A DEATH AMONG MANY

BY DAN MILLER
(originally posted December 29, 2004)

I believe it's easier to grieve for one death than for tens of thousands.
The death toll in southern Asia is so massive, so unimaginable, so incomprehensible, that it simply cannot be grasped. It becomes almost abstract.

Somehow, it seems the human mind is protected from being emotionally overwhelmed by such a thing.

But tonight in New York City, the marquee lights of Broadway will be dimmed for one minute at curtain time, to honor one man.... a man whose face we know well.... actor Jerry Orbach.
Orbach died Tuesday night of prostate cancer.

Jerry Orbach had years of success on Broadway, in the movies, and on television.
His tough, craggy and compassionate character, detective Lennie Briscoe on Law & Order, was as real to the audience as any character ever created for a TV series.

He once said, "I don't know where I stop and Lennie starts, really."

Yet, his range as a performer went far beyond Briscoe. Did you know he was the voice of the candlestick in the animated movie "Beauty and the Beast"? And he sang "Be Our Guest" in that movie.

He was a real and vulnerable human being. Even after all the years of success in every entertainment medium, Orbach never felt secure.

After landing his successful role on Law & Order, he said, "All my life, since I was 16, I've been wondering where the next job was gonna come from. Now, I take the summer off, relax, and I know that at the end of July we're gonna start another season."

You'll still see Orbach in a few episodes he's already filmed for this season, but when they start again next year -- this time, he won't be there.

Jerry Orbach was 69 years old.

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