Great update Bean, thanks!

I was struggling to come up with the right words, myself, which is why I didn't comment... and waited to hear what others might say. Lileks hits the note just right.

"That was a man who could hit the keys right" is very well put, and put in the appropriate perspective of the rest of his comments.

When I found myself wanting to comment on the man's depravity, I kept coming back to the fact that I really enjoyed his writing. Now that I think of it though, he probably could have been as good a writer without the drugs.

Anyhow, I'm bummed that he's dead, but not shocked at how he left. At his best, he wasn't a saint. At his worst, he was a menace. But he was one hell of a writer.
 

Well, death is a natural consequence of having lived, so I guess one cannot be too bitter.

Though he sure did stomp on the terra.

Having been isolated and cut off from most reasonably deep forms of media,

I was not aware that the almighty duke had kicked the bucket until I got your e-mail. Not a bad way for a girl to start her workday, with something of weight sticking in the forehead. Made me concentrate on getting the words on the pages to look just right, you know?

I'm not necessarily saddened, though i'm a little bewildered as to the nature of his death. The fucker actually shot himself!! I always thought he'd fall to his death.

Now, he's completely crossed over into the cartoon world of my
imagination, like Wile E. Coyote; he'll be speeding down the freeway on his Vincent Black Shadow (or whatever the fuck he rode) on an unending reel tape, Steadman inkbats wheeling this way and that while his dome gleams fleshily in the desert sun, for all eternity.

(pleased to meet you, hope you guessed my name...)
 

ferocious sonja: Welcome! We’re glad you found us. I must admit I polled the rest of the Coffeehousers and none of us sent you an email. We do appreciate your thoughts on HST’s passing though, and hope you visit again. Pleased to meet you too. I get the Rolling Stone allusion, but none of us have any guess as to your name.
 

Somehow I think Mr. Bean (Rowan Atkinson, that is), would find humor in his demise.

I forgot now how it is I found your blog. I believe there was a young woman named Alice, a white rabbit, and a rabbit hole, down which we went.
 

Mr. Hess:

Welcome. I think Rowan Atkinson can find humor in anything, but he might spell it humour.

I looked at your website. A writer with a memorial picture of Reagan! Does that make you unusual / lonely in your field, like it would in the TV/movie industry?