Like most people, I was introduced to Gene Wilder through one of his many wonderful film roles. My generation probably knew him as the curious Willy Wonka. 

However, where I was endeared to him was in the autobiography of Gilda Radner,  “It’s Always Something”. Gilda was his wife, who died of ovarian cancer. To which of whom because of her roles on Saturday Night Live, I harboured a young boys crush. 

While she wasn’t overly forthcoming of details of their life together, it gave me opportunity to appreciate more the person he was. 

His death today to me, although at his elevated stage of Alzheimer’s (something close to my family) couldn’t be wholeheartedly unexpected, but marks an end of an era. 

An end of an era for the envelope-pushers of comedy with the deaths of Robin Williams, Richard Prior, George Carlin, Jim Belushi, Joan Rivers, and of course Gilda, to name just a few. 

Gene had a style all his own, coupled with the goofiness of Mel Brooks, that was instantly recognizable and hilarious to no end. 

Today marks the end of an era that, to sound clichéd, that may never come again.  

That being said, there are many comedians/comediennes that are carrying the torch quite well, and while they may never be categorized the same to our short attention span millenials, they certainly are cutting a swath of their own. 

So Cheers to you Gene Wilder. You and Gilda can finally rekindle your romance that I was so jealous of. 

“Time is a precious thing. Never waste it.” – Willy Wonka

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