Gene Wilder Passes Away at 83

Last Updated on July 31, 2021

This is truly a sad day. From yelling that his name is "FRAUNK-en-STEEN" in YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN or "You lose! Good day, sir!" in WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, Gene Wilder has been a mainstay in our popular consciousness for a long time now. As a wholly original comedic presence, he elevated everything he was in, and was always a delight to see on screen.

When people, especially celebrities, pass away, there seems to be a groundswell of support and possible hyperbole about their work and career. But I honestly believe we lost someone special today. And he will be missed.

However, instead of dwelling on the tragedy of it all, let's focus on what he left behind. BLAZING SADDLES. THE PRODUCERS. The aforementioned YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN and WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY. Classics, all of them. And there are many more, from his contributions with Richard Pryor (like the underrated HEAR NO EVIL, SEE NO EVIL) to even a recent guest appearance last year on YO, GABBA GABBA, he worked his magic until the end. And we should forever be grateful that he existed, because otherwise so many great movie moment would never have existed either.

We're all sad to see you gone Gene, but we're glad you shared the time with us that you could.

RIP Gene Wilder (1933-2016).