Tony's obituary in the New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/21/arts/television/tony-mendez-dead.html
The obit mentions his work as a Broadway dancer in the seventies, but neglects to mention his stage name back then was Bryan Nicholas. https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/bryan-nicholas-90445 On Monday, August 16, 2021 at 5:29:10 PM UTC-4 PGage wrote: > This was really a great remembrance, thanks for sharing… > > On Sun, 15 Aug 2021 at 3:59 PM 'Dave Sikula' via TVorNotTV < > [email protected]> wrote: > >> >> Donz forwarded a FB post for the AFL insiders from one of Inky's >> ex-partners that he passed in Miami, where he'd settled. >> >> Not many details, but (even with the unfortunate way he left the LS) he >> was a huge part of the the show's history. >> >> --Dave Sikula >> >> I am sorry to be writing to you with sad news. Our friend, Tony Mendez, >> who relocated to Miami in 2015, recently passed away. While I don't have >> many details to share about Tony's death I did want to share these photos >> and the below Facebook post from Andrew, Tony's former partner. Andrew's >> words are more beautiful than anything I could possibly write. >> >> I'm sure you all remember that Tony was a huge lover of dogs. Badass >> Animal Rescue was the agency that connected Tony with Togo. Here is a link >> if you feel like making a donation to this agency. >> https://badassrescue.networkforgood.com/projects/119139-badass-donation >> >> Tony was truly one of a kind. He will be missed. >> >> From Andrew's Facebook Post: >> This is so painful to write—I found out this past Thursday night that >> Tony Mendez died unexpectedly. Tony and I met in 1995 and were partners for >> 18 years. We had our ups and downs but remained close in the years that >> followed—he was family. >> >> Tony was a total character and one of the loveliest people you could ever >> meet—generous, empathetic, kind—and very, very funny. I used to call him my >> little magical realist because he had such a singular, wonder-filled way of >> looking at the world. >> >> He had kind of a wild life. He and his family escaped from Cuba in 1960 >> and settled in LA, where he got his first job doing cue cards for the >> Hollywood Palace. He had the best stories—Dean Martin, Judy Garland, Joan >> Crawford. And then he became a Broadway dancer—Irene with Debbie Reynolds, >> Applause with Lauren Bacall, Pippin, Dancin’, the world tour of Evita, and >> more. Then more cue cards—first for SNL, then for the Late Show. He would >> always come out with the most unexpected stories. I still remember the time >> we were watching To Kill a Mockingbird together. We got to the final >> dramatic Halloween showdown and he said, quite casually, “Oh, I was there. >> My friend’s father operated the wind machine and let us watch.” >> >> Tony had a lot of enthusiasms, but chief among them was the ballet. He >> was a familiar sight at ABT—he would buy tickets for virtually every >> performance—and he always wore shorts to the theater unless it was the dead >> of winter. Ballet was a crucial thread in his family life too, as his >> sister, Josefina “Yuyi” Mendez, was a major figure in the Cuban National >> Ballet, serving as prima ballerina and ballet mistress for decades. The >> fact that they were able to really reconnect in the years before her death >> in 2007 brought Tony a great deal of joy. >> >> His other great love was animals, especially Togo, whom he adopted in May >> of 2013. Togo was his shadow, they went everywhere together—Tony would even >> sneak Togo into the ballet. (Sadly, Togo died on July 3.) >> >> Tony and Togo moved to Miami Beach in 2015. That was hard for him, >> leaving his apartment and rooftop garden on W 10th Street and the city he >> loved so much, but he was looking forward to new larks and new adventures. >> >> I honestly can’t even begin to measure the impact he had on my life. When >> I met him, he was the most fully realized person I’d ever known, so totally >> himself. I learned so much from him. Saying I’m going to miss him is an >> understatement, and I know his surviving family and friends will miss him >> dreadfully too. >> >> Rest in peace, Tony. You will not be forgott >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "TVorNotTV" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected]. >> To view this discussion on the web visit >> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tvornottv/6046b013-9f59-46c8-813c-b1385e8199e9n%40googlegroups.com >> >> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tvornottv/6046b013-9f59-46c8-813c-b1385e8199e9n%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >> . >> > -- > Sent from Gmail Mobile > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TVorNotTV" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tvornottv/67207e05-a5b4-4a31-a2fd-fb2861702f34n%40googlegroups.com.
