To send Memorial Cards and Letters To Kevin's
family - send them to
Kevin Smith Memorial
c/o Lori Joyce
24 Scarfair Pathway
Scarborough, Ontario
M1B 4E8 CANADA
TRIBUTES
Page 2
If you wish to add a tribute to Kevin Smith please email it to me at webmaster@ausxip.com
Michael Hurst, in Pasadena for the Creation Xena Convention
has paid tribute to Kevin in a TV1 News report - the rm file is currently on their web
site
http://onenews.nzoom.com/news_detail/0,1227,81931-1-7,00.html
Added a moving account from KT where she went to the Pasadena Convention
Oliver Driver, the director of The Vagina Monologues said last night's premiere of The Vagina Monologues in Auckland was dedicated to Kevin and theatre-goers observed a minute's silence before the show.
Michelle M. De La Rosa's tribute Montage
Creation Entertainment's Tribute to Kevin
Tribute by Melissa Good
Coming Home
It's been a very long week just past. I just got back from the Pasadena
Convention of 2002. I hadn't really intended to go to the convention at
all, to begin with. I had a heavy work schedule this month, and it's
difficult for me to travel because of my mother's illness.
But. Sometimes fate works out in mysterious ways. I found myself sent on a
business trip during that very week of the con, to of all places, Southern
California. Not one to temp fate more than once, I gave in and extended my
trip to cover the con weekend - knowing at the very least I would get to see
friends and celebrate the magic again of this show that somehow brought
together so many from so far for so long.
So I was glad I was going. There would be new t-shirts, old friends, and to
top it all off, Michael Hurst and Renee O'Conner in an evening performance
of Love Letters. And there were - new t-shirts, new sweatshirts, lots of
old friends. But there was also a cloud there, a cloud of knowing that a
member of the Xena family was hurt, and in a far off place.
There were four characters I really wanted to get to write for when I joined
the Xena writing staff. Two I figured were a shoe in. (Xena and Gabrielle)
The other two were Ares and Aphrodite. I got my chance to write Ares on my
second script, and giving Kevin a place to shine as a god made mortal was
one of the truly delightful experiences I had in the whole process. He did
a fine job with it too - his Ares falling into madness, then being wrenched
out of it by the horror of killing Xena was wonderful. He took the script
and ran with it, and I was in turn humbled and amazed by the result.
A fine actor. A genuinely decent man who was funny and self deprecating and
a true professional in the difficult job of being an action adventure star.
I remember him being happy that Ares finally got to ride a horse. I
remember him laughing when Lucy kicked his sword out of his hand a little
too hard and almost took out a light shield. I remember Kevin and Lucy,
with the day's light fading and time short, running through one of the most
difficult passages of dialog in a single take because they were just that
good at it, and knew each other just that well.
So I had my fingers crossed and was praying for him when I heard he was
hurt, in a strange place far from his friends and family. I hoped such a
strong man, who had been so full of love and life could pull through and
make it back home.
It was cold and windy when I left the convention on Friday, heading back to
get a jacket this southern nerd didn't realize would be needed. A page
stopped me as I drove out of the parking lot, and when I looked down, all it
said was: "Kevin died today."
A lot of people have related what Saturday was like, and I agree with all of
them. It was a coming together, and sharing of grief of people who knew and
loved Kevin the person, with people who knew and loved Kevin the image on
the screen, and it was truly wonderful. For that one moment, in that
auditorium, the line was gone between stars and fans, staff and viewers,
TPTB and us. We were all just people who in that moment, had lost a
friend.
It was a difficult emotion to quantify. It was difficult to understand why
something like this would happen to someone like Kevin. It is difficult to
cope with the knowledge of what Kevin's wife and children must be going
through, to lose such a huge part of their lives.
The only easy thing to understand is why our first reaction was - 'what can
we do to help?'. It's what we always do. I once said this was the most
loving and giving group of people anywhere, and that's been proven time and
time again - and will be now as the convention goers already have started
the ball rolling, and the rest will continue to add to it through Sword and
Staff, or personal donations, or other fund raising that will surely start
up soon.
As I flew home today from the convention - a thought occurred to me. I
travel a lot, and no matter how wonderful the place I've been is, I always
am grateful to see the Everglades flash by under the wings of the plane and
hear the captain say 'Welcome to Fort Lauderdale.' It means I'm home. I
think anyone who travels a lot must feel that way - and I wondered if Kevin
felt that way about being in China, so far from his home in New Zealand and
his family. I wondered if he'd been looking forward to seeing the Auckland
harbor and hearing voices that sounded like his did and being able to watch
the All Blacks on television again.
For a moment, I felt very sad, because I knew this time, Kevin didn't make
it back.
But then I thought about it, and because I've been there and seen New
Zealand, I know that where Kevin is now must be awfully familiar to him, and
very much like home after all.
Peace be with you, Kevin.
**
Kevin Smith's death touches me deeply. I am greatly saddned; my heart and prayers
go out to his family and friends. The lose is tremendous even for those of us who
knew him only as Ares. God bless all the hearts that he touched so deeply, in love,
in humor, and in life.
Jan Lamborn
San Francisco
by Antigone
*
I just wanted to say how much I always loved him. He was such a wonderful person I
can't imagine anyone else playing Aries. I had the joy of seeing him in person at a con
and was so impressed by him I couldn't stop talking about him for about a week, God Speed
Kevin you will be very, very missed.
Ri
*
Kevin Smith was one of
the greatest actors out there in the world. He played Ares the God of war wonderfully.
Gave him an edge. From the very begining he was one of my favorite guest stars.
He will be missed among the Xena and Herc fans for his awesome work. Also for being a
wonderful human being inside and out. We love you Kevin!
Rock on!
Larissa
*