Talented young director taken in prime

Director Ted Demme passed away two Sundays ago at the entirely too young age of 38. Many people have little or no idea about who Mr. Demme was, but fans of his small, independent and oftentimes quirky works know that he was somebody indeed.\nDemme was the nephew of esteemed Oscar winning director Jonathan Demme ("The Silence of the Lambs"). Despite this relation, he paved his own way through his brief but fruitful filmmaking career.\nDemme broke into the biz as a production assistant for MTV in the mid-'80s. He had a pivotal role in the development of "Yo! MTV Raps," the influential hip-hop show featuring Dr. Dre and Ed Lover, which brought rap directly into the living rooms of white, upper-middle class suburbia. \nHis directorial debut came in 1993 with "Who's the Man?" which reunited him with Dre and Lover for the first "hip-hop whodunit?" and although the flick was funny it was a tad misguided. Where else are you going to see a flick co-starring Kriss-Kross and Bernie Mac ("Ocean's 11")?\nDemme's second release, "The Ref" (1994), not only kick-started the careers of Kevin Spacey (who paid him tribute at Sunday's Golden Globe Awards) and Denis Leary, but may also be the funniest Christmas flick ever made.\nIn 1996, Demme hit a career highpoint with "Beautiful Girls," one of the best romantic comedies of the '90s featuring an incredible ensemble cast and a phenomenal soundtrack. Movies this funny and heartfelt only come around once in a blue moon.\nDemme re-teamed with frequent collaborator and friend Leary in 1997 for the gritty Irish gangland thriller, "Monument Ave." The movie was a mixed bag, both compelling and a tad bit slow, very reminiscent of Martin Scorsese's early effort, "Mean Streets."\n"Blow," which was released this past spring wound up being Demme's swan song. The film told the true life story of George Jung (Johnny Depp), the most successful coke dealer in United States history. Jung and Demme became instantaneous friends, and the love and respect these two men shared translated to the screen. "Blow" was a moving piece of first-rate filmmaking and ranked among the best films of 2001.\nDemme was finishing work on a documentary concerning filmmakers of the 1970s with screenwriter Richard LaGravenese ("The Ref") and was prepping the oceanic thriller "Nautica," which was to star Heath Ledger and Ewan McGregor. \nOn a personal note, I'd written some comments on a Web page a little more than a year ago concerning/defending Mr. Demme and his work. He happened to see the said comments, and despite having a most assuredly busy schedule he replied to me. He said, "Thanks for the kind words, man. You're a great fan. I can't wait for you to see 'Blow,' it's my favorite one yet. You keep watching them and I'll keep making them. Thanks."\nUnfortunately, that won't be the case. Ted died of a heart attack shortly after playing in a charity basketball match on Jan. 13. He leaves behind a wife, Amanda Scheer-Demme, who was the music supervisor on many of his films, as well as two children, a 5-year-old daughter and a 2-month-old son.\nAlthough I never knew Ted Demme, his films and the brief yet kind e-mail he once sent me tell worlds about the man and his character. Thanks Ted. You might not keep making them but I'll continue watching them.