No More Wisecracks...

Thanks Jerry...you were one of a kind, Bro.

This may seem trivial to some, what with the tsunami disaster and the passing of Reggie White, but I knew Jerry Orbach.

I don't remember when it was that I met him. I know it was in the early years of Law & Order, '92...'93. I do remember that he was a great guy. He was the kind of guy you would like to have a beer with, regular, down to earth, with a great sense of humor.

I worked on Jerry's last show, Law & Order: Trial By Jury. Now that I know what he was suffering from it all seems so obvious. He looked gaunt. Tired. Stretched thin. But he never let on to us, the crew, that he was fighting for his life off the set. He was, to the end, what we in show biz like to call, a "real trouper". For Jerry, the phrase, " the show must go on", meant something.

I loved Jerry. I loved his character, Lenny Briscoe, the wisecracking New York City Detective. I'm sure I'm not alone.

I know it was the writers who gave him his lines, but I also know that they tailored their writing to fit Jerry.

Thanks Jerry. Thanks for making our lives a little brighter. Thanks for being a regular guy even though you were an extraordinary talent.

See you in the Green Room, Bro, you deal, I'm in .

d.