RIP Forrest J. Ackerman
Sad news today as Forrest J. Ackerman has passed away at age 92 at his home in LA. "Uncle Forry" as he was known may have been the biggest collector of us all. Besides being the publisher of the legendary "Famous Monsters Of Filmland" and the man who discovered Ray Bradbury, he had one of the greatest horror and sci-fi collections on the planet and would routinely open up his house to visitors who wanted to see his it. I know it was always a great treat for monster collectors to get to visit the "Ackermansion" and I regret that I never did.
It's strange to admit, but even as a longtime horror and monster fan, I never actually read Famous Monsters Of Filmland. I got started in it during the 80s and at that time Fangoria was all rage. In recent weeks, as it's become more apparent that the end was near, many people have written to Forry personally as well as shared their experiences and remembrances amongst themselves. I've felt a bit left out in that I really had nothing to contribute. I never read the magazine, didn't see the collection and hadn't met the man. But on a site dedicated to collecting, I think it's important to note his passing. And hopefully in so doing, I can introduce him and his contributions to others like me who didn't know him as well as we should have and honor his legacy in the process.
R.I.P. Uncle Forry!
Life Magazine images from 1951
Source: Yahoo News
| Posted 5 December, 2008 - 17:45 by NekroDave |
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Comments
1 comment postedI was just thinking about him the other day (Ironically if he was still alive). I remember seeing spots on him years ago and his house full of monster stuff. He was in the ideal position of being one of the few that wanted to preserve the stuff that studios were just throwing away back then.
I wonder if wanted to be buried in his Dracula costume like Bela. He stated he had the real ring he wore in the films and would probably be buried with it.