RIP Robert Goulet

October 30, 2007 5:20 PM

But if I'd ever leave you,
It couldn't be in autumn.
How I'd leave in autumn I never will know....

Robert Goulet, who shot to fame playing Lancelot in Camelot (the musical, not the model) passed away today. He had been waiting for a lung transplant.
posted by dw (59 comments total)

Dammit. I was finishing up my post on this... GRRRR. Oh well, here it is anyhow.
*******
The man. The myth. The legend. Mustachioed baritone singer, pitchman and fancy dresser Robert Goulet passed away this morning while waiting for a lung transplant.

Da da dee da da da doo, Mr. Goulet.

I really wish his 20 year personal Christmas card collection was still online. It rocked.
posted by miss lynnster at 5:26 PM on October 30, 2007 [3 favorites]

From his website: Mr. Goulet's motto is - "Check it out."

Huh. I need a motto.
posted by miss lynnster at 5:33 PM on October 30, 2007 [1 favorite]

Nature! Goulet.

.
posted by billysumday at 5:33 PM on October 30, 2007 [1 favorite]

Goulet was one of the great ones. That is said fairly often, but it is true.

Also, the Superbowl commercial he was in this last year was the best of the lot.

Major .
posted by Joey Michaels at 5:37 PM on October 30, 2007

.
posted by ZachsMind at 5:37 PM on October 30, 2007

(goulet goulet)
posted by basicchannel at 5:38 PM on October 30, 2007

Bye, Bob. I never got why they cast Franco Nero, of all people, in the movie version.
posted by FelliniBlank at 5:38 PM on October 30, 2007

If ever I would leave you
it wouldn't be in Autumn.
posted by tkchrist at 5:40 PM on October 30, 2007

Maxie Dean has left the building.

.
posted by dbiedny at 5:41 PM on October 30, 2007 [1 favorite]

This leaves me weak and weepy.
.
posted by Gungho at 5:42 PM on October 30, 2007

Begin the thawing of Jim Nabors!
posted by Pope Guilty at 5:43 PM on October 30, 2007

And yet my favorite of his works has to be his quick cameo in the 1988 film Scrooged. He plays himself in a commercial for his Christmas music special, Bob Goulet's Cajun Christmas, and sings Silver Bells while rafting through a swamp pursued by a hungry and patient alligator.
posted by Servo5678 at 5:44 PM on October 30, 2007 [2 favorites]

.
posted by zardoz at 5:47 PM on October 30, 2007

.
posted by doctor_negative at 5:49 PM on October 30, 2007

.
posted by cerebus19 at 5:52 PM on October 30, 2007

Sorry miss lynnster.
posted by dw at 5:52 PM on October 30, 2007

.
posted by SPrintF at 5:54 PM on October 30, 2007

>_<

.
posted by Parannoyed at 5:54 PM on October 30, 2007

.

I saw Robert Goulet play King Arthur in a touring show of Camelot when I was 12 or 13 - it was awesome. I didn't learn until later on that he'd played Lancelot as well. He had such a stage presence - I was so lucky to get discarded season tickets seats that night. Thank you, sir, for one of my fondest memories.
posted by Medieval Maven at 5:54 PM on October 30, 2007

According to my Aunts Annie & Trecie, my old man used to love Goulet's versions of 'The Impossible Dream' and 'Some Enchanted Evening,' and played them all the time.

RIP, Mr. Goulet.
posted by jonmc at 5:54 PM on October 30, 2007

Jingle Bells, Batman smells
Robin laid an egg

*WHAP*

Sorry, kid!
posted by bwg at 6:05 PM on October 30, 2007 [2 favorites]

It's ok. When I was looking for the Goulet clips I found the crazy Liberace stuff & decided to do a post on that for the hell of it. So now when the Liberace haters come out of the woodwork, I'll just send them to you. :)
posted by miss lynnster at 6:10 PM on October 30, 2007

For some reason, I feel that the world hasn't seen the end of Goulet.
posted by phaedon at 6:12 PM on October 30, 2007 [1 favorite]

.
posted by Smart Dalek at 6:12 PM on October 30, 2007

I work in a lung clinic right now so we were talking about it this morning. I don't know what form of fibrosis he had, but when they don't know the cause (idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, for instance), it kind of creeps me out. Some forms just show up without any obvious risk factors, and once the medications stop working, and you can't breathe anymore, it's a new lung or nothing.
posted by cobaltnine at 6:26 PM on October 30, 2007

As they were inserting the breathing tube, he told the doctors, "just watch my vocal chords."

