I’ve always been a big fan of Karen Black. I can’t tell you why here in a brief tribute. I’ve just been strangely drawn to her over the years. She’s got a unique quality that’s very hard to define…
I didn’t even realize we share the same birthday. I’m really sad as so many of us are, at the tragic loss of Karen Black who apparently suffered for the past few years from a rare type of pancreatic cancer.
I don’t want to take this time to post a trailer with her being chased by the little African Zuni doll that torments her feverishly in Dan Curtis’ Trilogy of Terror TV Movie 1975
I’ll only mention loving her Mrs Allardice in the very eerie and compelling Burnt Offerings ’76 that co-starred Bette Davis also by the culturally prolific Dan Curtis who always had his finger on the pulse of television’s best campy horror.
She’s known for her excursions into the horror and thriller genres that’s true but Black was a truly diverse actress.
Karen Black has so many performances to her credit that you should just go to IMDb and see for yourself the amount of work she’s done over the years. Not the least of which is her iconic role as quirky waitress Rayette Dipesto in Bob Rafelson’s Five Easy Pieces in ’70 or even her sympathetic Myrtle Wilson in Jack Clayton’s The Great Gatsby in ’74.
I had the privilege of corresponding with Karen Black through email a few years back, when a musical piece I wrote for one of her last films, an indie women in prison film called STUCK. Angels in Concrete almost made it into the picture but was cut at the last minute.
She was so receptive and gracious to me. She even called me Joey. It meant a lot to me that she took the time to answer my note. She had been touring with her cabaret show singing at the time. I didn’t even know she’d been ill.
I feel like we’ve lost a part of film culture, and I’m so sad that she suffered and died so young. She had a lot of things to do on this earth yet…
Thanks for giving us some memorable performances Karen Black, and thanks for your graciousness to me and your very unique style. We’ll miss you…
-Joey