Tony Curtis has died at the age of 85. He passed away at midnight Wednesday night at his home in Nevada. The actor suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and was hospitalized in mid-July after he had trouble breathing.
Tony Curtis was one of two actors who greatly influenced me as a kid, the other Bruce Lee. As a person of color in America I’ve always found it tricky talking about race relations (similar to talking about shakuhachi with different kind of players). When I first saw The Defiant Ones as a young boy, I was excited to see something on TV that spke to me. The director’s handling of the racial politics pales in comparison to what artists are doing today with similar content, but at the time it was daring and fresh. I also loved his work in “Some Like it Hot”.. Tony sure knew how to wear a wig.
Some of my favorite quotes from Tony:
“Service to others is the rent we pay for time on earth.”
“Eighty F$#@ing years old. I do not feel any different now than I did when I was 30… dying, I just don’t feel like it.”

Played Tamuke today. R.I.P. my friend.