Bill Panzer passes away.

[John Mosby]

I've just received the news that Bill Panzer has died in Los Angeles. The information comes direct from Carmel Macpherson and has been confirmed by David Abramowitz and Adrian Paul.

There will be further information available in the next few hours and Adrian will posting a statement on his official website: www.adrianpaul.net very shortly.

Moderators, if you could 'sticky' this at the top of the forum for the time being, myself or Carmel will update as soon as we can.

John.

[mike7883uk]

I'm sure we all wish Bill's family/friends our deepest sympathy at this time. It's always a tragedy when someone passes. A complete shock.

[hatter76]

Is this Real, this isn't an Early April Fools?
What Happend,Was he Sick???????????

[Ronnie B]

Iam really sorry to hear that, my deepest sympaty to his friends and family.

[macleodsback43]

Gang, regardless if we think he was a good producer of the hl films or not. He seemingly was a funny, warm, giving and passion filled guy who loved Highlander and I am quite shocked as I didn't know he was sick or ill. My deepest sympathies to his wife, kids (did he have any?) and Bill's friends n family.

Let's hope that his family can get some peace and hopefully Bill wasn't sick/ill long. I do not know how old he was but he seems fairly young to go so early what was he mid-50's?? What a shock!


RIP Bill,


Martin

[John Mosby]

Carmel has asked me to post this to the Forum:

~

This morning my phone rang and it was David Abramowitz. I could tell from
his voice that something was very wrong. He was very upset and told me
something that I never expected to hear - that Bill Panzer was dead. All
the usual questions poured out - how, when...was he sure?

Bill died in the typically theatrical way that I would have expected of him.
He had decided to go ice skating - at 62! He was a man who lived by his own
rules and where in the rule book did it say that 62 year olds shouldn't ice
skate. Unfortunately he fell- heavily - and hit his head. Whilst he
seemed to recover, the damage had been done and the result was a brain
haemorrhage from which he failed to recover.

Bill was one of those people who was larger than life and we will be the
poorer for the loss of his energy and his love of the Highlander franchise
and fandom. No matter how busy he was he always made time for me whenever I
was in town - and that wasn't about me. It was about Bill respecting and
acknowledging, through me, the fan base that has been so loyal to the vision
than Bill and Peter turned into Highlander.

I would always be shepherded into the enormous Borders style office and
plonked on the couch while he enthusiastically showed me a snippet of
whatever his latest idea was. In Bucharest during the filming of EndGame I
had the very great pleasure of spending many hours with him as we travelled
out to the set of EndGame, discussing love, life and the whole darn thing.
He was a very erudite and cultured man with a wicked wit. I always joked
with him that he was the Great Gatsby. I even sent him some F Scott
Fitzgerald to read on plane trips. Together we tripped through the huge
abandoned building that had been Kel's loft as he showed me the various
sets. On the actual Glenfinnan village set he cautioned me to be quiet and
lie low....only to then witness me do a dramatic fall face first into the
slimy mud that made up Glenfinnan village....and then laugh at me all the
way back into Bucharest as I sat in the Mercedes with mud and straw all over
me....

He was always thinking of some new approach for Highlander. Yes, he knew
that as fans we didn't always like his choices - and he always listened.
He was delighted to be able to come to HLWW7 in Leeds. I sent him and David
and Peter Wingfield all off like a troupe of excited schoolchildren to see
the London production of Billy Elliott and of course now I am even more
thankful that these three got to spend that time together. David has been a
close friend of Bill's for over 17 years. He had lunch with him last week
and could only talk of how full of life Bill was and how, despite their
volatile relationship, how much he cared for him personally and what a
vacuum Bill's passing will leave. I used to liken the Adrian, Bill, David
relationship to the Jagger:Richards one. You just can't have that much
passion and drive and creativity without sparks flying...

He arrived in Leeds in typical Bill fashion - on the train, black beret
nattily perched on his silver hair...coat flowing out behind him....old
fashioned leather satchel crammed full of papers and books. He could only
stay in Leeds for a few hours on the Saturday but was determined to come and
keep faith with the fans. Our last few emails were me telling him how he
needed to improve The Source (!) and sending him selected constructive
advisings from fans. What touched him was that the fans cared that deeply.

