RIP Tony Rosato, John will be thrilled to see you x

So yesterday I heard the really sad news that Tony Rosato passed away at the age of 62. 

I was lucky enough to have interviewed Tony for 'Searching for Candy' and although we only ever shared an hour on the phone I fell in love with him instantly. He was a very kind, sweet and supportive man. 

Tony was Italian, but grew up in Ontario, and as a child he was neighbors to Dan and Peter Aykroyd, he actually went to High School with Peter. When Tony was considering going to University in Toronto, he saw Peter perform at Second City and Peter suggested he should go into comedy. Tony ended up in the SC joining group, this is how he met John. John was there at times to help train the group and stepped in as Show Director for a while, he and Tony hit it off instantly and became lifelong friends.

Tony told me "As a director he (John) was very giving, very profound in his direction, he would always know exactly what the problem was and how to fix it. He was very gentle as a Director, very supportive he would make you feel very good about yourself whilst you were also getting ideas from him on how you could improve your performance. So he didn’t take you confidence away, but bolstered your confidence,  he kept it simple and within reach so we knew what to do. He was very free with us.

"As a friend he was very protective, very loyal, very gentle, always kidding and a little bit cheeky, but always supportive."

Later John and Catherine O'Hara pushed for Tony to become part of the Second City Toronto's main troupe and also John and Joe Flaherty got him onto SCTV.  

In 1981 Tony went to Saturday Night Live for a season and from there was in a lot of TV Series and Movies as well as being the voice of Luigi in Mario Bros. 

2005 was a sadder time as Tony struggled with his mental health and his family broke up. Once better he went back to work and I am glad to report over the last few months was in a very loving relationship and appeared to be very happy. 

Talking to Tony was like talking to an old friend and his love for John was palpable, yesterday when I heard the news it hurt, I know I didn't really know Tony but some people are special and the world seems a nicer place for them being in it. 

My heart goes out to Tony's family, Second City Toronto, his agent Larry Goldhar, his friends and his girlfriend, Tanya, who brought so much love and happiness into his life. 

RIP Tony, John will be thrilled to see you. 

x  

2016 - A year of transition

Well, what a year it has been! Firstly Happy New Year to you all, may your life be filled with love and hope in 2017 and every year to come after that.

So 2016 seemed to be a year of transition for so many, for some it's been a good year and others very challenging, house moves, new babies, loss of loved ones, health challenges, job changes, break ups and get together's. Some have even transitioned off this mortal coil, not just icons but old friends, my heart especially goes out to all those innocents that have been victims of war. In tribute let us live life more fully and be kind to everyone.

For me, this was the year I was definitely going to get the book out, fulfill the crowdfunder, hopefully make John proud. That is until my body decided to declare war on it'self and chronic illness took hold. Luckily a few months ago I had surgery which has made me feel a hell of a lot better (thank you NHS), however I still seem to be running between 40-65% (depending on the day) but getting better all the time. So my body put me on my ass and the book stalled a little, back on track now with a release date in mind (I daren't say it out loud in case illness hears and decides to postpone me further), so although very frustrating, 2016 has been a year of healing and has hopefully prepared me for a good 2017. 

I would like to thank everyone that has sent me well wishes and messages of support, to everyone who contributed to the crowdfunder and have been so patient and understanding, you are magic and I am so very grateful.

One icon we lost merely days ago was the most beautiful inside and out, Carrie Fisher. As well as being everyone's favorite princess, Carrie was  funny, bright, a mental health advocate, author, dog lover and all round good egg. I had tried to interview her for the book but I never got past her gatekeepers. I would have loved to have heard about working with John on The Blues Brothers and one of my favorite Candy sketches Roy's Food Repair

RIP Carrie you did a wonderful job and will be missed terribly, but John will be thrilled to see you.

This year I have also battled increasing anxiety, something that John struggled with in later life and spoke about quite openly in interviews. It is wonderful in 2016 that we had people like Carrie to speak out about mental health, there are still so many walls to knock down, but it did make me think how courageous of John to speak out in the early 90's, how many people he must have helped when it really was a taboo subject back then.

So my new years resolution is the same as it is every year, to be more like John.

Best of luck to us all and sending you huge amounts of love as always,

Trace xx

PS has anyone else gone off food over Christmas? It's never happened to me before but maybe aversion therapy of eating beyond myself may also help me shed a few pounds in 2017 - stranger things have happened, right?