I heard of my Uncle's death with deep sorrow. My Uncle is strongly responsible for my love of show tunes and opera, and also taught me the value of humor.. My favorite story he would tell is when he went to see a performance of La Forza del Destino, and Leonard Warren turned to exit, fell on his face and died onstage. My Uncle said a guy in front of him turned to his wife and whispered "Maybe they changed the opera!". I know this sounds dumb but I still laugh when I think of it and the way my Uncle would relate it with such enormous relish. My Uncle had a very sharp tonue but was also capable of enormous warmth. He was a strong influence on me while growing up. The world - especially his myriads of women friends - will be much poorer without him.