Big Shiny Robot! has learned that Richard LeParmentier, the man behind Admiral Motti, the commander of the Death Star, has passed away at the age of 67.
This came as a personal shock to me, as I’ve known Richard for a long time. In the mid-2000’s I was tasked with producing a Star Wars fan film that never ended up getting made with him reprising his role as Admiral Motti in a Colonel Kurtz sort of role. Richard had written the very droll script himself. We’d gone so far as scouting locations in Georgia and casting parts, but never found the money to put it together and it fizzled, as many projects did in that void of filmmaking prior to things like Kickstarter. He later tried to finish it as an animated film, and there it stopped. I truly regret not having the money to pony up to make the thing myself.
Richard could be an odd man, and had very strong opinions.
He was enamored by Gene Hackman’s ability as an actor.
The first time I ever spoke to Richard was by phone. My good friend, the author Janine Spendlove, had met Richard and Kenneth Colley (Admiral Piett) at a small convention and had been hanging out with them and couldn’t resist calling me and putting them on the phone with me, trying to guess who she was talking to. When I found out she was sitting with the pair of them I got excited and told her pass on the info that not only were they great in Star Wars, I loved them in Who Framed Roger Rabbit? and Monty Python’s The Life of Brian, respectively.
They both seemed impressed by that and we went our separate ways. Janine continued contacting Richard and when he began work the first time on Motti Now, she suggested me.
Imagine my surprise when I started getting calls from an international number at odd hours. And we’d talk for hours and hours and hours. Not just about the film we wanted to get completed, but about Richard’s storied history in the film industry in general. I asked about everything from Star Wars and Superman to Roger Rabbit and Octopussy. For Richard, though, I always got the impression that he felt his greatest achievement was working opposite Gene Hackman in a scene of Warren Beatty’s Reds.
In fact, it was through Richard that I learned that Gene Hackman had been circling the role of Eddie Valiant in Who Framed Roger Rabbit? before Bob Hoskins took the part.
I’ll never forget the two hours of friendly debate that ensued when Richard explained to me why Hoskins, while good, was an infinitely inferior choice next to Hackman. It was my job to inform him, repeatedly, that he was a crazy person.
The first time I met Richard in person was at Celebration III in Indianapolis at a 501st dinner, where I offered to buy him a beer. I’ll never forget his response, “I’m too old to have that much carbonated liquid in my bladder. I’ll take a glass of wine, though.”
Richard was a very nice guy. I kept up with him on facebook. He mentored me for a time as a writer, as we were workshopping the script for Motti Now and breaking it down for production. Aside from being instrumental in -OvfG8tE?t=7s”>my favorite scene in A New Hope, Richard left an indelible mark on my life and I’m very sorry to hear that he’s passed away. I was hoping to get him on Full of Sith these days, and join him drinking a bottle of wine again at some point.
In some small way, he served as an inspiration for my book, Lost at the Con. It was a statement he made that helped push me to get to Dragon*Con in the first place, which was the basis for that whole book. “You really need to go to Dragon*Con, Bryan. But don’t bring the kids. Dragon*Con is the one convention you leave the kids home for.”
My thoughts, little as they can do, are with his family.
UPDATE: I reached out to Janine Spendlove, who introduced me to Richard and asked for her thoughts if she wanted to share them and sent me the following:
I just found out a few minutes ago that Richard LeParmentier passed away last night.
Bryan told me. I’m glad he was the one to tell me. He’s always been my Star Wars BFF. And I could be real with him, because I knew he understood what I felt because he was feeling it too.
I then called Kathy and Albin Johnson (from the 501st) to confirm. I wasn’t that I didn’t trust Bryan or his sources, but somehow I had to hear it from her. And they confirmed it, and it was so final.
I don’t really know what to say or how to react. I feel like anything I do say will sound trite or self-serving. But I’m going to say it anyways.
As with many people heavily involved in the Star Wars fandom, Richard was a very dear friend. He was always accessible, loved Star Wars fans, and never EVER aloof to us.
We first met 10 years ago, almost exactly, at IQM2. Will (for whom my book War of the Seasons: The Human was written for & dedicated to), podcasting’s Rich Sigfrit, and myself. It was our first convention, and Richard immediately took us under his wing, especially Will.
I have so many pictures of that day I need to dig up and post (and will, later, on my blog).
By the end of that day, Richard & I were friends, exchanged phone numbers and email addresses & kept in touch over the years, linking our families (yes, Richard does have a son. A wonderful adorable son that he adored and loved and loved to talk about. But, I’m not sure how public he (Richard’s son) wants to be right now, so I will just leave it at that) up at conventions when we could, but more often than not just chatting on the phone.
As with many of his friends, he always seemed to know when you needed a phone call. He knew when you needed to talk. And he never wanted anything when he called you – just wanted to chat and catch up. So I would get these delightful phone calls from him every few months or so just to say hello. Sadly, given both our busy schedules more often than not we’d play phone tag, but the messages were always entertaining.
I last heard from him a couple days ago.
And maybe that’s what makes this so hard – a couple of days ago we were making plans. Trying to see if our con schedules were going to link up over the year. He asked me to look over a screenplay he’d written… and now, I just don’t even know how to process this.
I’m still horrified and upset over what happened yesterday in Boston (my husband & I are marathoners & most of our friends participate in the running/racing community in one way or another, so it hit very close to home), and now this.
I just want to hug my family and friends tightly. All of them.
I don’t want the world to be sad.
And I don’t want Richard to be gone.
Star Wars has lost Admiral Motti.
But the world has lost a wonderful man.
UPDATE #2: Kathy Johnson, a member of the 501st, wife of the legion’s founder, Albin Johnson, and mother of Katie (R2-KT), referenced below, sent in her thoughts about Richard’s passing:
Many moons ago I got to go to Dragon*con for the first time ever. I had no idea what kind of con it was (SUPER HUGE) or that my life would forever change because of the people I meet there. One of those people was Richard. He was one of the most genuine people I ever met in my life. He was who he said he was. He acted how he wanted and we were all OK with it because it was Richard.
When my daughter [Katie] became ill he was one of those people who was in touch the whole course. He didn’t have to be but he was. He truly cared about he’s fans and friends. Many of us were lucky enough to be both. When I heard the news this morning my heart sank. A shining star in our fandom was taken from us too soon.
He will be missed by one and all. My thoughts and prays are with his family. I hope they know how much he was loved by all of us.
He was truly one in a million.