Andy Jones
12:41p, Friday – I am sorry to say, Andy Jones has passed away.
He was in a screening of A Mighty Heart at The Arclight last night, with his brother, and suffered a massive heart attack. Brutal irony, that. And he didn’t make it to the hospital before he was declared dead by the paramedics.
E-mails are floating all over the place, remembering this singular, funny, dramatic, smart, wild, aggressive, did I say dramatic?, screaming, hair-color changing, sweet, vulnerable, ambitious, hopeful man. Someone is planning a blog page in his memory.
It was 10 years ago in March that I met Andy Jones. He always led with his sexuality, his race, and his ambitions. I became his co-worker, his friend, and eventually, his boss, which kind of killed the friend part. But no matter how rough he could get while angry, there was always a sweetness and vulnerability that made me (and many others) want to do whatever we could for him. No one who heard it will ever forget that laugh that somehow combined a squeal and a giggle. No one who encountered it will ever forget his rage at all the things he considered injustices. Or the questions that only Andy could come up with or would dare to ask.
Andy was an experience. The last dramatic one I had with him was a couple of years ago at Chris McGurk’s last backyard MGM party. Andy was with his brother, on crutches, and loaded… and still seemed able to float on that big frame as he flirted and overted as only he could. A happy memory.
Maybe Andy always seemed in a rush because he knew what his future held. He had that kind of intensity. And ironically, things always seemed to get in his way, whether it was his foot, the lack of a car, or himself. But he was always one fierce Mr. Man. And though we were not close in recent years, I miss him already.
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He hasn’t been as visible lately, but Andy Jones is a veteran of more than a decade covering the movie biz. I first met him when he was editor of roughcut.com, where he recruited me for a weekly column, which eventually led me to starting The Hot Button.
Andy suffered what was apparently a heart attack tonight at a screening. It was his second cardiac event and it is considered to be quite serious. I don’t know if he is alive or not as of this writing. But my thoughts are with him. And whether you believe in such things or not, it would be great if we all could offer a little positive energy for him tonight.
I didn’t want to go to sleep tonight without giving him a shout out. We have had our difficulties over the years, but he is, at heart, a kind man and far too young for any of this.
For what it’s worth, my positive energy’s at your disposal. I hope Mr. Jones is resting comfortably now and he’s well past the worst of the experience.
Be well, Andy.
Holy shit.
Andy’s a major fixture on the screening circuit. It’s impossible not to know him if you work out here. This is truly startling news, especially on the heels of the very recent death of Dan Epstein, one of the sharpest young interviewers online.
I sincerely wish Andy a quick and complete recovery. Keep us posted on this one, David.
My God. Andy was a friend of mine all the way back from his Atlanta days, though I’ve lost touch with him in recent years. He tried to recruit me out to LA in the late ’90s, and I’ve always regretted turning him down.
Be well, man. The world needs good souls like yours.
Never met the man, but that makes it no less a shame.
Rest in peace.
I didn’t know Dan Epstein, but here is one tribute to him…
http://www.ugo.com/ugo/html/article/?id=17411§ionId=88
And this…
http://www.cinematical.com/2007/06/13/online-movie-writer-dan-epstein-dead-at-31/
That’s very sad to hear. I only met Andy once several years back at a dotcom where he was interviewing for a writing gig. Within 5 minutes of him arriving he had people loving him. Another good one gone.
That’s very sad. He was one of the first internet movie gurus I was familiar with, via his columns as well as his appearances on the FX movie review show. Imagining him gone is rather chilling.
incredibly sorry for the loss.
what screening though? i was at the arclight last night for a premiere. didn’t notice anything like this. would be weird if it was same movie
Wow. I haven’t talked to Andy in probably seven years, but this is a loss. As I said before, I knew Andy from Atlanta, but saw him many times on the junket circuit after his move to LA. We shared many drinks at the Four Seasons bar, and I will always remember his warmth and generosity. (Although I don’t think I ever saw him with the same hair color twice.)
