Jerry Orbach has died

[Skullfarmer]

Updated: 11:32 a.m. ET Dec. 29, 2004NEW YORK - Actor Jerry Orbach, who played a sardonic, seen-it-all cop on TV’s “Law & Order” and scored on Broadway as a song-and-dance man, has died of prostate cancer at 69, a representative of the show said Wednesday.

Orbach died Tuesday night in Manhattan after several weeks of treatment, Audrey Davis of the public relations agency Lippin Group said.

When his illness was diagnosed, he had begun production on NBC’s upcoming spinoff “Law & Order: Trial By Jury,” after 12 seasons playing Detective Lennie Briscoe in the original series. His return to the new show had been expected early next year (MSNBC is part of a joint venture between NBC and Microsoft).

On Broadway, the Bronx-born Orbach starred in hit musicals including “Carnival,” “Promises, Promises” (for which he won a Tony Award), “Chicago” and “42nd Street.”

Earlier, he was in the original cast of the off-off-Broadway hit “The Fantasticks,” playing the narrator. The show went on to run for more than 40 years.

Among his film appearances were roles in “Dirty Dancing,” “Prince of the City” and “Crimes and Misdemeanors.”

Orbach is expected to appear in early episodes of “Law & Order: Trial by Jury,” for which he continued as Briscoe in a secondary role, when the series premieres later this season, Davis said.

'His loss is irreplaceable'
“I’m immensely saddened by the passing of not only a friend and colleague, but a legendary figure of 20th Century show business,” said Dick Wolf, creator and executive producer of the “Law & Order” series, in a statement. “He was one of the most honored performers of his generation. His loss is irreplaceable.”

In a 2000 Associated Press interview, Orbach said the role in the acclaimed “Law & Order” brought him “wonderful security” rare in the life of an actor.

“All my life, since I was 16, I’ve been wondering where that next job was gonna come from,” he explained. “Now I take the summer off, relax, and I know that at the end of July we’re gonna start another season.”

He said he didn’t know “where I stop and Lennie starts, really. ... I know he’s tougher than me and he carries a gun. And I’m not an alcoholic.”

“I know I wouldn’t want to be him,” Orbach sums up. “I guess THAT’S where I stop and he starts.”

In 1987-88, he starred in the series “The Law and Harry McGraw,” a spinoff featuring a character he created in “Murder, She Wrote.” In 1990, a shot on “The Golden Girls” brought him an Emmy nomination as best guest actor in a comedy series.

“There’s a pace in TV I like,” he said in a 1993 interview. “I like to work fast. I don’t like to dwell all day over one scene as you do in a big feature. Big feature films are another world.”

© 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[Wonderlicious]

Shouldn't this be in the Off Topic forum? I know Orbach was the voice of Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast but this news does seems a bit unrelated.

Anyway, this news is still very sad.

[KennyMccormick]

This is an unfourtunate tragedy. Jerry didn't look like he had cancer and I was completely unaware of all this. As of now, Lumiere's light has gone out. Rest in Peace, Jerry Orbach 1935-2004.

[Jack]

Wow, very sad news. I was always quite fond of his part on Law & Order, and of course, he brought incredible spark and energy to Lumiere for BATB, making him one of my favorite Disney characters. Even though he was up in years, he certainly didn't seem like it to me. He always seemed younger than he really was.

[orestes.]

I was shocked this morning when I heard about this. I knew he was getting treatment but I had hopes everything was going real well.

[Disney Guru]

This is so sad to hear, I am extremely sad to hear this news.Jerry Orbach was so totally awesome. I loved him in Law and Order.

[orestes.]

I wonder what will become of 'Law & Order: Trial by Jury'. It looks like it'll still go ahead but he was the main reason I'll be checking it out. I guess we'll have to wait and see what they'll do.

[Loomis]

Oh my! That's terrible news. I knew he was ill, but this still comes as a shock.

Obviously, I never knew the man, but as a long-time Law & Order - not to mention Dirty Dancing - fan, this is sad news indeed.

I wonder what will become of 'Law & Order: Trial by Jury'. It looks like it'll still go ahead but he was the main reason I'll be checking it out. I guess we'll have to wait and see what they'll do.

From what I understand, it was to be a minor role anyway.

Rest in peace, Jerry. You'll be missed.

[orestes.]

I never knew until today that it was a minor role. I actually thought he was the main character or one of a couple main characters in this series but now it seems obvious when I read the show's description.

[JiminyCrick91]

we will all miss you jerry for every thing you have done from Law and Order to Aladdin and the King of Thieves to Broadway shows to Beauty and the Beast. you were always welcome to be our guest on tv,on stage or in on the movie screen.

[MickeyMousePal]

1935- 2004 He was 69

Today we just lost a very talented actor. When I first heard this in the morning I felt so sad for Jerry Orbach. He played an actor on Law and Order as Det. Leonard "Lennie" Briscoe.
He was a great actor on Law and Order and was going to come out in a spin-off of Law and Order called Law & Order: Trial by Jury.
He did the voices of Lumiere and Sa'luk (Aladdin and the King of Thieves).
I'm not a big fan of Law and Order but I do watch it occasionally.
But this is still sad sad news to hear....