It is with great sadness that I must tell you why we have not been hearing lately from the irrepressible Cassavetes45. She passed away on June 2.

Carleen (she occasionally shared her "real" name here) has been a valued friend for many years, to people like me who have never met her in person. We could always count on a cheery word, an interesting opinion, or an upbeat comment from Carleen. Her unflagging positive attitude was her gift to us.

She jokingly called me the Maestro of the site, and I sometimes called her the site's Queen. More to the point, her spirit was much of the glue that holds us all together. If you were a Columbo fan, you were her friend.

She will be greatly missed. RIP, Carleen. On this site, you will always be our shining star. Our condolences go out to her beloved husband Alby, and to her son, whom she spoke of so lovingly. In fact her last posts here were about Alby, telling us that they had known each other for 30 years.

Ted, something bothered me about her final post. Firstly it was about her husband. Secondly, she signed off to you & Steve "happiness to you both." Normally I would just treat it as another typical wacky, insightful, fun and loving Cass post but this time something bothered me about it (probably because of Columbo and his curiosity about when people do things for the first time) but in the end just put it down to being her. I'm gonna miss her like crazy and it's just so just shocking right now. I wish there was a way where we could all chip in and get some flowers to her family. If not, is there a way to get her permanently remembered on the homepage? RIP Cass, sweetheart.

Rob, if Carleen was in ill health, she never spoke about it -- even though, as part of her open nature, she did sometimes share her concerns and worries about others in her life, including recent illnesses of her much-loved husband and son, and even her grief at losing Benny the Beagle. I believe Carleen was 53 or 54.

Yes, I think a permanent memorial on the site is a good idea. We'll get to it, but I don't want to rush it.

It may be a bit late for flowers (I just learned of her passing, but it happened 3 weeks ago). If you are comfortable posting there, her family has an online "guest book" on Legacy.com.

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/northjersey/obituary.aspx?n=carleen-zink&pid=157949954&fhid=10693

Ted, I have only been a member for a short time and there are many who knew Carleen longer than I, but can I just say how very sorry I was to hear the news you have given us. All my sympathies to Alby, and to her son.
RIP, “and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest”.

Sorry to hear this sad news, Cass/Carleen was so much part of this Columbo site. RIP.

You know, I thought her last post was odd, too. It kinda came out of left field, and she was being apologetic for it. I dunno, I didn't understand why she posted it or what response she was hoping for, so I held off on saying anything and now I wish I did. I wish I knew that was the last chance i'd ever have to banter with her. I'm so sad right now. Ted, please, please do create a permanent memorial for her here. How fitting that would be. Cassa was such a beloved friend to us all.

I haven't been a member long but I would like to express my sympathies to family and friends. What terrible news. I do hope and pray that the family will find some hope and comfort from God at such a sad time.

God bless
Derek

:(

Truly a wonderful human being has been taken from us. I haven't visited the forum for a long time. Thought id stop by as it was a year yesterday since Peter left us and I've seen the terrible news.

I just checked Colsy's Columbo forum and her husband left a message on June 5th saying she had died in her sleep. I really wish I checked in there more often. Her funeral was held on June 7th.

She was just so friendly. I'm really going to miss her.

Sweet dreams Carleen.

Brian..

Wow, that IS a shocker! I hadn't posted since early May and just decided on a whim this evening to stop in to see what was going on. I mean, cold slaps can't sting much worse!

I had no idea Cass was ill, but then, sometimes people will die inexplicably. Oddly enough, she has joined the most important men in her life, so I prefer not to mourn over the more favorable perception. After all, it's in the cards for each of us.

One thing I know for certain is that her passing will change the complexion of this forum forever, because as a veteran contributor to it myself, I've never known it without her.

How did you find out Ted?

Welshdragon mentioned having visited Colsy's "Just One More Thing" website. I had, once again, forgotten about that website and didn't have it bookmarked on this computer. So I never saw the message from Carleen's husband, Alby. I thought that I would go ahead and copy and paste it for others to see.

Here it is:

"Sad To Say - My Wife Cassa"

June 5th, 2012

"This is Cassa's husband and with a very heavy heart I am here to inform you that Cassa has died in her sleep this past Saturday. I will check on here once or twice more. Her wake is being held at Becker Funeral Home this thursday 6/7 in Westwood nj. Please say a prayer for her.