As fans we may not always have liked his creative choices - but as fans we
are privileged indeed because the man who brought Highlander to the screen
for us had a passion and a drive and an entrepreneurial spirit that just
wouldn't take no for an answer. He respected fans and was deeply thankful
for our loyalty and determination to never let Highlander die.
At the end of every Convention, Bill always raised a glass and said, in
tribute to fans: "Without all of you there would be none of us..." - and
even when he wasn't at a Convention, Peter or David or Adrian would repeat
Bill's tribute.

So Bill, thank you for the richness of the Highlander universe, and the many
friendships that have been forged as a result of our collective shared love
of Highlander. Fans have gone to places they would never have travelled to;
supported each other through the trials, tribulations and joys of everyday
life, discussed the ethically perplexing questions that Connor's and
Duncan's existence brought to center-stage. Lives have been lived in
different ways because of your vision. It is fitting that we now toast you
and your passing. We wish for you what Adrian has so aptly wished you: "May
the winds be with you."

I am going to miss you very much.

Carmel Macpherson
President
Highlander WorldWide

[John Mosby]

Adrian has posted a further comment at his site.

http://www.adrianpaul.net/tributetobillpanzer.html

[manofsteel78]

It is a sad day for all the fans and Bill's family and friends...I am sure he will be missed!!!

[Scottish_Katana]

In spite of some of the decisions he made, he was responsible for all Highlander to date. And for that we should be grateful - I think we'll all miss him.

[Longlost]

Well I've said my fair share of negative things but Bill Panzer was a good producer. He kept Highlander alive when few others could with similar properties. He brought alot of joy to people and I hope he is in a better place.

[Lord Phoenix]

Well, I have never been very nice ( euphemism ) with bill panzer the writer, but for sure he was a good producer who gave us two series and five movies and someone who struggled hard to bring the highlander universe to life.

It's a great loss for all of us and we'll miss him.

gaël

[hatter76]

[John Mosby]

To add to the other voices this morning...

The relationship I had with Bill Panzer was interesting, polite but cautious on both our parts. Though I didn't always like or agree some of the directions in which he and partner Peter Davis took the Highlander franchise, one does need to remember at a time like this that without Bill there probably wouldn't have been a franchise at all. It takes guts, determination, sheer bravado and not inconsiderable money to stand a chance of surviving in Hollywood and Bill gave all of those in abundance.

Though he will be best remembered for Highlander, he was a man who worked in Hollywood for decades and worked with some iconic names like Sam Peckinpah. One can only imagine those two not disimilar characters sharing whiskey, cigars and arguing about anything and everything. Their experience of working together was said to be volatile. Good ones usually are.

I last saw him at HLWW7 in Leeds, just missing him at the station where I was due to meet him off the train, due to an error in timing. He was gracious about the mistake and when I forewarned him there might be some hard but fair questions from the audience about The Source he simply shrugged and said that was fine. He wouldn't have it any other way.

Though he could 'spin' with the best of them, there were several times over the years that he took personal time off to talk to me. Yes, he would always want to exentuate the postive and promote his ideas, but neither did he bristle at the harder questions I put to him - even if he somehow managed to avoid direct controversy. He was aware that Highlander fans didn't always agree with his decisions, but that such decisions were often made as part of an industry machine that didn't just need creativity but pragmatism and compromise to exist at all.

Like the comments made previously, I raise a glass to Bill - not so much for the direction the Highlander franchise ultimately took which can (and is) debated frequently here - but in the knowledge that the franchise he built the later stages of his life around has brought me experiences and opportunities, love and friendships that have endured for over a decade and will probably do so for many, many more to come.

John

(More comments etc over at the Gathering forum...)

[Aleander]

My name is Alexander, and I have been, to date, and now forever, I believe, Bill Panzer's greatest "critic".

I'll be honest, I didn't like, a lot of times, the decisions Panzer and Davis had taken for the franchise. Most of them were of questionable quality, and challenged my faith as a fan. But in any ways, Bill Panzer kept, at all costs, the Highlander franchise alive.

I must admit, I didn't expect this. I thought this was some cruel joke or something. But then, its always a shock when someone passes suddenly, without any sign of it. But thats the death of someone you talk about, you hear and read about, bounds to make you feel.

