holy crap.....

Peter Boyle, 71, passed away on Tuesday evening at New York Presbyterian Hospital. He had been suffering from multiple myeloma and heart disease.

His two characters that stand out most to me were Frankenstein's Monster in Mel Brooks' "Young Frankenstein" and Ray Barone from "Everybody Loves Raymond." As the monster, he was able to bring about a certain innocence and frailty to the beast. His "Puttin' On The Ritz" duet with Gene Wilder is one of the funniest scenes in movie history. As Frank Barone, he was so open and honest, not caring about what he said and who was hurt by it. On Larry King Live last night, Doris Roberts (Marie on "Raymond") said that the "Frank" character didn't show people the sweet and kind side of Peter.

I learned some things in an article on Mr. Boyle. I found out that John Lennon was his best man when he and his wife were married. He spent three years in a monastery before changing his mind to become an actor. He also studied with the Second City improv group in Chicago.

Ah, sweet mystery of life.....