Thursday, March 28, 2024

RIP Jeffrey Slonim, 56, Reporter, Friend, Father, Husband, Brother, Gentleman

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(4)_Jeffrey_Slonim_III_-_2016-10-16_20.24.27It’s my heartbreaking duty to report an untimely and tragic death. One of our own, Jeffrey Slonim, one of the sweetest guys and hardest working entertainment reporters, died after an accident on Friday. He was 56 years old, a devoted husband, father and brother. (His brother is the artist Hunt Slonem.)

Jeffrey’s entire bio is here. You can read all about his exploits as a ‘war’ correspondent on red carpets for People, Allure, Page Six, Cindy Adams and many other outlets. He was indefatigable in his quest to elicit smart quotes from celebrities and return to the office with great stories, thousands of which then skittered across the wires to newspapers, TV shows, and all the outlets that claim “exclusives.” They more often than not came from Jeff.

I think of Jeff as very preppy, as his Maine background dictated, and very polite. He wore a lot of seersucker, especially in very hot weather, a lot of red and plaid. He was like a walking Ralph Lauren ad. He loved Cole Porter. Jeff was kind of a throwback to a gentler time.

And he never gave up, usually having to deal with publicists whose manners were in direct odds with Jeff’s very good ones. Sometimes he would be hurt personally by poor treatment, and I would tell him, please don’t be, these aren’t real people.  But he wanted to see the good in everyone.

And what a life: Jeff went to high school with Julianne Moore, attended Yale, worked for Andy Warhol, was on the front lines with Sean Combs/P Diddy when the rapper ran the NYC Marathon.

A website called KDHamptons ran a great Q&A with Jeff– I’m not sure when– but you can read it here. And see the pictures of this beautiful family, of whom he was so proud. Something went wrong with Jeff on Friday. I’m told it may have come from a bad drug interaction. His friends are in shock, and we send condolences and love to his family. Jeff Slonim will be sorely missed.

PS I just saw this wonderful piece in Town and Country by Jeff, from September 30th.

 

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.
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