Hi Gang,
I expect most have heard Frank Frazetta lost his wife to cancer recently. Here's a heart warming story from a fan who visited the family run museum in PA. shared by Ernesto in one of this Jungle Comics Yahoo groups. Thanks Ernesto.
> From: "gombuk99" <tonhinx@cox. net>
> Date: Tue, 21 Jul 2009 22:30:41 -0000
> Subject: BLACK RIVER Frazetta Museum/bitter- sweet
>
> Hey all, anyone interested in REH, fantasy art, Burroughs, ect. knows the great Frank Frazetta. To me, Frazetta is inextricably bound with REH, and also Burroughs, not only because of his awesome illustrations and covers throughout the years, but also since I was given those Ace and Lancer paperbacks by my father to read in my early youth, (the 60s,70s), formative years, when me and my friends, being aspiring artists ourselves, looked at him as the absolute pinnacle of artistic achievement. (And we still do.) Anytime I am asked, and even when I am not asked, I will tell you that of all the many artists I consider among my favorites, Frazetta is by far the All-Time Greatest. I have followed his career, I have his books, I have everything I can get with his art on it. I am an unabashed fan-boy when it comes to Frazetta.
> Well, since learning of the Frazetta Museum years ago, it has been a goal of mine to visit this Hallowed Ground, and bask in the splendor of his magnificent work, his original paintings and drawings, and we, my wife, me, and my mother-in-law, flew across the Continent to do just this, just last week. The museum is open on weekends only, so we spent some time in D.C., seeing the sights and so on, but I was champing at the bit. Finally, after a 5 hour road trip from D.C. to Stroudsburg, PA, and one night in the hotel, we made our way to the museum. As we pulled in to the beautiful 75 acre estate, we noticed one car with a couple in it, and a small white paper taped to the wrought-iron gate of the castle-like tower that opens to the museum.
> The couple, he, an artist and Frazetta fan like myself, broke the news to me; Ellie Frazetta, Frank's beloved wife, had passed away the day before. At this stunning news, we all got out of our cars and stood there talking. They had come up from Tampa, Florida. We, from San Diego, California. We all had traveled a long way, spent a lot of money, and so on, but what does that matter, when compared to the loss of a loved one? Frank is around my father's age, and my mother has passed away, years back, and I felt a choking up feeling, since I had read about not only Frank, but also Ellie, beautiful, fiesty, and very very smart, and in the way of sincere fans everywhere, felt I knew them in some small way.
> Next to the museum, there is a small cottage-like house. As we talked, I looked at the house, and there was Frank Frazetta. We all turned, and began murmuring our condolences, fully prepared to leave the estate, as the small sign taped to the gate had said the museum would be closed that weekend, at least. But Frank waved aside our murmers, and asked where we came from. When we told him, he seemed taken aback that someone would travel that far to see his work, though I'd think people would come from all over the world to see that. Then he said to wait a minute, he'd be right out.
> We all looked at each other, but he came out, looking a bit dishevelled, understandably so, with some keys in hand. We were a bit dumbfounded, that he would do this for us after such a tragic blow, but he knew we had all come a long way. Again we tried our condolences, and he again waved them away, and was trying to open the gates, when the other gentleman and I helped him. It then turned out that he did not have the key to the actual door of the place, so shrugging he said to walk around to the back of his house, which we did. And then Frank Frazetta opened the door and ushered us into his private home! Into his surprizingly small livingroom/studio, where his current working painting (a Death-Dealer, which can be seen in his latest book RoughWork, somewhat less finished than it is now) was sitting on the easel. He looked around for the key, but could not find it, meanwhile talking to us, answering questions, even joking a bit. He had some originals hanging on his walls, some just kind of propped up here and there, some in a massive oak and iron cabinet (like something out of a Frazetta painting!) that he pulled out and showed us, some prints from some Creepy stuff he had done, not to mention statues and figures done from his paintings, Viking helmets, various pistols, guns, weapons, books, movies, ect...I had read at various times that Frank's favorite movie was the 1933 King Kong,...well, there was King Kong, with other DVDs and video tapes. His favorite music, Frank Sinatra, and there were Sinatra CDs. Frank's son, Frank jr., called ,but Frank was actually going to ignore the call untill we read that the caller ID said "Frank", so he answered the call. Then his son came over, and while we thought he would ask us to leave, (and for which we would not of course blame him) he tried to help find the key to the museum, but to no avail.
> As all this was happening, another couple arrived, and were graciously invited in. The woman was a serious fan like us, and she was so flabbergasted as to be hardly able to speak, but Frank was as gracious a man who ever lived, and tried to make her feel at ease. In fact, Frank and his son were both the most gracious, the most down to earth, generous people I have met in my life. I truly regret not being able to meet Ellie Frazetta, who succumbed to cancer the day before, but I'm to glad to adequately describe to be able to meet and talk to Frank Frazetta and his son, for upwards of an hour or more.
> It is a very good thing, to meet a hero and inspiration in person, and find that he indeed is a good man, a gracious, humble, down to earth real person. This is a memory that I will carry for the rest of my life. My thoughts and prayers go out to Frank, and all his family and friends. Thank you so much for sharing some of your precious time with complete strangers.
> Clayton
Kinda chokes me up. I don't think I'd have been so civil at such a hard time.
My condolences to the family.
-Yoc
Author
Topic: Frank Frazetta - a class act! (Read 1476 times)
