luke smile of his. He had it on his face right to the very end. Hell, if they didn't know it 'fore, they could tell right then that they weren't a-gonna beat him. That old Luke smile. Oh, Luke. He was some boy. Cool Hand Luke. Hell, he's a natural-born world-shaker."
Man, this wasn't a surprise, but damn - that's bad news.
I had the good fortune to see him at Lime Rock many times, including last fall. He was an impressive driver, among other things.
I always felt bad that he had to endure a constant crowd of fans at the track. I saw him finish either first or second in his Corvette about two years ago. The race was probably about an hour long and he had a little trouble climbing out of his hot race car; after all, he was already in his eighties and any of us would have been exhausted after such an event. He had to make a mad dash for his trailer. The crowd would roar whenever anyone stepped out.
While I'm sure that it must have been gratifying, it must have also contributed to his exhaustion.
I think what I admire most about the man is that he didn't even start racing until he was in his forties, yet he still became a national champion. He gives us all hope and inspiration. I will miss his spirit.
I wish I could properly articulate this. I recently lost a family member to cancer and somehow I am just about brought to tears by this news rather than my own family. I'm not much of a fanboi of actors and the popular people but Newman went above and beyond. He was always a sincere and genuine person it seems and I'm genuinely saddened by the loss of someone I have never met.
Rest in peace Mr Newman
The end of an era, he was my hero in childhood and never lost any of his grace or class, from movies, to business and into racing he was the benchmark.
the king is dead, long live the king.
P71 wrote: RIP Mr. Newman Maybe GRM can do an article on the life and times? I would certainly enjoy that read.
I second that. It would be a great read
Tifosi2k2 wrote: You know, I've read all of the obit's posted on news sites today and they all talk about his charitable work being his legacy. While his charitable work is certainly impressive and should be admired...... There are discussions going on right now all across the internet on message boards much like this one. Everyone has a PLN story, and not a single one that I've read is bad.
I was thinking the same thing. If you read the articles on media websites they usually have a place where people can add comments, and no matter what there's always a few idiots who say terrible things just to get a rise out of the others; I looked at the PLN story on the LA Times website last night and in 13 pages of reader comments there wasn't a single negative one.
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