CELEBRATION OF LIFE: A Memorial For Author Scott Schechter Held 6/13
On Friday, May 15th 2009, Scott Schechter died of a sudden heart attack. Scott was instrumental in many re-releases of Liza and Judy's work and was spearheading the upcoming release of Judy & Liza Live at the Pallaium CD when he died.
A celebration of his life will be held on Saturday, June 13th at 1PM at The Wonder Bar on 1213 Ocean Ave in Asbury Park, NJ. 732-502-8886.
Liza Minnelli herself gave a statement on the loss of her longtime friend Scott Schechter, which you can read here:
"Hi Everybody, It's me, Liza May Minnelli. I was shocked and deeply saddened to hear that my dear friend, Scott Schechter, had passed away. I was in Paris recording a song with my mentor, Charles Aznavour, for a DVD/CD compilation for charity when I heard about Scott 's passing. Ironically, the last time I saw Scott was just a few weeks ago at the Bistro Awards in New York City at which both Charles and myself were being honored. Scott had a great time that night and I am proud that I was able to contribute to his happiness in some small way.
Over the years, Scott has been instrumental in keeping my music and performances current, relevant and accessable to my fans. Scott was my self-proclaimed biggest fan and he proved it time and time again in the tireless dedication and care he brought to my website and in the preservation of my work. I could always count on seeing Scott whenever I performed in New York. His presence always brought me great comfort and joy.
Scott will be truly missed. Because of the suddenness of his passing, it is still very difficult for me to fully comprehend and my heart goes out to Scott's friends and family. Scott was a kind and gentle man and was well loved by everyone who knew him, including me. I will miss him dearly. I was recently asked for my thoughts regarding the passing of Beatrix Arthur, and I replied that heaven just got happier--sadly for us, it is even more so now.
With fond memories of Scott,
Liza"
Scott Schechter was an award-winning author, historian and producer, who has consulted on and written for a multitude of media projects on Liza and her mother, including the CDs Liza Minnelli: The Complete Capitol Collection, the Judy box set, Classic Judy Garland: The Capitol Years 1955-1965, The Judy Garland Show: The Show That Got Away and Liza Minnelli: Ultimate Collection. Schechter was among those responsible for the release of Garland's complete Carnegie Hall concert for the first time, available as Judy at Carnegie Hall: Fortieth Anniversary Edition, and back in 1998 he created the concept of there being DVDs of her legendary long-lost CBS variety series. Schechter is the author of the world's first book to concentrate on Liza's extensive body of work -- the critically acclaimed book on Minnelli's career, The Liza Minnelli Scrapbook.
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