Now that's humor in the face of death with class and style! He was cool beyond just being cool.
posted by ZachsMind at 6:31 PM on October 30, 2007

Sad.

I bet Linda Lavin is crushed.

No, really. Not bein snarky.
posted by Senor Cardgage at 6:31 PM on October 30, 2007

Goulet!
posted by Astro Zombie at 6:44 PM on October 30, 2007

bwg, that is my favorite song to put on the many, many, christmas albums I have made for family and friends.

.
posted by yhbc at 6:50 PM on October 30, 2007

,
posted by rleamon at 6:53 PM on October 30, 2007

.
posted by unrepentanthippie at 6:56 PM on October 30, 2007

.
posted by edgeways at 7:03 PM on October 30, 2007

.
posted by sarcasticah at 7:05 PM on October 30, 2007

.
posted by Homeskillet Freshy Fresh at 7:13 PM on October 30, 2007

.
posted by Ranucci at 7:27 PM on October 30, 2007

.!
posted by Sphinx at 7:49 PM on October 30, 2007

.^.

He was always so smooth, but never took himself seriously.
posted by Samizdata at 7:58 PM on October 30, 2007

Okay, let's try this again.

’
posted by rleamon at 8:00 PM on October 30, 2007

.
posted by zarq at 8:15 PM on October 30, 2007

What a nice guy.
posted by kuujjuarapik at 8:18 PM on October 30, 2007

GOULET!
posted by Brittanie at 8:47 PM on October 30, 2007

Honestly, how could you NOT love this commercial?
posted by miss lynnster at 8:51 PM on October 30, 2007

The man, the myth, the legend.

.
posted by kyleg at 9:00 PM on October 30, 2007

yhbc, you gotta love The Simpsons.

.
posted by bwg at 10:24 PM on October 30, 2007

.
posted by seawallrunner at 10:25 PM on October 30, 2007

Damn. Didn't know that he had been ailing. A true classic, and master of many genres. Suave, smooth, cool. RIP.
posted by davidmsc at 10:33 PM on October 30, 2007

Maybe now he'll stop messing with my stuff when I fall asleep after lunch.
posted by Dillenger69 at 11:22 PM on October 30, 2007 [1 favorite]

C'est moi, c'est moi, 'tis I.

Adieu, Lancelot.
posted by Pallas Athena at 1:18 AM on October 31, 2007

.
posted by chillmost at 1:36 AM on October 31, 2007

In his honor, this afternoon I shall mess with my own stuff. Rest well, Mr. Goulet.
posted by Dreama at 4:48 AM on October 31, 2007

And so the world has lost a little more class.

.
posted by tommasz at 5:21 AM on October 31, 2007

Loved the commercial. His cover of "Green Tamborine" in this Disney movie had just the right touch of smarminess too.
posted by xena at 5:24 AM on October 31, 2007

He was also the singing voice of Wheezy at the close of Toy Story 2, doing a Vegas-ized version of Randy Newman's You've Got a Friend in Me.

RIP, Mister Goulet.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 5:32 AM on October 31, 2007

Jim Nabors is still alive & so shouldn't need thawing out. (But I'm totally not buying the "cut myself shaving" story about contracting hepatitis.) I had forgotten that Robert Preston was long gone until I hit Wikipedia, though.
posted by pax digita at 5:47 AM on October 31, 2007

Dammit! First Porter and now Bob. Not a good week for us lovers of old singers.

.

(psst, Pax..it's a Simpsons' line.)
posted by DonnieSticks at 7:36 AM on October 31, 2007

Jim Nabors is still alive?! I don't know why, but that makes me happy.

Swing in Peace, Goulet!
posted by Atom Eyes at 9:14 AM on October 31, 2007

Things to note about his website.

1. he was handsome back in the day, and then turned really creepy/perv-like

2. his wife needs to stop the rhinoplasty

3. the Xmas cards made me piss myself. Pure Dynasty.

4. his son is bizarre looking and married a woman w/ the last name of Dragon. Even more bizarre.

5. All and all, he seemed like he was a really nice guy.
posted by dasheekeejones at 5:25 PM on November 1, 2007

I wonder if Prince will remake Raspberry Beret except call it "Robert Goulet"?

Ok, people, they can't all be gems.
posted by dasheekeejones at 5:26 PM on November 1, 2007

Ooooh! His christmas cards ARE still online!!!! Yay!!! I just assumed they weren't because the link changed from when I fpped them in 2004. I wish I'd looked at the galleries before, I would've linked to them in my first comment.
posted by miss lynnster at 10:53 PM on November 1, 2007