Tributes  
 

Here are some recent tributes and memorials made for Bill. Thank you all for your love and support.

Remembering Bill Dana: A Tribute by Jenni Matz

"Bill Dana, as dear and caring as he was funny. And my GOD- he was funny!" - Norman Lear

"Bill was always there for me in the early days of my career with a smile and a joke. A loving, sensitive, funny and brilliant friend. - Herb Alpert

"He was one of the kindest, sweetest, smartest people I've ever known and it's very difficult to imagine life without him." - Kix Brooks

"Everybody in the world loved Bill Dana. Bill was not just a comedian. He was a philosopher. He was funny, but he was also super-bright. He bridged the culture gap. He popularized Mexican-American relations- as a result of Bill, a lot of people were communicating on a level they never had before. He was political without being in politics. When you heard “My name… Jose Jimenez"-- everybody put their hands down. Whatever tension existed.. vanished. I wish he was around now to solve the immigration problem! He will be missed." -George Schlatter

"When I was a little kid, I remember seeing Jose Jimenez on The Ed Sullivan Show and falling in love with him. There was such a joy and innocence to him- extremely funny, and unlike anyone I had ever seen. I connected with him on a deep level. I somehow became aware, as a four year old, that he was a character played by a man whose name was really Bill Dana. That is one of the very first times in my life I was floored.

Many, many years later, I walked into a huge autograph show and across the room, directly in front of me, sat a man with a name tag on his table that said ‘Bill Dana’. As I walked toward him, I had a crystal-clear realization that I could draw a straight line from seeing him as a child, to me becoming Pee-wee Herman.

What an amazing honor to have then had the pleasure to become friends with Bill. He was a true legend. A maverick. And one of the very nicest people in show business. He was clever and smart. Hilarious. Sweet. Happy. In love. Genuine, kind, and one-of-a-kind! I know he knew how much I admired him, was influenced by him, and loved him. Now you know too. I’m gonna miss him a lot." – Paul Reubens

Donations made be made in Bill's memory to the American Comedy Archives at Emerson College, Which Bill co-founded with his dear friend, Ted Cutler:

The American Comedy Archives

Robert_Fleming@emerson.edu
 

 
     
     
 
© 2008 Bill Dana Enterprises All Rights Reserved