Larry Keith (ex-Nick Davis, AMC) passed away

[J.W.S]

Larry was 79 when he died not 69

[SFK]

Aww, Nicky![/Erica] May he rest in peace. I was born about a decade into the show's run so like a lot of you, I remember him from his subsequesnt visits to town. I always loved when he and other characters like him showed up and I'd ask my mom questions about their history and her face would light up recalling the show's early days.

I love that clip, I get choked up right along with Susan/Erica every time, such a beautiful moment, all of her history with Frances Heflin/Mona. There have been a handful of episodes over the last several years that have been glimpses of the *REAL* AMC like this. BTW, Erica (who always reminds me of Marla Adams here for some reason) and Mark (in the gray/blue for his hair and eyes) look great.

[Khan]

Such terrible, tragic news. I am truly at a loss for words right now, b/c Nick Davis was one of my favorite AMC characters. Aside from Mona and Mark, Nick was the only one who would forgive Erica for her vain, self-centered ways w/o letting her get away w/ murder (so to speak). And yes, I definitely think AMC should address this loss.

And yes, if/when they have a memorial service for Nick, Ruth (Lee Meriwether), Joe (Ray MacDonnell), Tara (Karen Lynn Gorney) and Charlie (Christopher Lawford?) should be there.

[DRW50]

If this is acknowledged I hope they will play that clip where he congratulates Erica on winning the "trifecta" -- him, Phil, and Charlie.

When they have Erica talk about those she loved who are now gone and who are together, having fun, I feel like it is almost mandatory that Nick be a part of that, he was so important to Mona, and to Erica. For me it's not just oh they have to mention past characters, because certainly there are a lot of people, even people I liked like Mike Roy, I realize will probably never be mentioned seriously by Erica again. But this is different.

It's funny because there is sometimes talk in the AMC threads about commenting on the appearances of the men on the show, but I think Larry Keith was an example of a man who was not Hollywood perfection still managing to be very charismatic and attractive. That's because he came around when soaps still cast based on personality and he hit a certain demo, I can't even exactly say what, which you don't see represented that often. He was the type of guy who grew older but that didn't mean he ever lost the sparkle that he'd probably had from the start.

[marceline]

I doubt there will be a service. I think there will just be a "In Loving Memory" tag at the end of one of the shows.

[All My Shadows]

Definitely. I'm not expecting the show to do a big funeral service or anything like that, and I don't see why they would or should. But maybe have Erica talk a little about him with Bianca or Jack or anyone who'll listen. This man was a very, very important part of Erica Kane's formative years, so completely ignoring the character would be a big mistake.

[R Sinclair]

Agreed. When's the last time a show had a memorial service for a character whose deceased actor hadn't been on contract in 30 years?

[Khan]

Sadly, I agree (and I doubt we'll even get the end-of-show tag).

[DRW50]

I'm not expecting a service but I think they could film a scene when Susan returns where Erica and Bianca might learn Nick has died and talk about him briefly. I think you could fit that in as a way of honoring what the character represented and still focusing on current story. They could even add in some kind of advice Nick gave Erica about Caleb the last time they spoke, or they could say that Nick went to Paris to visit Miranda or something.

[SFK]

He deserves at least a four line mention/mini-convo. It's so simple to do. NuBianca can even mention the letter he saved from Mona short of a flashback with ER. And if Erica's off the show for even one day of a week of episodes she can mention flying to Chicago for Nick's services (though I'd be a little plane shy if I was Erica).

[Khan]

ERICA: Oh, I'm getting on that plane (to attend Nick's funeral)! If Erica Kane bows to no man, then she certainly won't cower to any Lear Jet!

[DRW50]

Then she can say she knows she'll have some friends looking out for her, and she can look up at the sky and smile in that ingenue way which Erica does so well.

[EricMontreal22]

Hopefully we will get a mention--with Broderick and Nixon still involved with the show, I don't think that's too much to hope for. We'll see.

Susan Lucci-the 80 year old ingenue. Love it. (but yes, I know exactly what you mean)

[R Sinclair]

1. When did we find out Langley died?

2. Also, why does Nick Davis have to suddenly die all because Larry Keith died? Didn't Guiding Light's "Roger Thorpe" die off screen almost ten years after Michael Zaslow died? As a writer, I enjoy the fact that reality is reality and fantasy is fantasy, and there is a distinct difference between the two.

3 . For instance, what if Larry Keith played Nick Davis on AMC in the 1970s, and then played another successful character for 4-6 years on OLTL in the 1980s? Would both of those characters need to be killed off? The intermingling of the two just doesn't sit well with me.

4. And... I'm gonna say it... there's been a tone (not just with LK/Nick, and not with everyone who watches these shows) of these old actors' deaths being used as an excuse to champion for a clip show of episodes from the 1970s and 80s. I remember being unexpectedly touched at Palmer's memorial episode honoring James' Mitchell's death -- and not-so shocked to see in smatterings on different boards across the net "Yeah, it was okay -- it should've had MORE flashbacks, though."

[DRW50]

When Phoebe died, Brooke mentioned that Phoebe's last words were something about how she hoped Langley had been waiting for her.

One of the reasons they waited to mention Roger was because they had fired Michael Zaslow and then told the press that viewers wouldn't want to see a "wizened old man." They tried to recast Roger but then after about a year or less they just wrote the character out and he wasn't thought of again for years.

I guess I'd like them to mention Nick because he was an important part of Erica's life and of the history of the show, and this might be one of their only chances, as we don't know how much longer AMC, or most of the other soaps, will even be on.

I think that people might expect less with Nick than they would with a character like Palmer, or Myrtle, since Nick has only been a recurring character for the past few decades. I can't speak for anyone else but all I'd really like is just one scene where Erica talks about him and his importance in her life, in Mona's life, and so on.