# Goodbye, Butch. (Paul Newman died.) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 27, 2008, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goodbye-butch-paul-newman-died/465468 "2008-09-27T13:58:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2008, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goodbye-butch-paul-newman-died/465468/21 "2008-09-27T14:53:09Z")
My exact words when I saw this thread: Fuck. Fuck Fuck Fuck Fuck Fuck. FUCK! I’m glad I’m alone in the office. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2008, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goodbye-butch-paul-newman-died/465468/22 "2008-09-27T15:05:38Z")
I just heard the news. RIP, Paul. ☹ The wife and I watched _Cool Hand Luke_ last weekend for the first time. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2008, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goodbye-butch-paul-newman-died/465468/23 "2008-09-27T15:12:34Z")
Ahhh Luke. That and Slap Shot where favourites of mine as a kid. He was the coolest thing walking as far as I was concerned. ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2008, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goodbye-butch-paul-newman-died/465468/24 "2008-09-27T15:18:33Z")
This is one of the first times that I’ve ever really understood feeling so sad about the death of a person you had never met. I mean, yeah, 83 is a good long life, and he seemed to really have worked hard to share his blessings, but damn. Just damn. ---
**Author:** ![tarragon918](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d26b3c/32.png) [@tarragon918](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tarragon918)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2008, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goodbye-butch-paul-newman-died/465468/25 "2008-09-27T15:25:06Z")
I did say “aww!” when I heard this morning, around an hour ago. I think one of the tabloids broke the story that he had cancer and was “near death” back in June or July, unfortunately. He really was an iconic personage, although he never seemed to play on that status (even though I’d never met him personally, that is the impression he gave me). One write-up I read this morning noted that he was so famously liberal that at one point he made President Nixon’s “enemies list,” which Newman was supposedly very proud of. 😃 He was certainly very much into giving; all profits from Newman’s Own went to charity and he also set up and supported many camps for seriously ill children. My thoughts go out to Joanne and his family; Paul Newman will most definitely be missed. And yes, TCM will certainly set aside at least a day to celebrate his movies. ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2008, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goodbye-butch-paul-newman-died/465468/26 "2008-09-27T15:26:34Z")
Sad news. ☹ Somebody up there likes him, though. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2008, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goodbye-butch-paul-newman-died/465468/27 "2008-09-27T15:26:51Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > ☹ > > I looked for the earlier thread with all the nice anecdotes from Dopers who had met him over the years – I’m pretty sure the thread title was Paul Newman Near Death – but search came up empty. Maybe someone with magic fingers can find it and post the link. [Paul Newman only has weeks to live](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=478806&highlight=newman). ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2008, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goodbye-butch-paul-newman-died/465468/28 "2008-09-27T15:30:37Z")
A great actor and a fine human being. An example of a good person who had all the success and good fortune he deserved. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2008, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goodbye-butch-paul-newman-died/465468/29 "2008-09-27T15:34:36Z")
Newman was a fine example of how a person can get everything in life everyone wants–fame, fortune & family–and still be a _mensch_. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2008, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goodbye-butch-paul-newman-died/465468/30 "2008-09-27T15:34:54Z")
Great actor, great man. A friend of my worked in his office in New York. She said he was one of the nicest people she ever met. When Newman’s Own started up, he walked around to everyone’s desk and dropped off a jar of spaghetti sauce. Guess what we had for dinner that night? ---
**Author:** ![Girl\_Hermit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b38774/32.png) [@Girl\_Hermit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Girl_Hermit)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2008, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goodbye-butch-paul-newman-died/465468/31 "2008-09-27T15:36:54Z")
> [@davidw](#): > > …but my favorite all-time Paul Newman role was Cool Hand Luke. Damn, he was great in that movie. He had so many great roles but _Cool Hand Luke_, yeah, he was great in that movie. RIP Mr. Newman. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2008, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goodbye-butch-paul-newman-died/465468/32 "2008-09-27T15:45:50Z")
I can’t imagine anyone not liking this guy. And to the list of his classic performances, check him out in “The Towering Inferno.” I’m not kidding! He and Steve McQueen give a pair of riveting performances in a not-so-great movie. I think someone once said that _that_ was the mark of a true movie star - whether or not they could shine in a piece of junk. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2008, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goodbye-butch-paul-newman-died/465468/33 "2008-09-27T15:51:48Z")
I’ve been seeing his films my whole life, which is pretty much since he started making them; I’ve been trying to think of a single film of his that I disliked him in and can’t come up with one. He literally lit up the screen without chewing the scenery. Man, this is just depressing on a beautiful fall day. The leaves falling to the ground just seem to emphasize the finality of his passing. ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2008, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goodbye-butch-paul-newman-died/465468/34 "2008-09-27T15:56:43Z")
Oh no! Of course, one expected it, in light of how seriously ill he’s been, but seeing it in print is still such a shock. This guy has been part of cinema for my whole adult life (I’m 60), it’s like losing a warm and dependable friend. Still, we have some consolation in knowing that, as with all movie stars, he’ll never really leave us as long as he’s up there on the screen. ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2008, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goodbye-butch-paul-newman-died/465468/35 "2008-09-27T15:58:06Z")
And I hate to say this but, with the impending financial crisis and the debate aftermath, I think Newman may have picked the wrong weekend to leave us. Only because I think maybe his death won’t get the necessary news coverage it deserves. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2008, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goodbye-butch-paul-newman-died/465468/36 "2008-09-27T16:00:31Z")
A fine actor and an even finer human being. RIP Paul Newman. ---
**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2008, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goodbye-butch-paul-newman-died/465468/37 "2008-09-27T16:01:09Z")
I don’t usually chime in on stuff like this but in this case I have to. He’s maybe my favorite actor of all time. He was the antithesis of the screwed up, continually divorcing, egocentric Hollywood star. Throughout his long career did you ever hear anyone say a bad thing about him? He seemed to know how to pick his roles, live his life and do the right thing. Just thinking of “Slapshot” I bust out laughing. We miss you, Paul. I wish they’d make more like you. ---
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2008, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goodbye-butch-paul-newman-died/465468/38 "2008-09-27T16:04:24Z")
The very definition of a class act. ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2008, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goodbye-butch-paul-newman-died/465468/39 "2008-09-27T16:06:40Z")
I just told my mom, who is also 83, the news, and she actually said “Oh, no…” Now from my mom, this is high praise indeed. Sinatra, Johnny Carson… she could not have cared less. This is the first star I’ve ever heard her express regret over. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2008, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goodbye-butch-paul-newman-died/465468/40 "2008-09-27T16:10:38Z")
Crap. Great beginning to the day. I think I shall go out and rent Butch Cassiday & the Sundance Kid, and possibly Cool Hand Luke. I’m fairly sure Kim’s never seen either, so I can introduce her to them. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goodbye-butch-paul-newman-died/465468.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goodbye-butch-paul-newman-died/465468.md?page=3)