RIP Professor Mick Aston and director Lau Kar-Leung (Liu Chia-Liang)

[la_marquise]

I am heartbroken, this morning, to learn of the death of archaeologist Professor Mick Aston. He was best known for Time Team, the tv archaeology show, and a great ambassador for his subject and especially for mediaeval archaeology, which was his specialism. He was also a fine scholar who made a significant contribution to our understanding of mediaeval towns. I only met him once, and that very briefly, but he was a lovely man and I find myself rather tearful at this news. Thank you, Professor Aston, for your skill and expertise and charm and enthusiasm. And rest in peace. We need more like you, and we will miss you.

And no sooner do I post this, than I read of the death of Hong Kong director, action choreographer and actor Lau Kar-Leung. One of the leading directors of the 70s and 80s, he fostered a whole strong of talented performers, not least Gordon Liu Jia-Hui, Donnie Yen Chi-Dan and Kara Hui Ying-Hong. His films include the classic 36th Chamber of Shaolin, the original 'girls with guns' film Lady is the Boss and the glorious Jackie Chan (Sing Lung) starrer, Drunken Master 2.

If there are any more deaths today, then today will be cancelled.

Comments

[ex-triciasu.livejournal.com]

I'm not familiar with either of them, but they both sound like amazing people. You must be reeling. *hugs*

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

Hugs back.
It was a bit of a one-two.

[arkessian.livejournal.com]

Yes, Mick Aston's death was a horrible shock. Like you, I had the privilege of meeting him once, and echo your words: a lovely man, who was passionate about his field and a wonderful communicator about it to boot. The world is poorer without him.

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

It is. He will be hugely missed. And he was so young.

[yendi]

I'm not familiar with Aston or his show (although Wikipedia tells me that there's a US version), but he sounds like he was genuinely nifty.

Lau Kar-Leung, though, I was definitely familiar with. Following Gary David Goldberg and Richard Matheson, it's been a hell of a week for people who created stuff I've loved.

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

Yep. Not a good week at all.
Mick Aston was brilliant -- smart and sharp and very funny.

[miintikwa.livejournal.com]

I'm very sorry. *hugs offered*

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

Hugs back.

[vaughan-stanger.livejournal.com]

Sad news indeed. I greatly enjoyed his contributions to Time Team.

[athenais.livejournal.com]

I am sorry for these losses. I have already fired 2013, it does not seem to have gotten the message.

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

It's definitely substandard.

[pennski.livejournal.com]

Yes I was quite stunned this morning to hear of Mick Aston's death.
I was glad that the photo they showed on the news was one of him in trademark jumper and windswept hair.

I loved watching his patience and enthusiasm on TV.

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

I loved his jumpers :-)

[ceb.livejournal.com]

Oh how very sad!

[endlessrarities.livejournal.com]

I thought of Mick Aston a lot today as we did our building survey work...

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

Yes, I can imagine. He did a lot for archaeology by his tv work.

[klwilliams.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry to hear it. Yesterday on Facebook the first five posts were about deaths in my friends' lives. I'm tired of this, too.

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

It's been a bad year.

[puddleshark.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'm so sorry to hear of Mick Aston's death. He was a wonderful presenter - that rare combination of passion and knowledge and the ability to communicate at all levels... We're going to miss him.

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

Yes: he didn't dumb-down, he made complex things understandable, which is a gift given to few.

[aberwyn.livejournal.com]

I too am sorry to hear about Mick Aston's death (though I found Time Team unwatchable because of the way they used backhoes and such.)

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

Oh, as a show it irritated me hugely, too -- but I saw student after student who came into history and archaeology with a real passion for the subjects and a real dedication to and respect for the artefacts and cultures of the past because they had watched it and loved it and looked for ways to find out more. And Mick Aston was a huge part of that.

[surexit.livejournal.com]

Oh no, not Mick Aston! :(

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

I know. He was much too young :-(