Tony Mendez, RIP
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Dave Sikula
Aug 15, 2021, 6:59:08 PM8/15/21
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Donz forwarded a FB post for the AFL insiders from one of Inky's ex-partners that he passed in Miami, where he'd settled.
Not many details, but (even with the unfortunate way he left the LS) he was a huge part of the the show's history.
--Dave Sikula
I am sorry to be writing to you with sad news. Our friend, Tony
Mendez, who relocated to Miami in 2015, recently passed away. While I
don't have many details to share about Tony's death I did want to share
these photos and the below Facebook post from Andrew, Tony's former
partner. Andrew's words are more beautiful than anything I could
possibly write.
I'm sure you all remember that Tony was a huge lover of
dogs. Badass Animal Rescue was the agency that connected Tony with
Togo. Here is a link if you feel like making a donation to this
agency.
Tony was truly one of a kind. He will be missed.
From Andrew's Facebook Post:
This is so painful to write—I found out this past Thursday night
that Tony Mendez died unexpectedly. Tony and I met in 1995 and were
partners for 18 years. We had our ups and downs but remained close in
the years that followed—he was family.
Tony was a total character and one of the loveliest people you could ever meet—generous, empathetic, kind—and very, very funny. I used to call him my little magical realist because he had such a singular, wonder-filled way of looking at the world.
He had kind of a wild life. He and his family escaped from Cuba in 1960 and settled in LA, where he got his first job doing cue cards for the Hollywood Palace. He had the best stories—Dean Martin, Judy Garland, Joan Crawford. And then he became a Broadway dancer—Irene with Debbie Reynolds, Applause with Lauren Bacall, Pippin, Dancin’, the world tour of Evita, and more. Then more cue cards—first for SNL, then for the Late Show. He would always come out with the most unexpected stories. I still remember the time we were watching To Kill a Mockingbird together. We got to the final dramatic Halloween showdown and he said, quite casually, “Oh, I was there. My friend’s father operated the wind machine and let us watch.”
Tony had a lot of enthusiasms, but chief among them was the ballet. He was a familiar sight at ABT—he would buy tickets for virtually every performance—and he always wore shorts to the theater unless it was the dead of winter. Ballet was a crucial thread in his family life too, as his sister, Josefina “Yuyi” Mendez, was a major figure in the Cuban National Ballet, serving as prima ballerina and ballet mistress for decades. The fact that they were able to really reconnect in the years before her death in 2007 brought Tony a great deal of joy.
His other great love was animals, especially Togo, whom he adopted in May of 2013. Togo was his shadow, they went everywhere together—Tony would even sneak Togo into the ballet. (Sadly, Togo died on July 3.)
Tony and Togo moved to Miami Beach in 2015. That was hard for him, leaving his apartment and rooftop garden on W 10th Street and the city he loved so much, but he was looking forward to new larks and new adventures.
I honestly can’t even begin to measure the impact he had on my life. When I met him, he was the most fully realized person I’d ever known, so totally himself. I learned so much from him. Saying I’m going to miss him is an understatement, and I know his surviving family and friends will miss him dreadfully too.
Rest in peace, Tony. You will not be forgott
Tony was a total character and one of the loveliest people you could ever meet—generous, empathetic, kind—and very, very funny. I used to call him my little magical realist because he had such a singular, wonder-filled way of looking at the world.
He had kind of a wild life. He and his family escaped from Cuba in 1960 and settled in LA, where he got his first job doing cue cards for the Hollywood Palace. He had the best stories—Dean Martin, Judy Garland, Joan Crawford. And then he became a Broadway dancer—Irene with Debbie Reynolds, Applause with Lauren Bacall, Pippin, Dancin’, the world tour of Evita, and more. Then more cue cards—first for SNL, then for the Late Show. He would always come out with the most unexpected stories. I still remember the time we were watching To Kill a Mockingbird together. We got to the final dramatic Halloween showdown and he said, quite casually, “Oh, I was there. My friend’s father operated the wind machine and let us watch.”
Tony had a lot of enthusiasms, but chief among them was the ballet. He was a familiar sight at ABT—he would buy tickets for virtually every performance—and he always wore shorts to the theater unless it was the dead of winter. Ballet was a crucial thread in his family life too, as his sister, Josefina “Yuyi” Mendez, was a major figure in the Cuban National Ballet, serving as prima ballerina and ballet mistress for decades. The fact that they were able to really reconnect in the years before her death in 2007 brought Tony a great deal of joy.
His other great love was animals, especially Togo, whom he adopted in May of 2013. Togo was his shadow, they went everywhere together—Tony would even sneak Togo into the ballet. (Sadly, Togo died on July 3.)
Tony and Togo moved to Miami Beach in 2015. That was hard for him, leaving his apartment and rooftop garden on W 10th Street and the city he loved so much, but he was looking forward to new larks and new adventures.
I honestly can’t even begin to measure the impact he had on my life. When I met him, he was the most fully realized person I’d ever known, so totally himself. I learned so much from him. Saying I’m going to miss him is an understatement, and I know his surviving family and friends will miss him dreadfully too.
Rest in peace, Tony. You will not be forgott
PGage
Aug 16, 2021, 5:29:10 PM8/16/21
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This was really a great remembrance, thanks for sharing…
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Diner
Aug 22, 2021, 9:05:47 AM8/22/21
to TVorNotTV
Tony's obituary in the New York Times:
The obit mentions his work as a Broadway dancer in the seventies, but neglects to mention his stage name back then was Bryan Nicholas.
donz5
Aug 23, 2021, 6:43:54 AM8/23/21
to TVorNotTV
Tony’s stage name wasn’t mentioned because it couldn’t be confirmed. In fact the entire obit was delayed until Tony’s death could be confirmed.
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