The obituary contains a fairly recent photograph of Healy, Jr., which shows the resemblance between father and son.
I don't see the resemblance. I can't imagine Ted Sr. looking that good at 73 -- dead OR alive!
From reading the obit (truncated here), it sure seems like he led a contradctory life:
Because he grew up fatherless, Mr. Healy devoted time to serving as a role-model for young folk. "It was important to him to demonstrate the power and influence that a positive male role model can have in a young person's life," said his daughter, Beth Healy Lee.
Mr. Healy was born in Hollywood, Calif., and named John Jacob Nash. He changed his name to Theodore John Healy to honor his late father, a Texan named Ernest Lee Nash [who] adopted Ted Healy as a stage name.
Mr. Healy was told by his mother that his father died of a heart attack, a story that was passed on to family. The 42-year-old vaudeville performer, comedian and actor got into a fight with three men outside a club on the Sunset Strip. A medical examiner ruled he died from a brain concussion.
Let's see if I have this right -- The dude grows up thinking his father died of natural causes. Finds out his mom was ashamed to tell him the real story (possibly resulting in him discovering the truth via ugly, exaggerated public rumors. Then legally changes his name to "honor" Ted Sr. -- but in taking on his pappy's
stage name, he's actually
ditching his father's last name and thus metaphorically severing the link to his fraternal lineage(!) -- Finally, is driven to inspire young men & boys to
NOT be like his poppa, as in by not doing dumb things like getting smashed and engaging in bar fights until you end up leaving your newborn child without a dad!
Weird.
-- mnw
On a lighter note, am I the only here who had completely forgotten that Ted Sr. was born right here in the great state of (clap clap clap clap) Texas?!?
