# Walter Matthau dead at 79

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walter-matthau-dead-at-79/24325>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [July 2, 2000, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walter-matthau-dead-at-79/24325 "2000-07-02T02:55:22Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![sweetcan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@sweetcan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweetcan)\
**Post date:** [July 2, 2000, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walter-matthau-dead-at-79/24325/1 "2000-07-02T02:55:22Z")

</div>

[http://www.cnn.com/2000/SHOWBIZ/Movies/07/01/matthau.obit.04/index.html](http://www.cnn.com/2000/SHOWBIZ/Movies/07/01/matthau.obit.04/index.html)

I have cried over 3 celebrity deaths in my lifetime. Princess Diana, Jimmy Stewart, and today, Walter Matthau.

He was a tremendous comic talent…what a terrible loss. Maybe its dumb of me, but I am thinking of Jack Lemmon tonight too – wondering how he is reacting to the news of the death of his best friend and his costar in so many truly great movies.

I know all you dopers, the smartest bunch I’ve encountered on the Dent, appreciated this man’s humor and wit.

Rest in peace, Walter Matthau.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Nacho4Sara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Nacho4Sara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nacho4Sara)\
**Post date:** [July 2, 2000, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walter-matthau-dead-at-79/24325/2 "2000-07-02T03:00:53Z")

</div>

I got a little teary when I read the news too, sweetcan. Came home from a long stressful day botching and moaning and got a reminder that I should be glad to just be here.

I’ll never forget laughing my hiney off watching him on The Odd Couple.

_sniff_

☹

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![meek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ce73a5/32.png) [@meek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/meek)\
**Post date:** [July 2, 2000, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walter-matthau-dead-at-79/24325/3 "2000-07-02T03:09:02Z")

</div>

Aw Crap!

He was one of my favorites.

One of the greatest character actors ever.

He will be missed.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![nashiitashii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7c8e57/32.png) [@nashiitashii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nashiitashii)\
**Post date:** [July 2, 2000, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walter-matthau-dead-at-79/24325/4 "2000-07-02T03:20:34Z")

</div>

He was indeed one of the best actors I have seen. I will miss him dearly.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![TVeblen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4bbf92/32.png) [@TVeblen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TVeblen)\
**Post date:** [July 2, 2000, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walter-matthau-dead-at-79/24325/5 "2000-07-02T03:23:27Z")

</div>

Rest in peace, indeed.

A gravelly-voiced, funny, humane man with a doughy face and great heart who applied his art to showing the riches tucked away inside the least photogenic, salable facades.

Buffed exteriors and surgicallly enhanced faces can’t, won’t and never will pass for the real thing.

We just lost another Wally.

Veb

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![purrplebear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/90ced4/32.png) [@purrplebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purrplebear)\
**Post date:** [July 2, 2000, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walter-matthau-dead-at-79/24325/6 "2000-07-02T04:04:35Z")

</div>

\<hanging my head, heart heavy with sadness\> What they said. I agree, Veb, we have lost another Wally. Great comparison.  
He made me laugh, he made me cry, he made me feel.

He will be missed.