Typical Andy story: One night, we ran into Courtney Cox in the aforementioned bar. We had both interviewed her three years prior, and hadn’t seen her since – but she came up to Andy, remembering him immediately. Considering all the interviews she’s sat through, it seemed to be quite a feat. But that was Andy. He was, and will remain to be, hard to forget.
What a sad, sad story. Nice of Poland to give the guy some dap. RIP Andy, we hardly knew ya.
Shit… I didn’t know Andy but it’s scary that this happened so soon after the passing of Dan…and as we know, bad things always happen in 3’s.
NIce tribute, David. I’ve known Andy for many years, and had a long conversation with him just yesterday morning. The full impact of his passing still hasn’t set in. He was a dear friend to me, my wife, and kids, and we will all miss him terribly. When we went out of town he was always our housesitter because our dogs adored him, too. He was as impassioned a movie lover as I have ever met, and an underrated writer who sadly never achieved the recognition he deserved. In his junket-covering heyday, there was no one in the press corps like Andy. Ask any journalist, publicist, filmmaker or performer who crossed his path–they all have Andy Jones stories, and I hope today they are remembering them with fondness.
I have no idea who this guy is. But, I guess it’s sad whenever somebody so (apparently) nice passes.
I’m wondering if I have met Andy… does anyone know if he ever did the New York junkets? He looks vaguely familiar but it’s hard to tell.
“It was his second cardiac event and it is considered to be quite serious.”
I’d say “quite serious” is a bit of an understatement, judging by the outcome.
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I received an email from Andy last week. It didn’t say much, but it was a surprise; I hadn’t spoken to him in about a year, despite my phone calls and emails asking him to let me know how he was doing. He gave up talking to so many people, I think it was a symptom of a much bigger issue going on within him.
EDouglas: I know he was at the “Scream 2″/”Good Will Hunting” one in NY.
I was one of the people working at the screening and trying to maintain order during the situation. My boss would like to send flowers or something to the family since our company dealt with him at press screenings. Does anyone know of an address where condolences can be sent?
My God. Andy and I were friends, all the way back to our Jr. High school days, writing for the school paper. It has been many many years since we were in touch, but I thought of him often and followed his career here and there. I always admired that he pursued his goals, which I did not.
We had a lot of good times and I know he will be truly missed. I’ve heard that his family is planning services for this coming weekend.
Andy dude, we love ya, God Bless, Rest easy –
Suz & Lis, your girls
Andy and I became good friends as we coexisted on Normandie Ave. Through the years, we shared any experiences that could easily fill a book and keep even the most seasoned critic entertained.
I just left the city on Saturday and was saddened to hear of Andy’s passing via email. Andy and I had planned on spending time together on Thursday although I had to spent the evening packing my apartment. I hadn’t even realized until I was in Phoenix that I didn’t hear from him. I couldn’t wait to get to Charlotte and let him know how it was (he couldn’t wait to leave LA either!). Unfortunately, I found out that while I was packing, Andy was in an ambulance. The news hit me like a ton of bricks and will continue to affect me for quite some time. I will miss Andy. The way his obnoxious laugh hit that high pitch is timeless and I feel lucky that I can recall it at will.
A Kevin Smith junket will never be the same. I wonder if the news has reached him yet.
Andy and I became good friends as we coexisted on Normandie Ave. Through the years, we shared many experiences that could easily fill a book and keep even the most seasoned critic entertained.
I just left the city on Saturday and was saddened to hear of Andy’s passing via email. Andy and I had planned on spending time together on Thursday although I had to spent the evening packing my apartment. I hadn’t even realized until I was in Phoenix that I didn’t hear from him. I couldn’t wait to get to Charlotte and let him know how it was (he couldn’t wait to leave LA either!). Unfortunately, I found out that while I was packing, Andy was in an ambulance. The news hit me like a ton of bricks and will continue to affect me for quite some time. I will miss Andy. The way his obnoxious laugh hit that high pitch is timeless and I feel lucky that I can recall it at will.
A Kevin Smith junket will never be the same. I wonder if the news has reached him yet.