In memoriam Chase

A friend of some friends died this week. I've only met the guy a few times, so maybe I'm not in the best position to write anything, but it fills me with sadness to acknowledge the premature end to his life. His name is Chase Korte. He was an aspiring actor in Los Angeles. His talent and energy were boundless. Watch the commercial above to see something he wrote, directed, and starred in (he's the driver of the station wagon). That kind of work puts mine to shame. I would have been jealous, but he was too nice of a guy to wish him anything but the best. I don't usually open up to strangers, but the first night I met him was at a party where we sang through Rattle & Hum at the top of our lungs together. Maybe alcohol played a part, but more so I think he was just the kind of guy who was fun to be around.

There's been an outpouring of emotion on the web (on his friends' blogs and his own MySpace page). It's a great tribute to Chase... but it would sit better if he had had the chance to live another 60 or so years first. My thoughts go out to his friends and family as they mourn their tremendous loss.