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kentauros

(29,414 posts)
Fri Jul 29, 2016, 12:18 AM Jul 2016

Jerry "Garibaldi" Doyle Dead at 60

B5 Creator J. Michael Straczynski’s Statement On the Death of Jerry Doyle
July 28, 2016



When it came to politics, Jerry Doyle and I disagreed on, well, pretty much everything. Politically, Jerry was just to the right of Attila the Hun. There is a line in Babylon 5 where his character, Michael Garibaldi, suggests that the way to deal with crime is to go from electric chairs to electric bleachers. That line is quintessential Jerry Doyle. I say this with confidence because I overheard him saying it at lunch then stole it for the show.

Despite our differences, when Jerry ran for congress as a Republican not long after Babylon 5 ended, I donated to his campaign. Not because I agreed with him, but because I respected him; because there was one area in which we agreed: the vital intersection between the arts of acting and storytelling. In that respect, Jerry was a consummate professional. Regardless of whatever was going on in his life, whether it was marital issues, a broken arm, forced couch-surfing with Bruce and Andreas or other problems, he never once pulled a prima donna on us; he showed up every day on time, knew his lines, and insisted that the guest cast live up to the standards of the main cast, to the point of roughing up one guest star who showed up not knowing his lines. Trust me when I say that after Jerry got done with him, every day he showed up, he knew his lines. And then some.

He was funny, and dangerous, and loyal, and a prankster, and a pain in the ass; he was gentle and cynical and hardened and insightful and sometimes as dense as a picket fence...and his passing is a profound loss to everyone who knew him, especially those of us who fought beside him in the trenches of Babylon 5. It is another loss in a string of losses that I cannot understand. Of the main cast, we have lost Richard Biggs, Michael O'Hare, Andreas Katsulas, Jeff Conaway, and now Jerry Doyle, and I'm goddamned tired of it.

So dear sweet universe, if you are paying attention in the vastness of interstellar space, take a moment from plotting the trajectory of comets and designing new DNA in farflung cosmos, and spare a thought for those who you have plucked so untimely from our ranks...and knock it off for a while.

Because this isn't fair.

And Jerry Doyle would be the first person to tell you that. Right before he put a fist in your face. Which is what I imagine he's doing right now, on the other side of the veil.

J. Michael Straczynski
Executive Producer
Babylon 5

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EpicTimes Founder Jerry Doyle, Dead at 60

Jul 28, 2016

While Jerry Doyle is best known for his role on "Babylon 5"as Micheal Garibaldi, he was to our leader, our visionary. The death was announced on Jerry's facebook page at approximately 8:30am Pacific. The details were few:



The brevity of the announcement immediately led people to believe that the post was a hoax, that his account had been hacked. Unfortunately we can confirm that was not true.

TMZ is report that a call was made to Jerry's Las Vegas home yesterday after he was found unresponsive and that no foul play is suspected.
We will add to this story as more details surface.

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Yes, I know he was a republican, but I still enjoyed his character, Michael Garibaldi. Another member of Babylon 5 goes beyond the rim...
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