For a different take on Herschell Gordon Lewis,
http://www.thenonprofittimes.com/news-articles/herschell-gordon-lewis-dead-87/
He was an important ad executive for the last several decades.
Herschell Gordon Lewis Dead At 87
By Mark Hrywna - September 26, 2016
Herschell Gordon Lewis, considered the "Godfather of Gore" as well as the
"Godfather of Direct Marketing," died early this morning from congestive
heart failure. He was 87.
An avid tennis player and scuba diver, Lewis was a member of the Direct
Marketing Association Hall of Fame. News of his death briefly cracked
the top 10 topics trending on Twitter this afternoon.
Lewis is remembered as a pioneer of campy schlock horror, with seminal
movies like "A Taste of Blood," "Gore Gore Girls," and "She-Devils On
Wheels." His 1963 movie "Blood Feast" is considered "the horror genre's
first splatter film," according to Variety magazine.
Lewis is credited with 37 films in all, some under the name H. Lewis
Gordon. All but two of his films were made between 1961 and 1972. His
films were considered a precursor to grindhouse filmmakers like Tobe
Hooper ("Texas Chainsaw Massacre"), Sam Raimi ("Evil Dead") and Quentin
Tarantino. His last film was the "Uh Ho! Show" in 2009.
Lewis also was a prolific writer, penning columns about direct marketing,
fundraising and copy writing for a number of publications. He wrote a
column titled "Burnt Offerings" for The NonProfit Times for more than
a decade. He continued to consult on direct marketing through his firm,
Lewis Enterprises in Pompano Beach, Fla.
Among his clients over the years were 1-800-Flowers and Omaha Steaks. Lewis
met with client AAA as recently as last week. "Dad was as sharp as
ever right to the end," said his son Bob Lewis. While the death was not
immediately expected, he had been in failing health and was frail, Bob
Lewis said.
Lewis's wife of 37 years, Margo, said that he had three damaged heart
valves. "He died peacefully without pain," she said. He had been dependent
on a walker and scooter for the past few years, which took him away from
tennis and made him "very unhappy," Margo Lewis said.
He was the author of 32 books, including "Internet Marketing Tips,
Tricks and Tactics," "On the Art of Writing Copy," "Asinine Advertising,"
"Burnt Offerings," and "Creative Rules for the 21st Century." He also
taught college literature and produced and directed television commercials.
Lewis was former chairman of Communicamp, a full-serve direct marketing
agency, that became a division of Interpublic, an advertising holding
company.
Born on June 15, 1929 in Pittsburgh, Pa., Lewis earned a master's degree
in journalism at Northwestern University. He was an adjunct lecturer
to graduate classes in mass communications for 20 years at Roosevelt
University in Chicago.