I woke up to a report on Fox News that Tom Snyder, the former host of the Tomorrow Show, had died of complications from Leukemia, and was saddened. Tom Snyder was 71 and had been living in San Francisco for the last year.
I had watched his show from the first to the last and always found him entertaining and informative. He was so impressive that he spawned a regular character for then Saturday Night Live performer, Dan Ackroyd, who made "fun" of, but also made it so over the top, that Tom was even more endearing, and he took it with humor and good grace. He was always the professional. He had a good sense of humor and a big laugh to go with it, and there was always the constant smoke about him, as he smoked his cigarettes as he pleased throughout the show. It gave him an Edward R. Murrow "look" to me, in particular when it was a serious subject he was discussing.
I was particularly angry at NBC, when they decided to cancel his show in favor of one hosted by David Letterman, who was everything that Tom was not. I would not even watch Letterman at first, and when I did check in to see what his show was about, I found him to be crude, rude and unfunny. He was the opposite of Tom Snyder, though I know there are many Letterman fans, including my brother, girlfriend and other friends who think he is a comic genius. To each his own, I shall mourn the passing of this t.v. pioneer, who after an explosive (literally) show by the now deceased Plasmatics singer Wendy O. Williams, who blew up a car on his stage during her performance, looked at the camera and said "That's the end of Television"! I can still see the look on Tom's face all these years later and it makes me smile.
My condolences to Mr. Snyder's family, friends, and fans. May Tom Snyder, Rest in Peace!

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