Alby"

- - - - - - - - - -

Headache here again. I'm not really able to write anything myself right now. I'm just so shocked. So saddened. Cassa's wonderful wit and wisdom have been cut off from me for what will be some while and I am quite selfishly upset. I do still hope to meet her... some day.

I'm very saddened to hear this. I enjoyed her posts and I always felt a particular bond with her because of our mutual love of "Forgotten Lady" and its romantic subtext. I had in fact, been preparing a surprise for her with my first Columbo-oriented fanfic in several years, that is a sequel to the episode, that I was particularly anxious to hear her insights on. I'll always have a sense of regret that wasn't possible.

Prayers and condolences to her husband and family. Godspeed, Cassa.

:( I came here to mention that Columbo is on MEtv in case it wasn't mentioned here yet...and I see this news, news that words just can't express how sad it is :(

It will never be the same here without Cass, as she was such a big important part of this forum. Always super nice, and always with the passion for Columbo, and Peter, and other great film and tv stars and their great work. She is missed, and will always be missed by those that knew her here, and of course her friends and family outside of this board. My deepest sympathy to her family and friends...and also to my fellow Columbo fans here :(

She was clearly quite fond of you, headache. I feel the same way about her loss--you put it very well. I had always hoped to meet her someday, too. I'm sure she would have had a big hug for either of us.

just waiting to go to work and thought i'd check in and then i read about cassie passing away.....just gutted,can't believe she's gone.i will certainly miss her,she was the one who taught me how to "bump" a thread up the forum.deepest sympathy to cassies family. REST IN PEACE BABE xxxx

just one more thing ma'am,say hi to pete,patrick,robert,jack and john for me.

I can't believe it! I kept thinking why she didn't write on the forum anymore...I'm very sad

Truly devastating. She often took breaks from the forum, I assumed she was on another "sabbatical" and instead this tragic news.

Life is so fleeting...It is difficult to relearn this here today.

It takes gargantuan kindness and a truly generous spirit to communicate such warmth through this cold, electronic medium, but that is what Cass did here. We learned a lot from her...and only some of it was about Columbo.

Like her namesake, she left us far too early but not before leaving an indelible mark on this world.

Goodbye, sweet genius.....

First of all, my heart goes out to Carleen's family.

This news has upset me, I've lost a friend. It's hard to believe it's possible to get to know people over the internet as well as we got to know Cass on this forum. I never met or spoke to her but I really got to know her.

Cass contributed a lot to this forum and it wont be the same without her.

Carleen will not only be missed by her family but also, I'm sure, everyone here on this site.

I've just spent the last 3 hours reading some old posts of hers from this site and Colsys. An absolutely fantastic woman. I so wish i could have met her in person. We always joked that when I win the lottery I was going to fly her over to Wales and take her to where Anthony Hopkins was from.

I really, really enjoyed her posts, including the direct replies she made to some of mine. It's kind of a cliche, but she and a few others have always seemed like the "glue" when it comes to this site.

It has occurred to me that there has been a rather incredible, and incredibly sad coincidence with the news of Cassa's crossing over.

It was on June 24th, 2011 that Ted made the sad announcement of Peter Falk's crossing. Yesterday, June 24th, 2012, Ted made the announcement of Carlene's crossing.

Not that there's anything to be made of this.

Still can't write anything more. I'm thinking I need to let Alby, Cassa's husband, know what she meant to me.

Im more a lurker than a poster but am trully saddened by this news. Cass was always friendly, warm and welcoming to anyone and everyone, something that is very hard to find on any forumm and had a true, unhidden love for all things Columbo. It was always a delight to read her posts, it was something i really enjoyed. Without any shadow of a doubt she will be missed and the place wont be the same. Some tribute needs to be in place.

In the last post she created (question on the dvds), replying to Ted, she said (about his son) :

"thank you for your prayers and good thoughts...that means a lot to me."

So, I give all my good thoughts and prayers to you Carleen !

You will be greatly missed in this Columbo site Cassavetes45.

RIP

I was really shocked and upset when I read this. When I saw the title I assumed something had happened to one of her loved ones, but never thought it could be about her. She was so young, and she never said anything about having any health problems.

I will really miss her fun and kind posts. She was great! I will also miss exchanging emails with her. I was blessed to be able to have a good Columbo and Patrick M. fan to talk to.

