Brandon

We lost Brandon this weekend. I spoke with him on Friday after work. We had talked about getting a drink, but he wasn't feeling well. By Saturday he was running a high fever and on Sunday he was dead. Just like that, a brilliant light goes out in the world.

He was one of the nicest, smartest and funniest guys I've ever known. In the office he was a miracle worker, bringing all the players together on projects big and small. In friendship he was doggedly loyal, super generous and always there to lend a hand. Today his absence is overwhelming. It's as if he was juggling a million bowling pins - then he's snatched away. Now we're waiting for those pins to come crashing down.

Last week as Willa, Talia and I were driving through Cahuenga Pass, we heard a honk beside us. It was Brandon, coming down the hill on his way to work. Willa asked, "How come we always see Brandon in the car?" Then I remembered an earlier time when we rode alongside him on the Hollywood Freeway. It made me realize that I probably cross paths with people I know all the time on the freeways and streets of LA, but Brandon was the rare type who would notice a familiar face - even in the madness of a freeway interchange - and he would take the time to acknowledge a friend.

Tonight I'll have that drink with some fellow grievers. We'll raise our glasses to a dear friend who was taken long before his time.