Their words to live by: Artists we lost in 2017

Artists who died this year left behind gripping scenes, profound turns of phrase, unforgettable melodies and plenty of laughter. We pay tribute to a few of the most notable — through their own words.

“I’m trying to make the perfect dance; that’s what drives me.”

— Trisha Brown Choreographer, born 1936

“Most reckless things are beautiful in some way, and recklessness is what makes experimental art beautiful.”

— John Ashbery Poet, born 1927

“One of the strangest and most terrifying things about being human is the need to come up with an identity. It has always bewildered me, and I can say that even now it’s still mostly unresolved . ... Who am I?”

— Sam Shepard Writer and actor, born 1943

“I’m enthusiastic about anything that can be helpful to attract audiences to the wonderful world of opera, so I’m fine if they call me a tiger, a hunk or the latest Russian red-hot express, whatever.”

— Dmitri Hvorostovsky Singer, born 1962

“I’m strong on the surface Not all the way through I’ve never been perfect But neither have you”

— Chester Bennington, “Leave Out All the Rest,” Linkin Park, 2008 Singer, born 1976

“People hate me because I am a multifaceted,

talented, wealthy, internationally famous genius.”

— Jerry Lewis Comedian and actor, born 1926

“Why should I retire? I’m like a fighter. The bell rings and you come out and

fight.”

— Don Rickles Comedian, born 1926

“It is interesting that many women do not recognize themselves as discriminated against; no better proof

could be found of the totality of their conditioning.”

— Kate Millett, “Sexual Politics,” 1970 Writer, born 1934

“Your antagonist has to be every bit

as formidable as your hero.”

— Jonathan Demme Filmmaker, born 1944

“The chorus that meant so much, that chorus is a crutch, and the truth that it avoids is too intense . ... But the

song makes a space. So try to hold on, to hold on, to hold on, before it slips away.”

— Michael Friedman, “The Fortress of Solitude,” 2014 Playwright, born 1975

“My zombies will never take over the world because I need the humans. The humans are the ones I dislike the most, and they’re where the trouble really lies.”

— George Romero Filmmaker, born 1940

“When all of a sudden you’re successful and sought-after overnight, you are instantly opened to a lot of sides of humanity that the average person is never going to see. And those can often be pretty disheartening, and it can make somebody pretty

lonely.”

— Chris Cornell Singer, born 1964

“I have absolutely no desire and no thought of quitting ever.”

— Barbara Cook

Singer, born 1927

“I’m just going to let the world chew me up and spit me out and see what happens. It’s like I got swept up by a wave and I’m rolling around underwater.”

— Lil Peep Singer, born 1996

“To be creative is to be accepting, but it’s also to be harsh on one’s self. You just don’t paint colors for the silliness of it all.”

— James Rosenquist Artist, born 1933

“When you’re born very poor and have nothing, the only way out is to fight, to work and fight and fight and fight to rise up out of the mud and show that you’re alive.”

— Johnny Hallyday Singer, born 1943

“The streets raised me crazy, now I’m immune to it So when they start shooting, we don’t stop the music”

— Prodigy, “It’s Mine,” Mobb Deep, 1999 Rapper, born 1974

“This is just me, me the way I write, the way my writing is, the way I want to be to you, giving myself to you across a distance, not keeping or retaining any part of it for myself, giving this piece of myself to you totally, and you can tear me up and throw me out, or keep me, and read me today.”

— A.R. Gurney, “Love Letters,” 1988 Playwright, born 1930

“The cliché is that life is a mountain. You go up, reach the top and then go down. To me, life is going up until you are burned by flames.”

— Jeanne Moreau Actress, born 1928

— Chuck Berry Musician Born 1926 “It amazes me when I hear people say, ‘I want to go out and find out who I am.’ I always knew who I was. I was going to be famous if it killed me.”

“Some people refer to it as indulging in my instincts and artistic bent. I call it just showing off.” — Mary Tyler Moore Actress Born 1936

— Fats Domino Singer Born 1928 “Clean living keeps me in shape. Righteous thoughts are my secret. And New Orleans home cooking.”

— Tom Petty Musician Born 1950 “I remember thinking at one point, ‘Boy, if this goes on for five years, that would be quite a run.’”

— Dick Gregory Comedian and activist Born 1932 “Last time I was down South I walked into this restaurant, and this white waitress came up to me and said: ‘We don’t serve colored people here.’ I said: ‘That’s all right, I don’t eat colored people. Bring...

“To me, Benson was the revenge for all those stereotyped guys who looked like Benson in the ’40s and ’50s and had to keep their mouths shut.” — Robert Guillaume Actor Born 1927

— David Cassidy Singer and actor Born 1950 “I look back on the times that I was in my early and middle 20s, and I was a tragically wealthy and unhappy person.”

— Della Reese Singer and actress Born 1931 “Every time I sang the blues, I wasn’t blue. I was already acting.”