Tony Scott: June 21, 1944 – August 19, 2012
AP Photo/Gus Ruelas
It is with a very heavy heart, and staggered shock, that I talk today about the death of Tony Scott.
Most people know who Tony Scott is; director of such films as Top Gun and Days of Thunder. He was also brother to Ridley Scott, whom he owned a production company with. This company was, as expected, helped to produce Prometheus. It’s also a fairly certain bet that by now, you know the circumstances surrounding his death. In case you’re not aware; Mr. Scott leapt from the Vincent Thomas Bridge; a bridge that spanned the Los Angeles Harbor. He left several notes to loved ones in his car and one in his office. It’s also been reported by ABC News that the reason he did this may have been an inoperable brain tumor. He leaves behind a wife and two sons.
Talking about death is a hard enough subject, especially for those whom you admire and enjoy the works of. When someone takes their own life, it leaves that much deeper wound in the psyche of those who love and care for an individual. In instances, people have done such acts because they feel guilt over something they’ve done and can’t live with it, or they feel they are (or will be) a burden to their loved ones and can’t make them suffer any more. It can be a selfish act, it is certainly a desperate one.
Let me explain why I said CAN be instead of IS A; some people who go through this certainly don’t intend to do this just for themselves. They do it because they’ve seen a very grim place that they are headed towards and it feels as if they will drag everyone down with them. Certainly in a medical case, it tends to lead to a lot of bills and family watching them wither away to a shell of whom they once were. I am not condoning this action, I would like to hold on to a hope that, some how and some way, something will come along in the knick of time to cure this horrible thing. At the very least, I might accomplish one thing on my To-Do list that will allow me a certain immortality among many others. It’s a dream, a hope, and worth holding on to. I haven’t always believe this way. Through much work and a lot of good and caring friends, I’ve conquered a lot of my own devils. Not demons, actual devils. So it hits me very hard personally to see a candle extinguished because someone couldn’t see a better way. A man like Mr. Scott has accomplished so much, and while I am still not 100% sure that the reasons given are why he ended it all, I would have loved to have seen one last opus to a vastly under-appreciated (at least by the movie industry) career.
Much like I said in other articles like this, reasons aren’t ever going to be enough to ease any pain left behind by his death. The family will have to be left to latch on to one another and move through this process in their own way. They should be left without the paparazzi wanting to catch them in the moments of grieving. I know my words will not influence that, but I feel strongly enough about this to put it out there. All we can do is offer our sympathies, and hope that some small comfort comes its way for them.
I, personally, offer my condolences to the family.  I hope some day you find some sort of peace. I know that won’t be easy.
