I haven’t blogged in about six months. I had planned to return to the blog soon as I had recently gotten over the swine flu. An event has occurred that has brought me back to my blog a little sooner than I had planned.
On the night of Thanksgiving, in the middle of the night, my good friend and co-producer at Pendragon Pictures, John J. Gallo passed away from a sudden bacterial infection that had gone to his heart and lungs. John was 39. No words can truly express the grief John’s shocking departure has left his myriad loved ones, though I will attempt to express some feelings for this extraordinary man. John was a rare soul on this Earth. The kind of man you could ALWAYS depend on. His loyalty to all people was a lesson for the rest of us as to how to treat one another. His balance, advice and compassion were inspiring.
John leaves a deep hole in many lives. He was the one of the raison d'etre for myself and many others. He was giving and loving toward others in a way that was true and without hidden motive. His creativity was bottemless, as was his sense of humor. His jokes were kind, but he had a way of hitting the mark. Always ready to smile, always ready to see the positive, John helped many as they attempted to find perspective in difficult times. Always ready to help someone in need, John changed and progressed the lives of most everyone he met. John had a deep and solid laugh that would easily flow.
John, I cannot believe you are gone. John, I will miss our several times a week calls about everything from the life problems at hand to aliens, the super collider and movies. I will miss your special and kind spirit. I will miss your honesty and loyalty and fellowship to all you met. I will miss you at our premieres and at the island celebration we were all planning. I will miss you at all the major life events I expected you to be at. I will miss sharing news with you and getting or giving advice on how to get past a hard life moment. I will miss you in my old age and for all the time I have left. You were the best of friend anyone could have asked for and the most loyal human being I have ever encountered. As a producer, you held it together. You were the glue and the strength that our productions ran with.
You were ripped away from us far too soon and yours is one passing I will never fully accept. And you were wise as well as educated, but you never held your intelligence over anyone. Amongst the many things you brought to your close friend Ezra Hamill, one of them was a love of reading. Ezra said you were the only friend who actually read books he gave you to read and shared discussions of their tales with him. You always tried to bolster one’s enthusiasm and help one find the highest level of perspective. You saw the vulnerability in people and could express your compassion for their plights. You were a kinder, more giving and wiser man than I have ever met.
I will carry you in my soul to my own end, John. I am and always will be your loyal ally. Though the hearts of many are shattered at your loss, on behalf of a world that you leave behind, a world that is a better place that you walked with us in it, I say goodbye old friend. Adieu until we meet again beyond this world. Silence the drums and take down the stars for a time. It is a time for deep grief and reflection.
I have linked to a production photo. John Gallo is the smiling gentleman with glasses in the upper left corner of the photo.
John J. Gallo. 1970-2009. Producer, friend to all, humanist.
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