Alison, as you know I will miss Rusty terribly. He was a generous and artisitic spirit in my life and will always be felt. I khow you know how much he will be missed. I hope to continue to share his love of The Onion with Nat where we can exchange stories or he can comment with his very grown up and witty humor which I think comes from you and "you know who!"
Much Love and Warmth,
Jodi

Dear Alison,
I want you to know that my thoughts are with you and your family. I hadn't crossed paths with Rusty for many years but always kept tabs on his many creative successes. His loving energy is unforgettable...He made me feel very welcomed in '86 when I was a 20-something kid in the Big City doing 'Groucho.' I am grateful for having made his acquantance. What a beautiful, light spirit.

Love to you and your son.

Frank Ferrante

To Alison, Nat,and Family.

Our prayers are with all of you at this time!

When ever you need a listening ear I will be there. Keep being sweet as you are, my dear Alison.

Your Friends,

Valerie and Alexis Moore
From Aftra Health Fund
New York City

Alison, Nat, Family and Friends,
My thoughts and prayers go out to you all. Rustee touched so many lives and will be greatly missed by all.
He inspired me, made me laugh and strengthed my spirit. He will always be a part of my heart and forever in my memories. I miss you my friend.

To Rusty's family:

I knew Rusty many years ago when we were both undergraduates at Brown. Our interaction came about through Rusty asking me to play trumpet in several of the shows for which he was either the pianist or musical director or both. On every occasion, it was a pleasure to work with this very talented musician. Moreover, and beyond his fine musicianship, he was just such a good guy. We lost touch after Brown, but both of us ended up in NYC where I kept abreast and was anything but surprised to hear of his successes in the music business. I only regret that I didn't stay in contact with him, but I know now that I was so privileged to know him, however briefly. God bless Rusty.

Dana Levenson

I originally met Rusty through my son, Bob. They had been working together on music for a variety of TV shows and Bob had told me that he considered Rusty an amazing talent.
My wife and I had dinner with Rusty after enjoying a performance of "The Green Heart". He was such a happy, humorous and considerate man and we so enjoyed being with him. We had the good fortune of seeing him on several occasions since then. On November 24 of last year, despite the suffering he was experiencing, he joined us on a brunch and boat ride around Manhattan. His sparkling wit and optimistic outlook really made the trip a memorable occasion. I will always cherish my contacts with him and extend my deepest sympathy to you, Alison and Nathaniel.
Bal Golden

As I read through these messages, I am again pleasantly reminded and saddened by the magic of a young man named Rusty Magee. His generosity of spirit has touched so many lives in his short lifetime. We have lost and gained so much from this 47 year old compassionate, creative, loving, energetic, and funny man. He has shown us by example, how to be there for each other in life and in death.

He has given each of us something. Not long ago, he said that he was finally satisfied living his life in the moment. If he could get through the day doing a few things well, then it was a good day for him. I couldn't help thinking how much happier many of us would be if we could do more of that ourselves.

My hope is that each of us can take the gifts from Rusty and pass them onward. Whether it is a kind word, a moment's time, or a reminder to "sweetly appreciate" our life no matter the circumstances. What a tribute to a great man to keep it going.

He said that we were all his angels, guiding him through each moment, each difficult day, with our words, our love, our prayers, our songs, our laughter, our memories, our hands, and even our silence. He is now our angel..giving back the same to us.

Alison, Nat, Family and friends..you are in my thoughts and prayers. Jamie & Alison..thanks for this great site

Alison, Nat and Family,

Our thoughts and love are with you.

Sam and Shari

Everytime we had a chance to visit with Rusty our lives were enriched.

We first met Rusty at his brother Kenny's wedding in Ann Arbor. We brought our granddaughter Katie was probably 9 or so. She watched Rusty "perform" with her eyes as big as saucers. He then encouraged her to sing and she hasn't stopped singing or acting since. It was a gentle shove from the right man at the right time. Her previous chance to "perform" was the night not too long before this when Frank Ferrrante was in Phoenix doing his one man Groucho show and he called her up on stage out of the blue. Now for the rest of the story.

That Xmas after Kenny's wedding I am wrapping a Playbill of Frank's New York show from years before and see Rusty's name.

Yes the two men who PUSHED Katie knew each other and we knew both of them in much different ways. Coincidence, I THINK NOT.

Upon this discovery of course Rusty gave Lynda lots of nice memorabilia from the show which are prized parts of her "famous" Groucho collection.

Rusty we will never forget you and know that right now you are in a better place and maybe you can use some influence to help the Tigers you continue to root for.

Kurt

I'm so sad at the thought of Rusty not being with us. I lost touch over the years but I loved playing bass with him at the midnight free show & always looked forward to making that noise, even though I knew that I was never going to get a cab home afterwards. (Unless I hid my amplifier & gear behind a parked car & waited until the cab stopped & the door was open before I sprung it on the unsuspecting cabbie.)Rusty's warmth, humor, musicality and just the way he treated his "sidemen" will always be with me. I really looked forward to those gigs and wish I could thank him again for including me in the madness. Peaceful Repose Rusty. Peaceful and Loving Memories Alison, Nat & family.