Saturday, January 13th, 1962: Beverly Hills,on a typical Southern California winter's night. There is a mist in the air and a fine rain is falling. Ernie is attending a Christening party for the son of Milton Berle. Kovacs is his usual wise-cracking self. He tells friends how he's going to live forever. How? "All it takes is 3 steam baths a day, lots of good brandy, about 20 cigars and to work all night!" He neglects to mention he's been living like this for 20 of his 42 years. He will be 43 in a week. He leaves the party and is driving home on his usual route through the Los Angeles Country Club grounds on the way to Santa Monica Blvd. He reaches for one of his foot-long Havana cigar specials, (his trademark) fumbling with a kitchen match, he attempts to strike it with his fingernail (an old habit). In that split second, Ernie loses control of his car and smashes broadside into a utility pole.
Ernie Kovacs* Dead at age 42.
