Donald
G. Jackson was diagnosed with leukemia in 1995. The
doctors told him he had anywhere from six month to six
years to live. He beat the odds, however, and lived,
while continuing to make films, for the next eight
years.
Approximately
three months before Don's passing he asked me to take
him to the U.C.L.A. Medical Center -- he was in
terrible pain. For the next two months U.C.L.A. did a
great job of taking care of him. He was allowed to
return home for a short period of time, but the almost
daily trips to the hospitable, to check on the
condition of his blood, really took their toll on him.
He was readmitted and passed away approximately two
weeks later, at 3:00 PM on 20 October 2003. He is
survived by his wife Janet and his daughter
Marty.
Certainly, Don
will be remembered as an inspiration to the
independent filmmaking industry. He was a filmmaker
right up to the end. While he was in the hospitable I
would film him as he would give updates on his
condition, reflect on his realizations about life, and
discuss his understanding of filmmaking.
Prior to his
passing, Don assigned All Rights, Title, and Interest
to all of his films to me. He also gave me all of his
years of film footage -- footage that he shot
individually and footage that we shot as a team. These
actions were taken in order to make sure that his
filmmaking legacy would not be lost.
Don and I had
shot many films that were only partially completed
and/or where never edited. Since his passing, I have
continued to complete these movies in order that his
filmmaking legacy may live on.
I think famed
Indie Filmmaker, Fred Olen Ray described Don best when
he placed this notice at the Fangoria
website:
"Of all the
independent low-budget/no-budget filmmakers I have
known throughout the years, I can say, with a
completely straight face, that Donald G. Jackson was
one of the few true artists of the genre. Never cowing
to the pressures and demands of financiers, or
straying from his course in order to please others, he
stuck with his vision through hell and high water. In
doing so he created some of the most bizarre films of
recent memory, films that often left the viewer
scratching their heads in disbelief. Whether you 'got
it' or not, Don truly had his own vision and he never
gave up on it. I knew Don for 27 years and I'm pleased
to say he was my friend."
Trash Times,
an Indie-Cult film magazine based in France, did an
interview with Don just before his passing. Though the
interview is published in French, Don felt Guillaume
Richard, the Editor of the magazine, asked him some of
the best questions he had ever been asked in an
interview. CLICK
HERE
to read an English copy of the Interview.
Scott
Shaw
