Dear Thundercats, Rankin/Bass, and voice actor 
fans,

Hi ;(, I just got this e-mail forwarded to me
from Lee Dannacher, producer for the Thundercats:

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Sadly, I can confirm that the wonderful Earl
Hammond did pass away last month, living well
most of the way through his 80th year.

It's a tremendous loss for me as Earl was a dear
and close friend of mine, well beyond our many
years of working together on the Rankin/Bass
productions of ThunderCats, SilverHawks,
TigerSharks, Karate Kat, MiniMonsters and a bevy
of other television and video specials.

Earl was an extraordinary actor - whether in the
studio for voice overs, on live action television
programs or on the Broadway stage.  Of special
interest to you, probably, would be to note that
Mr. Hammond often spoke (with the vocal
uniqueness we instantly recognize as "Mumm-Ra"'s
in nature!) about how working on the many
episodes of T-Cats constituted the best years and
professional experience of his life.  Those were
substantial words as Earl's lifetime was filled
with many and various achievements and adventures
both here and abroad.

One night we were meeting up at the legendary
Sardi's for our usual Wedns night dinner and I
was running a little late, knowing he'd have
Vincent, the owner, seat him to wait inside.
From the corner, I was surprised to see Earl
still outside the front door, in animated
conversation with a new young doorman.  As I
approached, I heard Earl giggling as he said
"yeah, true, true..it was me alright".  As I
kissed Earl hello, the doorman looked over at me
incredulously and said "Did you know this guy was
MUMM-RA! I mean, really, MUMM-RA!!  Can you
believe that???"  Oh yes, I could, I answered
simply..."Without a doubt, this man was born for
the role!"  Earl couldn't have been grinning any
wider as we walked inside.  God, how he loved
that part.

On behalf of Earl Hammond, then, I'll give thanks
now to all you guys out there who have been
entertained by and appreciated his marvelous and
lasting dynamic talents.


All best,
Lee Dannacher
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