Back in the 1980s, I worked at a video store where I met some of my now best friends. Yes, it was the “be kind, rewind” days when the laser disc threatened VHS and VHS threatened movies and eventually DVDs would put VHS out of business and Blockbuster would put the store where I worked out of business and Netflix would put Blockbuster out of business. Back then, in Santa Monica, Bill Paxton was a regular customer. We knew he was an actor. He had done The Terminator and Aliens but not yet Near Dark. He knew all of our names and would come in and ask us which movies he should watch. He was a voracious renter. We watched his career rise and we’d always say “there’s our friend Bill Paxton!” I just thought I would share that memory of a really great person, a versatile actor and someone whose presence will be dearly missed.