I did notice that she hasn't been on for awhile, but poeple take breaks from forums all the time, so I thought it was normal, and that she was just busy doing stuff for the summer.

It's chilling for me that I emailed her days before she died. We last emalied on the 29th of May, and she died about 4 days later. When I looked at my emails from her, I noticed that I hadn't replied to her last one, when we were talking about what we were doing for Memorial Day. It makes me sad that I could have heard from her a couple more times. I wish I would have replied to it.

Rest in peace, Cass. You were a very special participant on this site. "Etude in Black" was one of the finest episodes of the series and your overall enthusiasm toward everything will be significantly missed.

RIP Cass. You will be missed.

I just can't believe this. I just can't. I have a huge lump in my throat right now. I can't even think what to type. For me, Cassa *was* this forum. She was the first one who welcomed me here, and seemed always to have a cheerful or supportive or just zany thought to share. A couple times she emailed me to share the sweetest personal messages. Carleen really, really touched my heart and I jsut can't believe that she's gone. I thought of her as like a big sister. She was *always* kind, *always* cheerful, *always* exuding love and affection. I've never in my life cried over the death of someone I never met, until right now. This forum will never be the same without her. RIP Cassa, I aleady miss you dearly.

Aw, no. I completely equate Cassavetes45 with Columbo.

Really very sorry to hear and may the lady with wonderful taste rest in peace. Hopefully she's up there right now chatting with Mr Falk.

oh wow!! sad news indeed!

Hello everyone,
I have been a regular visitor of this website and forum for a long long time (since the late 90's) and this is the first time I post on this forum. With Peter Falk's passing away a year ago, I was tempted for the past few weeks to finally break the silence and share my thoughts with you. But with Carleen's untimely departure, I really felt like I had to say at least a little something. First, all my sympathies go to Carleen's family and friends. If it is sad news for Columbo fans like us who knew Carleen mainly through this forum, I can't even begin to imagine how affected her family and friends who actually shared their lives with her must be.

Like I said previously, although I have never interacted with anyone on this forum, I have been frequently reading your wonderful and inspired comments on the Columbo series and obviously, Cass's comments were always a real delight. I thought I would share the good memories I have from Cass's contribution to this board.

- I will always remember the picture of her Columbo Phile book that she shared on this forum a few years ago and especially how worn out (to say the least) that book was. What was so special about it was that the state of decomposition of her book even led the author of the book, Mark Dawidziak, to be touched by her love for his book and share on this forum (through Ted) how much he appreciated the fact that Columbo fans, especially Carleen, still kept his book as a frequent reference.

- I will also not forget the time when she called on the Talking Television radio show where she talked for a few minutes about her favorite episode, Étude in Black, as well as her favorite actor and Columbo villain, John Cassavetes. It was a good opportunity to finally hear her talk about Columbo instead of writing about it. She was as enthusiastic during that phone call as we had always imagined her to be.

Finally, I will definitely always have a special thought for her each time I will see Étude in Black in the future.

You will be missed cassavetes45...

Lovely thoughts and sentiments Fisher. Tonight I will be watching Etude with a glass a wine and saluting Cass. Love ya girl!

Thank you for sharing this very touching and perfectly apt tribute, Fisher. What a way to break your long-time silence!

Oh wow.

Don't check in much anymore, but always admired Cassa's cheer and good humor. Hardly ever a bad word about anyone.

Too sad.

Deepest condolences to her family.

Going back into the past on this forum, I realized just how much she, in a sense, WAS the forum....at least from an emotional-core type of comparison. Admittedly in the beginning, I was guilty of silently branding her as "one of those", a person who "lives" in chat rooms. Alhtough I never publicized these feelings, I wish so much that I had never had them at all. I realize, now that she is no longer with us, just how much her spirit and love of this show are missed, and I can only imagine how much she is missed in "real" life by her family, friends and loved ones. The vacancy her departure has left in regards to this chat room is truly an example of not knowing what you have until it's gone. I wish I had a chance to converse with her about all-things Columbo. And thanks for putting her picture up, Ted...I think a person can almost see in her eyes that she was a special woman.

Thanks to all who have shared your thoughts, memories and feelings here. I will leave this thread "pinned" to the top of the Forum for another week, as I know we still have visitors discovering the news, people who would want to know what happened even though they don't visit every day. After that, we will announce other plans to memorialize cassa.

