Charlie Rose Kills Off Old Friend

It’s not the first time someone has been counted out before their time. When PBS’ lugubrious late night chat show host Charlie Rose announced on his New Year's Eve program that one of the most significant deaths of 2008 was that of his old pal the British-born filmmaker George Butler, he intended it as a mark of affection. Up flashed a tombstone on screen showing that Butler had lived from 1943 to 2008. Butler first introduced us to Arnold Schwarzenegger, in the 1977 movie Pumping Iron, and recorded on film John Kerry’s anti-Vietnam War antics. It being New Year’s Eve, Butler had to pinch himself a couple of times to ensure it was Rose’s mistake, not an out of body experience. "I am bemused," Butler said. "It's very disconcerting." Turned out to be a case of mistaken identity: Another George Butler, a jazz record exec who signed Wynton Marsalis, died on April 9. Rose called Butler three times on New Year’s Day, to apologize and to make sure his friend was still breathing. Butler gains extra kudos for resisting the temptation to use Mark Twain’s tired quote, “The report of my death was an exaggeration.”