Online Movie Writer Dan Epstein, Dead at 31
Filed under: Obits
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Word is coming in that Dan Epstein, known to most of you through his interviews at SuicideGirls.com, has died suddenly, just shy of his 32nd birthday. Strangely, the news hasn't yet been posted at SuicideGirls, but on ComingSoon.net, by Epstein's colleague Ed Douglas. No cause of death has been given -- we're only told that he died "very suddenly and tragically last night." Epstein was a regular on the Manhattan junket circuit and was known for doing long, one-on-one interviews with sometimes unlikely candidates. A good example would be his recent, in-depth interview with Thora Birch, which veered away from the topic of her latest straight-to-DVD film and into her career path at large. There was also a more recent interview with Joe Dante, which bounced around from topics ranging from a possible Gremlins 3 to Dante's thoughts on the diminishing power of directors in today's Hollywood.
Epstein's primary virtue as an interviewer was one that we should all try to emulate -- he seemed to come to the table with an encyclopedic knowledge of whoever he was talking to at that moment, and could follow them on any road they wanted to go down. As a result, his stuff always made for good reading. He leaves behind a wife, Andrea, and by all accounts, a lot of friends in the business.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
6-13-2007 @ 12:51PM
Christopher Campbell said...
This is very sad news. I love Epstein's interviews, and I have always found them very helpful thanks to their exclusive information. Just a month ago I cited his interview with Sebastian Cordero in a final paper I wrote on Ecuadorian cinema.
At least if Heaven exists, he will find a lot of great people to interview there. And I look forward to reading them when I get up there.
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6-13-2007 @ 1:53PM
Brian Jacks said...
For those of us who employed Dan, and befriended him over many, many, many years, today is understandably a tragic day. You'll see more online tributes pop up once we make sure that we're acting within his family's wishes, and have some directions from them.
I will say that I've been friends with Dan for probably seven years now, and he was one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet. He had an infectious laugh that made him the centerpiece of any conversation, and he was -- hands down -- the best interviewer I have ever met in my entire life. I'm immensely saddened that I didn't spend more time realizing what a good friend he was to me.
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6-16-2007 @ 8:18PM
seth Frank said...
Dan was my oldest and dearest friend. We grew up together, and knew each other for 28 years. Dan was smart, kind, funny, intelligent and beautiful! I will miss him dearly! I think it wonderful, that people are posting these comments. Dan always did great work, and awesome interviews that he would send me daily. He had an array of jobs growing up, but he always knew he wanted to do something in the business he was in. Dan I love you and you will always be in my heart......
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