I must confess, although I didn't like his decisions for Highlander, at large, people might think I was resentful to him, hateful. In truth, I was a fan, a biased fan, who looked at his favorite franchise and cared for it as much if not less than Panzer. I want to, apologize to the family and dear friends of William N. Panzer, for any bad language I have put out for all this time, and to assure them, that without Panzer, for better or for worse, there wouldn't have Highlander, at least not as we know it....

Rest in peace, William N. Panzer....

[blackjack]

To add to the message I left in the gathering section--very sad and sudden and though I wasn't among them--those that ripped Bill Panzer here almost completely did it out of passion for Highlander which he had more to do about making a reality than anyone...so that passion directed often against him in a way was certainly a tribute. God bless.

[avatar101]

How strange it is to be touched by the death of a stranger.

I was saddened when Mako died, and the death of Robert Shaw gave me pause as well. The passing of Octavia Butler, a gifted writer of speculative fiction, was a loss I keenly felt.
The death a few years ago of Ronald Reagan and more recently Gerald R. Ford caused me to reflect on fame, power, and one’s impact during a single lifetime. Then there are the Anna Nicoles, the celebrities who enter our lives through mass media, and linger even after their demise.

The death of Willian N. Panzer is yet another occasion to pause and consider how my own life can be and is effected by people unseen and unmet.

It is sad to me that while I honor his achievements as a producer of movies and a successful television show, my thoughts of him are tempered by the botched cinematic efforts and the nagging phone calls of his telemarketers.

I would wish Bill Panzer a peaceful rest, but as is often the case with a raconteur, one wonders if it would be better to wish him an afterlife of fast cars, fine women, and good whiskey.

[~mj~]

Sympathies to Bill Panzers` family...

[blackjack]

I'm not trying to be a smartass AT ALL but i'm interested on EPS's take on Mr. Panzer's sudden passing.

[Kempy]

A pal (Stupid Haggis) called me today to tell me about this and I'm still struggling to believe it. Almost exactly a year ago I sat in the auditorium at Leeds with a dictaphone, blathering on to Bill about my passion for Highlander and what a profound effect it has had on my life. And then, eventually, I asked my first question. He was gracious enough not to be put off by my rambling and answered (as John has already stated) honestly and thoroughly, every question I asked of him.
This is what I'll remember most fondly about Bill, the grandfather of Highlander and the man who, for better or worse, has kept us all glued to our screens for over 20 years. Rest in peace Bill, may your soul be eternal.
Grant

[Gianakin]

RIP Bill. I didn't like his artistic vision and decisions but from what footage I have seen, he seemed like a good and pleasant guy. My sympathies to his family.

[mattcleod81]

Very sad news and a complete shock
As many have already said, he had his critics and I would be one of them, but I also completely respect the work and effort that he has put in through the years and the good stuff easily out-weighs the bad.

I also send my deepest sympathy to his family and fans alike.

[scorpion]

Originally Posted by blackjack

I'm not trying to be a smartass AT ALL but i'm interested on EPS's take on Mr. Panzer's sudden passing.

Let's not go there. A great man has passed away, he will be missed.

[texlander]

Wow, what a shock. I'm very sad to hear this, especially the way it happened. I wish his family and friends the best at this most difficult time.

At the same time, I'm glad to hear from Carmel that the letters Roddy sent on behalf of he and myself got to Bill before he died, and that it seemed to touch him that we cared. It makes me feel a bit better knowing that we went with the understanding that we cared as much about his work as he did. I hope we put a smile on his face and proved his work meant something.

Here's to you, Bill. It won't be the same without you.

[JedimstrCR]

Talk about a shock. This is a sad loss...I really can't find the words for it right now. R.I.P.

[blackjack]

Originally Posted by scorpion

Let's not go there. A great man has passed away, he will be missed.

No disrespect meant at all--as I posted earlier it was very sad and even those who have criticized him here(myself not among them) are just showing passion for his creation...in fact giving him a tribute.


I have positive feelings towards him and his creation--just curious to "EPS's take" since he knew him and had a history. In fact I would guess it's not hateful...maybe mixed but honest and there is nothing wrong with that.

[Aleander]

I wonder if the Source will be, even slightly, be affected by this...

[~mj~]

There is a time and place for that line of thinking..no offense, Aleander, but this isn`t it....give it a few days...

[Connor J. Macleod]

R.I.P Bill, and thanks for making Highlander!

[Aleander]

Yeah, sorry...

[~mj~]

It`s ok..it was just a thought..