Plus Size Plum Plus Size Plum Blog

In 1991 I left Los Angeles to join my family at the Duke Diet and Fitness center in Durham, NC.  Many dieters consider 1991 the last great party year. Most of us lived in a “Melrose Place” residential suites hotel which reinforced a strong sense of community and ultimately became the spot for lively social gatherings around the pool with its imposing water tower and pink crepe myrtle. It was the summer of those crazy “Jerky boy” tapes, “Marky Mark” an assortment of colorful characters like wiseguys on the lam, “the bonnet lady” (who always wore a little bo peep bonnet to conceal her double chin), a Republican campaign strategist, a trust fund sociopath, and unusual hook-ups.I had the good fortune of living next door to Dom De Luise who had arrived a week before I did. One morning he remarked about the wonderful coffee smell emanating from my apartment and I invited him in and thus began our little morning “coffee klatches”. We talked about everything: food, family, celebrity, friends and film.  He had a passion for life and adored his family and friends, famous or not. He once told me his best friend was Anne Bancroft who had directed him in his only serious role in “Fatso”, a cult classic among the dieters who could recite whole passages. He was incredibly patient, indulging fans in endless autograph signings and pictures, something of a rarity in the celebrities I’ve met. He may have been a celebrated actor and comedian, but to us he was a remarkable, humble human being, touching so many people’s lives with his warmth and compassion.He had the ability to bring out the best in people and to find humor in any situation. He would wrap his arms around my waist and gesture wildly as I spoke to other people in the pool. (Remember Silent Movie?) We played this game where we would determine which animals people looked like. I remember one day when I said some Nashville erstwhile Cassanova songwriter looked like a pidgeon, he exclaimed, “You’re really brilliant at this”.  I discounted it as a useless talent, but he insisted it showed such creativity. We have a family member who had just had her face lifted and every time he asked “Where’s Betty?”, he would pull his face up to simulate her facelift. He just always knew how to make me laugh.One of the great indicators of a tender heart is someone who still has that childlike sense of wonderment at the world. On the day of my niece’s 2nd birthday, I found him lovingly wrapping her gift in the newspaper’s funnies in his own artistic way. He had an incredible connection to children (as evidenced by his children’s books) and affinity for animals.I have some lovely memories of him like watching the Oscars with him that year and listening to his acting stories. It was clear all his actor/director friends like Mel Brooks, Gene Wilder and Burt Reynolds loved being in his presence.He was gentle, innocent and full of joy and I am so very grateful for the time I shared with this extraordinary human being.

Love, Deborah