Hi Guys - I just received some terrible news. CA contributor Gilbert Klein has passed away. I'm still shaking and in disbelief.
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Dear Owner of this magazine site, I couldn't find where to put this, and you may already know, but Gilbert Klein died last Friday the 27th late afternoon. It was an apparent heart attack. (I don't know all the specifics yet.)I see where he checked his column Friday morning @ 7 am. I do know he was delighted to write for your magazine. His niece, Marcy, Our other family may have already contacted you, I don't know. I'm a good friend of Gilbert's and read his articles. If you are interested in coming to any of his memorials or tribute, you are welcome to email me at [email protected]
Be well,
Cathy H.
Gilbert was one-of-a-kind. I was introduced to him through a mutual friend in the HiFi industry. Back in the day Gilbert entered his store looking for a phono cartridge. Gilbert left with an entire system. That's the way Gilbert was. He enjoyed life and gulped it in.
I was fortunate enough to visit Gilbert at his home in Rosarito Beach Mexico last year. His place overlooked the Pacific Ocean. Gilbert was by no means a wealthy man. The fact that he had a house that overlooked the ocean was a dream for him and only possible because the cost of living was so reasonable in Mexico. How he wound up living in Mexico is a story for another day, but I can assure you it's as interesting as the rest of his life.
Gilbert took me to lunch one day near his house. It was an experience I'll never forget. We walked down to the edge of the water where local fishermen had recently brought in the day's catch. We selected the seafood we wanted to eat and paid for it. We then proceeded to bring the fish to a restaurant, where Gilbert was well known of course, and had the fish fried up for us. This was the only time I'd ever brought my own food to a restaurant and the people there were happy to cook it how I wished. An amazing experience.
That night we went out for lobster. I wish I could remember the details, but there was something like nine lobsters and all the side dishes we could eat. For the price of around $30. Another amazing experience.
The best thing about this entire trip was listening to Gilbert tell stories about his life. When he was introduced to Keith Richards and Mick Jagger as a friend of Jonny's. When one is introduced as a friend of Jonny's to the Stones, that means you're as good as gold. You're in the club. That was Gilbert. And, that was one of countless stories I heard over the course of a day and a half.
I know Gilbert was tiny bit self conscious about his articles here on CA. He always asked how many people were reading the articles and he was very happy when people left comments. If you missed his last article, do me a favor and give it a read. It will at least make me feel good, and chances are good it'll make you feel good as well.
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