Maybe something as simple (yet meaningful) as naming the Fan Forum section of this site after her? "The Cassavetes45 Columbo Fan Forum?" ...and possibly a little picture and some words about her & why the forum takes on her handle? Just thought I'd throw that out there, since this forum clearly meant so much to her.

Great idea, Milo!
It could be nicknamed "Cassa's Corner" or something like that, that would be a little more casual, like Cassa was.

Is it weird that a part of me keeps expecting (hoping?) that Cassa herself will jump into this thread like she always did? It's so hard to get it in my head that she's really not coming back.

Late hearing the news, but very, very sad to hear it.

I am soo soo sorry to hear about the passing away of Cassavetes45 , she was a great Columbo Fan , and we will all miss her deeply !!

Like many people, I am much more of a reader than a poster here, but I'm very sorry to hear this news and offer my good wishes to Cass's family.

She always came across in what she wrote as a lovely person, she will be very much missed.

It's been six months or more since my last posting here, as I'm not a regular, but check in from time to time to see what's been posted. Today was one of those times I decided to check in.

Needless to say, when I brought the forum page up, it it me like a ton of bricks! I was shockingly surprised and stunned to hear such sad news.

I want to extend my belated condolences to Cassa's husband, family, friends, and all forum members.

I post at many online forums and have made online friends with folks from all corners of the earth. Sadly, over the years, I've lost many of those friends as a result of their untimely passing. I can imagine the sadness and sense of loss many posters here feel.

RIP Cassa. You will be missed.

It has been a few days since I have heard about
Cassavetes45 passing away , and I am still greatly saddened ....so tomorrow on my day off as we a celebrating a holiday here in the United States I am going to watch.
Etude In Black ...with ... John Cassavetes as Maestro Alex Benedict ... and remember Cassavetes45 as I can only assume that is must of where she had gotten her screen name from and this must have been one of her favorite episodes !

I've been away on holiday for the last three weeks and have returned home to this dreadful news. It's knocked me for six. I expected this forum to be downbeat due to Peter Falk's anniversary.....but never this. I feel too sad to write my feelings just now. I'm off to say a prayer for her and cry myself to sleep. God Bless You Cass.

good-bye, sweet lady. thank you for all the conversations and for proving that gentle, well-intentioned souls can make a bigger impact online than all the braying voices we all too often encounter. i'll miss you...

I can not fully express, how I was both sadden and shocked on learning of "cassavetes45" passing. I used to be a regular poster, but slacked off somewhat. I always enjoyed her posts, and like others, used to communicate with her off the site. Besides being great Columbo fans, we were both from New Jersey. She really did bring that special something to the forum. You could really feel her great spirit and enthusiasm with her posts. She will be greatly missed.......

I hadn't visited this web site for ages. But today, on entering the forum, I've read this recent thread 'Remembering an old forum friend'. The name Carleen didn't mean anything to me, and I didn't recognize the lady in the photograph. Ted's answer made me know who you were talking about, but as I read on I didn't want to believe what I suspected had happened. Until I read about the dedication of this board, and then read the dedication itself and had no doubt about it.

I cannot really believe Cass has passed away. She was always so full of life and humour, and always a kind word for everyone. I never met her, and I never thought I'd ever meet her, or anyone else in this forum. But, in spite of my not having been a regular here for the last years, and not the most contributing regular when I was, I've got very attached to some people in this forum, in this ethereal sort of way. And the shock has been great, because Cass was felt as such a warm, close presence. People come and go, but she was so taken for granted here that the void is enormous. I cannot imagine this forum without her.

I'm sorry not to be able to express better what I feel, because of my clumsy English. But I'd like to send my condolences to Alby and their son, and also to those of you who were real friends of hers. If I'm so shocked, I can imagine how you're feeling. My only comfort is that she passed in her sleep. I don't know whether she saw it coming, but right that minute she didn't suffer.

Cass, all my best wishes and a huge hug. Did God find out what Peter paid for his shoes?

I mean, as a fan of Columbo, there will always be a reason to participate, but the simple joys of certain reactions are gone now, and I know they'll never return. I suppose that's what hurts the most. I'm still waiting on some kind of a post-post from Alby, but who could blame him if we never see one?