Jane Spigarelli

About plan B…

Jane Spigarelli, my beautiful friend who passed away last September, was always trying to teach me the importance of having a Plan B. The idea of a Plan B never crossed my mother’s mind, or if it did, she never taught me to have one. So, until I met Jane, the idea of a Plan B never occurred to me. But once, during her illness, Jane asked me to post this song on a blog which kept us informed of her treatments and remissions and meetings with remarkable people. Strangely, I had planned to post it to her on the exact day she requested it. I know. It’s not even a bad example of a Plan B…what can I say?

27 April 2013. Someone told me privately they didn’t understand why I wrote this post. In part, it was because I love this song and loved that my friend Jane requested it the day I had planned to post it to her. And, in part, because creativity (being diametrically opposed to cancer…though cancer can be perversely creative) has a singular direction which is relentless in its pursuit of fulfillment. This second part is how I always thought of and saw my parents. They never stopped following the direction of their inspiration until it was realized. No Plan B for them. Ever. And for my friend, Jane, in the end, there was no Plan B for her, either.

 

Jane Ann Spigarelli (1966-2011)

Jane Ann Spigarelli

My beautiful friend, Jane Spigarelli passed away on Thursday after battling cancer for nearly three years. She was 45. She is survived by her husband, Chris Monte and their five-year-old son, Jimmy. I met Jane in the MFA programme at U.C. Irvine in 1988. Chris and Jane met in a little thing called Passion, Poison and Petrifaction, by George Bernard Shaw that I directed in L.A. after Jane and I graduated from UCI. I am so sad for Jane, for all the things she will not get to see, like her son growing up. I am heartbroken for her husband and her parents. I found this video clip of Jane on Google. I’m not sure when it was made, but it’s how I remember her when she was goofing around. Her natural singing voice was gorgeous.

Jane Ann Spigarelli b. 2 March 1966 d. 29 September 2011

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