Breakfast Club's Paul Gleason Dies

Associated Press ^ | 5-11-2006 | AP

[AliVeritas]

BURBANK, Calif. (AP) - Paul Gleason, who was in "Trading Places" and "The Breakfast Club," has died. He was 67.

Gleason died at a local hospital Saturday of mesothelioma, a rare form of lung cancer linked to asbestos, said his wife, Susan Gleason.

"Whenever you were with Paul, there was never a dull moment," his wife said. "He was awesome."

A native of Miami, Gleason was an avid athlete. Before becoming an actor, he played Triple-A minor league baseball for a handful of clubs in the late 1950s.

Gleason honed his acting skills with his mentor Lee Strasberg, whom he studied with at the Actors Studio beginning in the mid-1960s, family members said.

Through his career, Gleason appeared in over 60 movies that included "Die Hard,""Johnny Be Good," and "National Lampoon's Van Wilder." Most recently, Gleason made a handful of television appearances in hit shows such as "Friends" and "Seinfeld."

[pabianice]

Just one problem: asbestos has never been linked scientifically to lung cancer. Lawyers have become billionaires claiming that it has, but it has not. Another Al Gore Hysteria.

[LS]

Beeks.

[Youngblood]

Got some to sell, have we?

[bad company]

One person at the AP gets it wrong and the rest of the media just follows.

Very telling.

Loved him in Trading Places.

[NutCrackerBoy]

I'll always think first about Gleason's role on my soap opera All My Children - Dr. David Thornton.

[Trust but Verify]

Guess he won't be raiding Barry Manilow's closet anymore:(

[jeremiah]

I was wondering if there was another person on this side of sanity about asbestos. My father was an electrician on navy ships, he was diagnosed with asbestosis, he turned down the disability, and retired with a regular pension. He died at the age of 80 from cancer.Since his life expectancy was around 68. He gained 12 years over the avg by smoking 3 packs a day for 68 years, and being exposed to asbestos. I know others that worked around him that were diagnosed with asbestosis, and died around the age of 70. As far as I can tell, they all lived nearly as long as they would normally.