
I've been a fan of the Golden Age of Hollywood since I was a kid. I often watch TCM- Turner Classic Movies, to see films that I love, and for many years now, the host has been Robert Osborne, a former actor and journalist, who became a friend and confidant to many of the most famous stars of that age.
For some time now, Mr. Osborne hasn't been on the network. He took a long sabbatical a few years ago, and the reason was never disclosed. When he returned from what they called his "much needed rest", he looked weak and much older. There have been rumors of cancer, heart disease, and the like, but nothing definitive was disclosed. It seems that Mr. Osborne was a very private, public personality.
Ben Mankiewicz, who was another host of the program on the nights Robert Osborne was off, began to take over a more prominent role, and over the last year or so, there have been a string of younger hosts filling in. Somehow, though Mankiewicz has been the best fit so far, none of them have been able to fill the shoes of Robert Osborne.
Over the last couple of days, I've thought of Mr. Osborne, and did searches to try to find out if he was ill, to no avail. It wasn't until coming home from work and settling down to dinner in front of the TV with an old Richard Burton, Olivia De Havilland movie that I began to see the tributes to Robert Osborne. He died yesterday- March 6, 2017 at the age of 84. No cause has been given yet. Private even in death, Mr. Osborne has done his last comments on the films he loved, interviewed his last movie star, and taken his last TCM cruise with fans. After over 20 years of watching him, I felt as if I knew him, yet at the same time, so little was known of him except his deep love of classic films and the people who made them.
Robert Osborne will be missed, and a man who knew so much about the greatest time in Hollywood is now among those who made the old films he loved. May he, and they, rest in peace.
Obviously, this is not my photo, but one I found online. It was very small, and not very clear. I gave it a painted look using computer air brush, which also made the image look more the way Mr. Osborne looked when I last saw him on TCM. His face was fuller than in the original photo. This softened his look, and while some detail was lost, it actually seemed more like him.