Remembering Michael Gill 1976-2022
I haven’t posted about this even though its been on my mind for several weeks now. On this blog I don’t always write about personal matters. I’m writing here mainly because his passing has been a tragedy for both the film and music communities he was a part of.
My friend Michael Gill passed away earlier this month at the age of 45. Here is the obit his partner shared on social media:
Michael Gill, 45, filmmaker, musician, and beloved by creatives from Boston to Hollywood, died suddenly but peacefully of natural cause at his home in Los Angeles, California on May 6, 2022. Mike was born at Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C. on December 20, 1976 and grew up in West Hartford, Connecticut. He briefly attended Hofstra University before turning to his passion for music, playing drums for Johnny Too Bad and the Strikeouts, the Damn Personals, and the Murder Mile. Mike spent many years in Boston, Massachusetts, where he was an integral part of the local music scene, working at the famous Middle East Restaurant and Nightclub and using music videos as a gateway into a filmmaking career. He directed music videos and other content for local and national acts including Freezepop, Guster, Dropkick Murphys, Mission of Burma, Piebald, Jimmy Eat World, and many others. Mike was especially passionate about documentaries and editing, and he could be counted on for his support of independent and local projects no matter the budget. His feature film work included Fat (2013), Hedgehog (2017), and The Amazing Johnathan Documentary (2019). Mike moved to Los Angeles in 2017 and quickly found a new home, expanding his ever-growing circle of friends, geeking out about Hollywood history, and living life to the fullest. An avid fan of Star Wars, those who knew him would be relieved to know Mike celebrated one final “May the fourth” before his passing.Mike will be remembered by so many for his boundless love, humor, and genuine nature. No traditional services are planned, but friends in Boston and Los Angeles will be gathering to celebrate Mike’s life at later dates. Donations in his memory can be directed to Against Malaria (againstmalaria.com), The Life You Can Save (thelifeyoucansave.org), St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (stjude.org), or UNICEF (unicef.org). We hope you are one with the Force now Mike.
Michael Gill in 2018
In the 90s and 00s, Gill was the drummer for the Boston rock band The Damn Personals. After I heard about Gill’s passing I purchased the band’s 2002 album Standing Still in the U.S.A. They were a great band!
Gill and I connected around 2015 or 2016. He was the editor and co-producer on the indie film Fat, directed by my friend Mark Phinney. That film screened at the 2014 IFFBoston, the same year my V66 doc premiered. I got in touch with Gill when I had heard about his documentary about The Middle East’s Billy Ruane. There was a lot of overlap with both documentaries and he had interviewed several musicians who were also interviewed for the V66 doc. Gill and I hung out a few times in Boston before he moved to L.A. in 2017. We talked a lot about our respective doc filmmaking experience. After Gill moved to L.A., he and I stayed in touch and periodically I’d check in with him about the Ruane doc. At the time of Gill’s passing, the Ruane doc had not yet been completed yet.
I didn’t know Gill nearly as well as a lot of his collaborators in both the film and music communities, but my heart goes out to each of them. It is always sad when you lose someone before their time (Gill was exactly my age), but its important to value the work he made while he was here.
Multiple Boston music venues have put up tributes to Gill on their marquee including Roadrunner:
marquee at Roadrunner Boston
As I was writing this, Vanyaland has reported that on June 5, 2022 they are going to have a celebration for Gill: “’Let’s Get Faced’ a Celebration of Life for Michael Gill” at The Middle East (Cambridge, MA).
Thoughts go out to all of his friends and family.
