The Death of Fred Astaire

Upon hearing that in his final hours Fred Astaire asked his wife, Robyn, to speak to the media and let his fans know how much they had always meant to him, I felt, as a fan, impelled to somehow acknowledge in a small way this unusual and touching consideration of others--which was typical of this gentle man.

Unfortunately for me, all the magnificent adjectives and verbs have already been seized; such as, President Reagan: “a legend,” Mikhail Baryshnikov: “perfection,” Irving Berlin: “the purest talent I’ve ever worked with,” George Balanchine several years back: “the greatest dancer in the world,” Gene Kelly: “immortal,” to but mention a few.

Nonetheless, writing as just one of literally millions of fans throughout the world, I beg we consider, though mourning this loss, we remember his gift to us--a breathtaking and unequalled body of work that encompasses--minus a few years--the entire 20th Century.

Also to ponder the fact, for example, that the work he created in the 1930s is just as timeless and impossible to duplicate in the 1980s. His fellow artists can appreciate the truth of this even more than the rest of us can.

And comfort above all others: though we have lost the man, through the magic of films and recordings he will continue to perform and astonish us, and generations to come, forever.

JANE LOCKWOOD

Los Angeles