Rule number one with divorce, move out before or immediately after you tell your spouse the ugly news of your decision. Especially if the spouse has a history of addiction.
It was such a shame when I received the news from the old PowerComputing mailing list. Phil was the consummate chameleon of comedy and the ultimate straight man. According to legend, his nickname at SNL was The Glue because he could hold most of the show’s mediocre stuff together. I personally feel he went on to have the career everyone thought Dan Akroyd could have, if Dan made wiser life decisions.
He was a key element to the success of The Simpsons through Troy McClure and Lionel Hutz too. Matt Groening agreed about this fact which is why the part of Captain Brannigan from Futurama was created just for Phil. Phil insisted on auditioning since he didn’t like the idea of it being handed to him; this is from the commentaries on the DVD. After the tragedy, Groening had the lead character Fry renamed Philip J. Fry in Phil’s memory.
This week, I need to hunt down something he did that was a standard example of his talent. News Radio is a better candidate but it’s difficult to rent a TV series and I think he mainly had supporting roles in films. I’m open to suggestions.