Renaissance Man: A Tribute to John Cooke

November 4, 2017

We are here to tell stories, to laugh, cry and celebrate the life of an extraordinary man - writer, musician, filmmaker, actor, Red Sox fan, road manager, photographer, friend to many, and son of a famous father.

I first met John in 1996, at a Thanksgiving dinner at Judy and Peter Mollica’s, which was late, compared to everyone else here. I had heard a lot about him: a bit quirky, sometimes demanding and difficult, and very honest. But liked him from the start, and we ended up bonding over the years. There would be calls or texts about baseball games, “Game of Thrones,” music, or just to see how things were going. In the later years, he would stay at Claudia’s. We’d go for daily walks around Mill Valley, and more than once we hiked up the Dipsea Steps.

I met so many people through him; many of you here today I know because of John.

He educated me on all things Janis Joplin. I was never a fan of hers, but after hearing the stories and reading John’s book, how could I not be now? And to think that John’s life was turned upside down when he found her dead at age 27 on the day before his 30th b-day…

Claudia and I took road trips twice to Jackson, WY, in 2011 and 2012. The first one was to visit various friends along the way, and the second was to attend a wedding about an hour away from Jackson. John had us play a featured set at the Dornan’s Monday Night Hoot, and we also sang with him there.

Whenever John was around, there were many dinners out in local restaurants, often followed by pie and ice cream back at the house. He loved to eat, yet amazingly so, he remained rail thin.

The last time I spoke with him was on Friday, August 18, a few days before the eclipse. I had not heard from him in a while, so I gave him a call. He was very excited about the eclipse, but I also asked about his health. He told me that the recent scan was not good news, but it was just another speed bump on the road to recovery, and that he would deal with it after the eclipse.

Another week went by with no more news, so I told Claudia to call him, since I was concerned about the scan news. She spoke with him on Tuesday the 29th, and he told her that he was going in for treatment soon. While we were both very concerned, John remained optimistic.

But then the call came on Sunday morning, September 3rd, with the sad news that he was gone…

He would have loved to have been here today, to eat, drink and play music, and be with friends. He is certainly here in spirit.

There will always be a little bit of John Byrne Cooke in all of us…