There comes a time in every person’s life when they have to deal with the loss of a hero. After Alan Rickman’s passing in the early weeks of this 2016, I thought I was done for a while. A few days ago, however, the world lost another one of the greats: Gene Wilder.
To be completely honest, I can’t remember when I first saw Gene Wilder on the big screen. I know for sure the first thing I, and thousands of other kids like me, saw him in was “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.” The movie was a quirky, candy-colored, musical adventure featuring a crazy inventor and a host of orange men, a group of rotten kids, and a nice boy and his grandfather who gets what they deserve in the end.
I loved it. It was magical, to say the least, and I spent so many afternoons wandering around my house humming or singing some form of “Pure Imagination.” Of the few movies that I remember being most clearly important to my childhood, “Willy Wonka” ranks in the top 10. And, as I got older, I began to realize how much of the magic of Willy Wonka was carried by Gene Wilder himself. Wonka was the mad scientist, the comedian, the philosopher, and the saint, all rolled in one. Who could have brought such a role so exquisitely to life but Wilder? He had the spark of genius about him that made him such a marvelous actor to watch, and his large (slightly buggy) blue eyes and untamed hair added to the madness that was not only Willy Wonka, but all of his characters.
And crazy they were. At least, in many cases. Eventually, I watched a few more of his movies, including “Young Frankenstein” and “Blazing Saddles.” He was truly a brilliant performer, a completely original man, and a true artist (in his own peculiar way). The pictures I have seen him in are unforgettable, much like the man himself.
Wilder worked for a long time, acting in and creating movies, and eventually helping in the foundation of the Gilda Radner Ovarian Cancer Detection Center. It was named after his late wife and comedian Gilda Radner, who died after being married to Wilder for only five years. In the late parts of his life, he remarried, and spent time with his family, acting very little. In the last years of his life, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. This past week, at age 83, he died of complications from the disease. He was surrounded by his family, had eaten his favorite meal for dinner, and was listening to “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” on the radio.
And just like that, one of the greatest comedic personalities of the last fifty years was gone. It came as an awful shock to me, especially because I had no idea he was sick. Wilder chose to keep that from the public, not wanting to make people upset. He was a great man, an incredible actor, and a true role model. There will never be another man or comedian like Gene Wilder, and the world has lost a truly magnificent person.
As for me, I just want to thank him for the magic he gave me all those years ago, in that brown top hat and purple coat.
