'West Wing' confronts loss (of John Spencer)

'West Wing' confronts loss

Skein was on holiday hiatus when Spencer died

By MICHAEL SCHNEIDER


Stunned by the untimely death Friday of Emmy-winning thesp John Spencer, producers behind "The West Wing""The West Wing" now must figure out how to deal onscreen with the news.

"The West Wing" was on holiday hiatus last week when Spencer, 58, suffered a heart attack and died at a Los Angeles hospital. A Warner Bros. TV spokesman said it's unclear how the NBC skeinskein will handle Spencer's death, but that nothing will be determined until after the holidays. "John was a remarkable man with enormous talent and beloved by everyone who had the privilege of working with him on 'The West Wing,' " NBC and Warner Bros. TV said in a joint statement.

"West Wing" has already shot 14 of this season's 22 episodes, nine of which have already aired. Show is scheduled to resume with new episodes Jan. 8. Spencer had been a "West Wing" regular since the show debuted in 1999. His character, Leo McGarry, is an integral part of this season's storyline, running for vice president on a ticket with Democratic presidential candidate Matthew Santos (Jimmy Smits).

<snip>

The McGarry character often had health problems on "The West Wing," including a heart attack, as well as a drug and alcohol addiction. After his heart attack -- during which he collapsed in the woods at nearby Camp David -- Allison JanneyAllison Janney's C.J. Cregg replaced McGarry as chief of staff to President Bartlet (Martin Sheen). Spencer's "West Wing" work earned him the Emmy in 2002 for supporting actor in a drama series. He also was nominated in 2000, '01, '03 and '04.

<snip>

"West Wing" exec producers Aaron Sorkin and Thomas Schlamme jointly expressed their shock at Spencer's sudden death. "John was an uncommonly good man, an exceptional role model and a brilliant actor," they said. "We feel privileged to have known him and worked with him."

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117934862?categoryid=1236&cs=1

actor. Daytime dramas do it all the time. Instead of coming up with all kinds of implausible plot twists, they should just follow their original plan and replace Mr. Spencer (who was, I'm sure, a fantastic actor) with another actor.

Hell, if the Dallas producers had replaced Patrick Duffy with another actor instead of inventing some half-baked plot twists, the dream season would not have been necessary.