Six days ago, I passed a few emails back and forth with one of my favorite bloggers (and one of my favorite people) about doing an interview for an article he was working on.

Yesterday, I got a call from one of his friends and found out that he had suddenly passed away at the age of 51.

Patrick Lee was one of the brightest lights on Broadway.  I got to know him during the creation of the ITBA (he helped co-found the org. and headed up our annual awards).  I liked his company and his talent so much, I hired him to write the BroadwaySpace feature, Broadway’s 50 Most Powerful People, which, thanks to him, was our most successful feature of the year.

Talent and great guy-ness, all wrapped up in one.

Patrick was so uberly passionate about every part of what we all do, taking in every show he could, whether it was at a Shubert house, or at some hipster’s house in the East Village.

He saw hundreds and hundreds of shows per year all over the city and in every festival.  I cynically asked him once, “Patrick . . . aren’t most of these shows crap?  How can you continue to sit through them all?”

His response?  “Ken, there’s no place I’d rather be than in a theater.”

I have no doubt that Patrick has premium seats in the biggest and best theaters of all right now.

Someday, Patrick, I hope we’ll meet again . . . although I’ll be lucky if they let me sit anywhere close to you.

Be well, my friend.

UPDATE:  The wake will be Friday, June 11 between 2 – 4pm and 7 – 9pm at Robert Spearing Funeral Home (155 Kinderkamack Road/Park Ridge, NJ  07656). The funeral will be at 10am, Saturday, June 12, at Our Lady of Mercy Church, Park Ridge.

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