Ronni Chasen Memorialized By Her New York Friends
Ronni Chasen, our beloved pal, so coldly and brutally murdered two days ago, was memorialized last night by her New York friends.
Producer Scott Rudin and long time publicity maven Kathie Berlin rounded up Ronni’s pals and brought them to the back room of Michael’s restaurant on West 55th St.
Among the teary eyed guests was actor Bob Balaban and composer Elliot Goldenthal. Harvey Weinstein paid an unexpected visit; he and Rudin set aside their differences in deference to Ronni.
Publicists and journalists from all over the city poured in and shared stories about Ronni including how she got her name. The New York Times’s Paula Schwartz divined from Ronni’s ex sister- in-law (they were still great friends) that the famed publicist had borrowed “Chasen” from the famed Hollywood restaurant Chasen’s. D’uh! It was a witty choice on Ronni’s part. Otherwise she’d have been Ronni Cohen.
Kathie Berlin, who worked at Rogers & Cowan eons ago with Ronni, was the only speaker. She recalled how Ronnie was at Warren Cowan‘s hospital bedside when he passed away. She also said that recently when someone had asked the old friends how long they’d known each other, Berlin replied: “forty years.” Chasen, she said, piped up: “25!”
“Ronni would not have been happy to see her age in the newspaper,” Berlin laughed.
Many of the guests are heading west for Ronni’s funeral on Sunday in Los Angeles. And while our memorial was the first of many ways to say goodbye to a friend, this is just the beginning. There are more questions than answers about what happened to her on Monday night at the corner of Sunset and Whittier in Beverly Hills. And this is a group of friends who want answers.
PS No fund has been set up in memory of Ronni Chasen. If anyone solicits money or requests donations of any kind, this a fabrication. One Hollywood publicist has been rumored to have asked for checks made out in his name. This is quite shameful. Ronni is survived by her brother, veteran Hollywood screenwriter Larry Cohen, and his five children.
O.K. Here’s MY TAKE!!!!! Let’s crack the case…..
She was driving with a blue handicap sign on her rear view mirror.
Did she really NEED handicap help ? Did that make someone MAD?
Or just using it to park close the very last minutes of entering her events ?
Was SHE driving in her CAR when she left her last voice mail 6 minutes before she was shot ? Did that make someone MAD?
How far in miles from the event was she when she was shot at ?
It said she just got a new car…. what was her old car?
It’s written she was married once in her 20’s?
Is that true? Said had no children.
She had a older brother.
When is her birthday. It says she is 64 and born 1946.
Very little about her was written that is personal and she would not like people knowing her age!
What was the real reason she ended up DEAD ????
I hope we find the deranged person soon and “he” gets LIFE!
64 and years left to write a juicy book about her life…. did someone fear her information? I think it’s someone she knew…..
Just my gut feeling……
So Rest Little Girl…. we will keep searching for the reason someone took you away from all your buddies…..
Ronni will be missed. For all the persons murdered and never solved…
One day…. one day…. maybe real soon.
At least there was a proper New York memorial for Ronni; who I met eyears ago in LA and was always nice when I saw her again. A total pro. When the beloved BILL MURRAY from Celebtiy Bulletin passed away in March; there were promises of such an event. As of this writing there has been nothing .. and, it is a tragedy. Rumors of in-family fighting abound … so, so sad!
RIP Ronni … and, Bill!
What was her relationship status? Not trying to play detective here but I wonder if this was domestic? It just seems to me that it takes a lot of personal rage to shoot someone five times.
Her family will be in my prayers.