In Loving Memory Part II....
You all may remember that I constucted a memorial page for Dominic Lucero last June. Now I've decided to build one to one of America's most-loved comics. Chris Farley, who died today, December 18, 1997. Okay, you may ask. Between Dominic and Chris, not only has PRINCESS DIANA died, but Mother Teresa, Notorious B.I.G., Tupac, and lots of other important people have passed on who've shaped our world. And you didn't build shrines to them. Hey, I apologize, but that's not the point. The point is, Chris Farley was truly important to me. And lots of people of our generation, and he was probably important to you too.
(Note : The following is an article published on the Fox News webpage.)
CHICAGO — Comedian Chris Farley, the overweight actor who played overbearing characters with a sweet side on television and in movies, died Thursday from an apparent heart attack, local authorities said. He was 33.
Farley was found dead in a friend's condominium apartment, and was believed to have suffered a heart attack, according to Chicago Fire Department officials.
Farley was an alumnus of Second City, the famed improvisational troupe based in Chicago, where he developed anguished characters.
His career blossomed on television's Saturday Night Live, and his physical comedy and manic behavior drew comparisons to the late John Belushi.
Among his characterizations were the inept and overweight motivational speaker Hank Foley and that of a devoted but extremely unhealthy Chicago Bears football fan.
Farley and David Spade branched out from the television show to star in movies.
Farley most recently starred in Beverly Hills Ninja, and also had
leading roles in Tommy Boy and Black Sheep.
(This article was puclished in the Nando Times)
CHICAGO (December 18, 1997 4:54 p.m. EST http://www.nando.net)
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Chris Farley, the rotund comic who spent four seasons on TV's "Saturday Night Live" and later starred in several movies, was found dead Thursday in an apartment. He was 33.
The cause of death was not immediately known.
On "Saturday Night Live," Farley played comically sweaty, frenetic
characters who worked themselves into a frenzy -- characters clearly
inspired by his comic idol John Belushi, who also got his start on
"SNL."
His characters included Matt Foley, motivational speaker. He also did an impersonation of Newt Gingrich and played flabby, barechested Chippendales dancer, his jiggling gut spilling over his waistband.
Farley also played a super fan of the Chicago Bears.
He also played a likable bumbler in the movies "Tommy Boy," Beverly
Hills Ninja" and "Black Sheep."
As a teen-ager, he idolized Belushi, who also died young, in 1982, after years of drugs, overeating and other excesses.
Farley was similarly known for his outrageous appetites.
"Although I love this kind of comedy, sometimes I feel trapped by always having to be the most outrageous guy in the room," Farley said in 1996. "In particular, I'm working on trying not to be that guy in my private life."
"Saturday Night Live" creator Lorne Michaels "told me that that's what
killed Belushi more than anything else," Farley said.
Farley, a 1986 graduate of Marquette University in Milwaukee, performed with Chicago's Second City comedy troupe before joining the cast of "Saturday Night Live" for the 1990 season.
Police and about 20 reporters gathered outside the 100-story John Hancock Building on a stretch of Michigan Avenue known as the Magnificent Mile, where Farley's body was found.
(This is a Real Audio clip from ABC News. The first part is about Chris.)
