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I received word a short time ago of the passing of long time FSM poster Michael Hammonds (aka "MGH") last Thursday Morning. His wife of 35 years, Jean, let me know that Mike was only bedridden the last two weeks and was in no real pain at the end. I regret that that I never managed to meet him in person at his final home in Mt. Pleasant, Ohio but we had a great phone and online friendship over the years beginning when I sold him my LP of Bernstein's HEAVY METAL: THE SCORE on Ebay around the turn of the millennium. (Back in those days sellers and buyers had a more personal relationship often resulting in a friendship.)
Mike was a great raconteur and conversationalist, with a wide knowledge of books, films, film music, and music in general. He was a novelist and worked for many years as a professor of journalism and communication at Averett University in Danville, Virginia. He and Jean moved to a new home in Mt. Pleasant, Ohio when he retired. I'll miss our long phone calls.
I'll end by quoting Dennis Hopper's valedictory line from TRUE GRIT--""we'll meet again walking the streets of glory."
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Nooo! 
Loved Mgh. Top bloke. Knew his onions. I particularly remember him giving advice to a budding writer here on a thread and you knew he wasn't a bullsh***er - he was talking with genuine experience and authority. He was also great in chickenhearted's old movie poster quiz threads - especially knowledgeable on Randolph Scott westerns and old noir films (and so was Angelillo).
Proud to know him. I will miss him.
My sympathies to his wife Jean.
Grateful for the tip off, vinylscrubber.
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Well....I wasn't ever planning on posting here again, but I'm breaking my self-imposed banishment to post about Mike.... This morning I received a text from who I THOUGHT was my neighbour, whose name is Mike, to tell me that - I THOUGHT - his SON, ALSO named Mike, had died(His son has health issues). At the end of the text was the letter "J", which I figured was a typo. All day at work I'd been sad. When I got home and got on the board and saw the thread about Mike, it all made sense.
Mike was my neighbour for well over 20 years(He lived less than a mile from me), but I didn't even know he existed until about 1999, when I saw his column in the local arts paper. I was friends with one of the librarians at Averett, and I happened to mention him, and she put me in touch with Mike.... and the rest is history(As "they" say). Mike was an incredibly generous guy, always making me copies of scores that were yet to be released. We had regular lunch dates at the local Golden Corral.... ALWAYS fun!
Needless to say, I'm completely heartbroken by the news of his death. After he and Jean moved up to Ohio in 2020, I lost touch with him.... and I'm still not sure why.... I missed his emails, but missed getting together with him even more. I'd never had a local friend who shared the same passion for Goldsmith, and when he and Jean moved, I felt a void in my life....one that will never be filled again.
If Jean sees this, please know I'm thinking of you, and know that even though y'all moved away, neither of you were ever far from my thoughts.
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Thanks vinylscrubber for letting us know, and Jim for raising awareness of it. Very sad to learn about MGH; though I was never in direct contact with him personally, it was obvious he was a good man for real film music. Condolences to his loved ones...
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How kind, Jim. Thank you so much. We have lost a "kindred spirit."
Dumb me. I had to go back into my original post and change my score to Rio Conchos. Mgh Loved that score.
Thats right Joan, he always had Rio Conchos as his avatar, didn't he? 
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Very sorry to hears this. My sincere condolences to family and friends.
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Thor, Here is Mike's obit from Mt. Pleasant, Ohio:
https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/michael-hammonds-obituary?id=58248865
I just took a look at some saved email exchanges Mike and I had and realized we had graduated to mostly phone calls when the pandemic hit. I must have fallen away from even that somewhere in the last three years when I had a long campaign doing care work for an art school friend who was sinking into Alzheimer's, seeing him from in home care giver, to assisted living, and, finally, into long term care. Somewhere in there I also had to deal with a complete left knee replacement. I am nine months out from that and still going through some recovery soreness and stiffness.
I didn't want to burden friends with this stuff, but now I wish i had given Mike a call more often. We're all moving into that age when it pays to stay in touch with those we treasure as friends for we might not get that chance when we finally get around to it.
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Posted: |
May 1, 2025 - 8:57 AM
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By: |
Angelillo
(Member)
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I just read the news, and it saddens me deeply.
Mgh was one of the people I truly enjoyed interacting with here. It was always a pleasure. You could feel through every post that he was a lovely, kind, and gentle soul. His presence brought warmth and depth to this forum — a rare mix of insight, generosity, and quiet humour.
All the heartfelt tributes in this thread only confirm what we already felt: he was truly a good man, and that goodness left a mark on everyone who crossed his path here...
Years ago, he was my game partner in Chickenhearted’s legendary “Who is She?” contests, and I always looked forward to seeing him there, day after day, faithfully at his post. That daily ritual became something I genuinely cherished — a small but meaningful bond formed over time, through shared curiosity and amusement.
As I write these words, I’m listening to RIO CONCHOS — his favorite score...
He will be missed.
If anyone knows a way to contact his wife Jean — even just an email — I would truly appreciate it. I would like to send her a personal message of sympathy and let her know how much Michael was respected and appreciated here, even by those of us who only knew him online.
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Glad to see you posting Angelillo. I miss those days of chickenhearted's quizzes and banter with you and Mgh.
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