[insert appropriate 'in memoriam' here]

I really couldn't think of the right thing to say. Darren McGavin and Kathie Browne's Authorized Internet Web Site      It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Darren McGavin at approximately 7:10 A.M. Pacific time today, Saturday 25, 2006. Darren was just three months short of his 84th birthday. While we suspect none of us can imagine a world without the beloved, feisty little red-head, it is time to reflect, give thanks for his life and hold in reverence his memory. Darren is gone, but in many respects he will always be with us: as Carl Kolchak, fighting authority and battling monsters; the grumpy Old Man sending curses over Lake Michigan; as David Ross, the outsider, Grey Holden, captain of the Enterprise, the irascible detective Mike Hammer or any number of memorable guest star appearances, most notably as Joe Bascome on GUNSMOKE and as the washed-up old actor from "Distant Signals."      Please take a moment in your sadness to reflect upon all the ways Darren touched your lives, say a prayer and raise a glass to toast a career which spanned over fifty years and affected us all in ways too numerous to count. I got to see the series -- Kolchak: The Night Stalker, that is -- if not first-run, darn close to it. I loved it. What wasn't there to love? Somebody writing about the series called it 'Halloween every week'; that and McGavin's natural charisma and talent made Carl truly memorable. Obviously, I wasn't the only one under the series' spell, as it's become a touchstone of fandom, and an inspiration for memorable other creations. We'll miss you more than ever now, Carl.

(In addition, I saw information about the tox report on Chris Penn - other than the excessive weight and enlarged heart, he was really messed up.)