Brad Renfro Dead at 25 (1 Viewer)

[DavidPla]

"Cocaine's a hell of a drug."

 

[TonyD]

as has been mentioned drug USE is not the same as drug ABUSE.

too bad this man had to kill himself with the abuse of drugs and alcohol.

very sad.

"just look what dying young and tragically did for the legacies of James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, River Phoenix, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, Anna Nicole Smith, etc."

what did it do for their legacy?

 

[SD_Brian]

It could be (correctly, IMO) argued that, had those people not died under the circumstances they did, they would not have the iconic mystique they do. It's the same principle as the artist who could never sell a painting while he was alive but his work suddenly becomes priceless after his death. There's a certain romanticism attached to dying young, famous and tragic. It's sick, twisted and wrong but that doesn't stop it from happening over and over again.

But lest anyone think dying of a drug overdose is only the realm of young celebrities, it was announced today that Ike Turner's death at age 76 was caused by a cocaine overdose.

 

[JohnRice]

This is one bizarre thread.

 

[TonyD]

i see that but the people on that list were already well established at the time of their death.

i guess what dying did to their legacy was change it from being known for their profession.
it caused them to be known for dying before they should have.

 

[TravisR]

I follow your logic but Kurt Cobain, Jim Morrison or Marilyn Monroe were actually famous when they died. The difference here is that Brad Renfro was a talented kid who got messed up on drugs and that derailed his career which kept him from hitting that level of fame so his death won't make him a 'legend'.

EDIT: Tony beat me to the punch.

 

[Michael Reuben]

Yes it is, so let's make it a little less bizarre by treating it like we treat all "in memoriam" threads.

Anyone who wants to bash the deceased for being "stupid" or "deserving" what happened to him should feel free to write their thoughts on a Post-It and stick 'em next to their monitor. Such sentiments don't belong here and, to the extent they've been expressed, adequate response has been made.

I'm saddened by this news. Brad Renfro was a gifted actor. Even in a short life, he left a remarkable body of work. Sleepers, Ghost World and The Client have already been mentioned, but I also found him memorable in Bully, a film that's hard to take but not easy to forget. If only he could have tamed his demons, imagine what more he might have accomplished.

M.

 

[SD_Brian]

Unless, like River Phoenix before him, it leads to a rediscovery/reassessment of his body of work. Nobody knew who Brandon Lee was before The Crow. We're already talking reverently about Brad Renfro movies none of us have probably thought about in years.

I'm not meaning to speak ill of the deceased, so please don't take that as my intent. I'm more talking about the way society responds to celebrity death.

Brad Renfro was a talented actor and, as has been stated by others, it's very sad that he couldn't overcome his demons.

 

[Nate Anderson]

Such a shame...I was shocked to hear the news. I knew he had problems in the past, but hadn't heard anything lately...I've enjoyed his films, especially The Client and Apt Pupil...

Such a shame, he was a talented actor, for sure.

 

[Michael:M]

It may be indeed a stupid death. But that doesn't take away from the loss and sadness.

Brad was a fellow human being, subject to the same foibles and weaknesses as us all. Who's to say any of us would have handled fame at an early age any better?

RIP, Brad. Whatever unhealthy and unwise choices you made - or were made for you - it's a shame you didn't overcome them.

 

[Brett_M]

Not so fast. Laser Mission, Showdown in Little Tokyo and Rapid Fire all preceded The Crow and were regularly watched by martial arts film fans like me when they showed up on cable. Lee's death was tragic because the film was gonna be huge and launch him into the stratosphere as a mainstream actor.

 

[DavidPla]

I completely agree. What if Marlon Brando had died just after "On the Waterfront" or even "The Godfather". Sure he's remembered for the great films he did but it is almost overshadowed by the later aspects of his life.
What if Michael Jackson died shortly after "Thriller" became the sensation that it did. His name would never be remembered for all the later theatrics that have now sullied it.
Just to be clear, I'm NOT saying that dying younger than you should is a good thing whatsoever.. just saying how our idea of "iconic mystique" works. Nobody likes to see their heroes get old apparently.

 

[SD_Brian]

I would say Lee's death was tragic because he was killed by a senseless accident on a movie set, but I understand what you mean.

By "nobody knew who Brandon Lee was," I was referring to mainstream audience members like myself whose interest in seeing The Crow came about due to stories of the on-set tragedy.

 

[Ruz-El]

This has got to be the most retarded "death of an Actor" thread ever.

Seriously, equating over the counter medicine and caffein to heroin? What the hells wrong with you people?

Renfro was a talented actor who couldn't handle the recreational drugs of his choice. It's not tragic, it happens all the time to people who make bad choices. Some folks can handle recreational drugs, others can't. I always thought he was a fine actor, it's sad to seem him go. It doesn't matter if it was drugs, or illness or a car crash.

And for the record, I don't use recreational drugs.

 

[Brett_M]

Touche.

 

[Holadem]

It's a recent phenomenon on HTF. Look up the Pavarotti and Johnny Cochran RIP threads. Apparently boorish self-righteousness has gained the upper hand on that most basic of decencies (if not respect for the dead, then at least respect for those who do care and respect the deceased.)

--
H

 

[Michael Reuben]

Sadly, it's not so recent. So let me expand on my moderator warning from the previous page.

This is an in memoriam thread. Treat it like you would a memorial service. If you don't have something to say that would be appropriate to say at a memorial service, don't say it in this thread.

That should be a simple test to apply. Please respect it.

EDIT: I guess it wasn't simple enough for some. Two posts were just removed. Shall we continue?

M.

 

[JohnRice]

I'll give it a shot.

I really just know Renfro from Bully and Ghost World. I don't know if he was all that talented, because those roles were virtually similar. I've seen The Client, but I don't don't remember it that clearly.

After some thought, I think his most interesting role was probably Bully, though I never really thought about it that much until now. Anyone who's seen it knows the way the story is told can be a bit overwhelming. Renfro's role of Marty was wonderfully understated, particularly in contrast to Nick Stahl's "Bully". Thinking back, I feel Marty would have been able to beat the tar out of Bobby (the "Bully") but never even tried, since Bobby was such an intimidating individual. Intimidating, but weak. It was an effective portrayal.

Having said that, I want to point out that we ALL have our demons. Substance abuse or addiction, in whatever form, fortunately is not something I have a problem with, but I have plenty of others. It is always easy to condemn others for the weaknesses you don't share (and sometimes for the ones you do), but it never hurts to at least try to put yourself in another's shoes and walk around a bit.

 

[Tina_H_V]

Interestingly, in seeing a rather recent picture of Mr. Renfro, I noticed how much he came to resemble the younger version of the character he portrayed in Sleepers, which was ultimately played as an adult by Ron Eldard.

Talk about astute casting!!! In fact, the casting was so astute...that as Mr. Renfro grew older into a man, he and Eldard looked as if they really could have been brothers in real life!!!!!!!!!

It's too bad Brad died--let alone as young as he did. Otherwise, the two men could have been cast as brothers in another movie somewhere down the line?????

R.I.P.