Film, TV Director Ted Demme Dies

January 14, 2002 10:10 AM

Film, TV Director Ted Demme Dies "Demme was participating in a celebrity basketball game at the private Crossroads School when he was stricken Sunday, said Ted Braun, a spokesman for Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center. Paramedics rushed Demme to the hospital's emergency room in full cardiac arrest. He was pronounced dead 20 minutes later. Demme, a nephew of director Jonathan Demme, directed Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz in last year's "Blow." The film was based on the true story of George Jung, who was the American connection to the Colombian cocaine cartel in the late 1970s and early '80s when the drug became hip. "
posted by dgeiser13 (12 comments total)

38. Holy shit.
posted by jpoulos at 10:16 AM on January 14, 2002

Yikes.
posted by donkeyschlong at 10:24 AM on January 14, 2002

Beautiful Girls is a great You-Can-Never-Go-Home movie for guys. Highly recommended.
posted by thebigpoop at 10:25 AM on January 14, 2002

Ted Demme is further proof of the law of diminishing genetic returns. Not that he was Jonathan's son, but certainly a second-generation Demme, directing second-rate films.

In any event, it's too bad. Maybe he could have transcended his worse-than-gawdawful movies with more practice.
posted by rocketman at 10:46 AM on January 14, 2002

I think every current rap/hip-hop artist owes some of their success to Ted Demme. He put rap music in front of mainstream America in the late 80's on Yo MTV Raps.
posted by mathowie at 10:48 AM on January 14, 2002

He briefly hosted Remote Control on MTV before Ken Ober. He actually got his start with MTV and was the producer of Yo! MTV Raps.

He did a couple movies with Denis Leary and also did those those black and white Denis Leary MTV commercials that used to air

I think you hear me knocking Richard...

sad.
posted by jerseygirl at 10:54 AM on January 14, 2002

interesting haughey, that and 'homicide: life on the streets' (some episodes). did the producers of 'homicide' think that he was down with the street gangs, y'nowamsayin'?
or perhaps not.
posted by asok at 10:55 AM on January 14, 2002

That's sad, he was so young. I just recalled watching 'Blow' and thinking "you know, this would be a complete waste of time without Paul Reubens.

I'm sure that Ted was Jonathan's nephew, not son. Or am I missing something?
posted by tiaka at 10:56 AM on January 14, 2002

carpe diem.
posted by crunchland at 10:59 AM on January 14, 2002

Wow, I just saw him in a restaurant a few weeks ago. He looked happy, jovial, and not all that healthy (plowing into a massive Chinese meal, adding girth to an already large frame). A huge group of well-known Black entertainers came in on their way to a party upstairs, all of them stopped and hugged Ted, completely ignoring his tablemate (Mike Ovitz).
posted by cell divide at 11:09 AM on January 14, 2002

rocketman-granted Ted Demme was no Scorsese, but his films were entertaining and I believe he definitely had potential for greatness. His work on "Yo!" did a lot for hip-hop, and anyone even tangentially associated with "Homicide: Life on The Street"(the best show of the last decade) gets props from me. Plus above all else, Mr. Demme in "Beautiful Girls" introduced me to the vision of gorgeousness that is Natalie Portman.
I sincerely hope Mr. Demme's death was not drug-related, after doing a film like "Blow" you'd hope he'd know better.
If it was, I'd offer these words of wisdom from off all people Anthrax's Scott Ian:
When asked if it would be weird if the members of Anthrax contracted anthrax Scott answered, "I will not die an ironic death!"

Words to live by.
posted by jonmc at 5:07 PM on January 14, 2002

Can anyone confirm that Ted Demme last project was the faked Osama bin Laden video from last month?
posted by DragonBoy at 6:23 PM on January 14, 2002