loss

 Another 98 Riverside Drive family member will not be with us this Thanksgiving. I got the following message from Tony's daughter Ali today. It was not a surprise—Tony had been in a coma for 25 days after collapsing with heart failure on the 79th Street subway platform—but it is a sorrow.

 

Ladies and gentlemen, Tony has left the building. 

    He died on Monday, with me and Delia by his side. We'd just played some of his best tunes, thanked him for being such a great dad and toasted him with his favorite cocktail of all time after smuggling the ingredients into the hospital. It was a sendoff I know he'd appreciate. The whole thing very peaceful and left no doubt in my mind that he was ready to move on and be done with hospitals for good. 

    No funeral, but we'd like to have a memorial gathering that incorporates the things Tony loved best: friends and family, food and drink, memories and jokes (even if his often made you groan instead of laugh!). Once we have something planned, we'll let everyone know. 

    Thanks for all the support, kind words and fun stories you all shared during these dark and sad few weeks. They buoyed me and Delia — and Dad would have been so grateful to you for that. 

With love,

Ali