"Angel" star Andy Hallett dies at 33
Fans of the Buffyverse were saddened this week with the news that Angel star Andy Hallett died Sunday night from heart failure at the age of 33. Hallett played Lorne, the telepathic demon who ran a karaoke bar and sometimes helped Angel. While Lorne's sexual orientation was never explicitly addressed, he certainly had his flamboyant qualities, frequently flirted with Angel and knew how to make use of a gay pop culture reference, inspiring fans to speculate about Lorne's sexuality. (He wasn't the only Buffyverse character to inspire such speculation, around the same time, Buffy viewers were wondering about Andrew.) By the time Lorne became a part of the show, an overseas move (and, later, recaps from an ex-boyfriend who didn't know the difference between Glory and Darla) made trying to keep up with Angel a daunting task for me. Still, the fun Hallet brought to the show as Lorne made sifting through the confusion worthwhile. Sadly, Hallett isn't the only Angel star to die so young. In 2002 Glenn Quinn, who had a memorably short run in Angel's first season as Doyle, died at the age of 32. Our condolences go out to his family and friends. Submitted by on Tue, 2009-03-31 11:42. |
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Oh, Andy. . .
. . .you're the main reason I watched Angel.
Rest in peace, buddy; I'm gonna miss you much!
Tom
Lorne was one of
Shock
I'm in shock. He was an awesome character and was the very essence of comic relief that every good series needs. He should have had an emmy for Angel.
Another one gone too young.
Very, very sad
Sad but true
Only the good die young.
That's all I am saying...
INSIDEGUY
Andy Hallett did an amazing job
of portraying a wonderfully eccentric omnisexual character (at least in my imagination) on Angel. The Buffyverse is often criticized for the muddled (Willow's straight, no, wait, she's a lesian!) or too-far-under-the-radar (Andew) sexuality of characters. Lorne, thanks to the considerable talents of Andy Hallett, had none of those issues. He was able to convey Lorne's attraction to Angel and Cordelia as well as other characters in a way that was non-threatening, and yet I had no doubt that he would have gladly followed through if the attraction was mutual.
One of my favorite Lorne scenes aired on an episode on TNT this morning. The gang was entering a library to pursue one of Cordelia's visions, when Lorne was confronted by a woman who was obviously distressed by Lorne's looks. Without missing a beat, he played along with her realization that Lorne must be there for a children's reading hour, and was able to put her at ease with his quick wit and personality. I always thought that Lorne's increased participation with the gang over the seasons was due to Hallett's many talents (that voice!) and charms. I'm saddened for his family, and for we fans who will be deprived of seeing what he could have brought to other roles in future projects.