Apparently Mike Sommer has passed away

[jsgilbert]

I am surprised that there hasn't been a posting here yet. apparently Mike passed away Thursday, although any further information is unavailable.

He an I banged heads on more than one occasion, which can happen when strong willed and passionate people. I had a great deal of respect for his knowledge and commitment and his willingness to share.

He will be missed in many ways by many people. I am certain there are thousands whose live's were touched simply by his prolific gifts to this and many other online groups and forums.

I will personally miss our jousts as well as his being my regular source of information with regards to all things acoustic.

[Diane Havens]

I am in total shock at this news, hoping it was a hoax, like all things we don't want to be true. A good gifted man, and full of knowledge, fire and passion -- but most of all, integrity. I'll miss him very much. Thoughts and prayers for all who loved him.

[Dave_Wallace]

Oh my God...

This is definitely not the kind of news I like to wake up to. Even as I type this, my mouth is hanging open a tad in shock. Mike has helped me out so many times with his brutal honesty and his knowledge of acoustics. More than anything else, I feel terrible because I'm not sure I ever thanked him. Well...may he rest in peace. My prayers go out to his friends and family. I only knew him through the internet, but I will miss him very much.

[lanceblair]

I will miss Mike, despite all the head-banging (not of the Metal Rock kind) he and I did together. I learned a lot from him. He shared a lot in varied ways with all kinds of people. My thoughts go out to his family and the many friends he made over the years.

[vo]

Very sorry to hear this news.

He was remarkably patient and helpful to me in several exchanges on this forum. Hugely knowledgeable combined with great generosity of spirit. Thank you, Mike; go well.

[Lapianoman]

Thanks for letting us know JS...I'm still trying to process this. He was a tremendous help to me...I can't believe he's gone. :(

[Gidget]

Mike was a sweet, wonderful man, so giving of his time, knowledge and self. There are not enough words to describe him. The world was a better place because he was in it. I am proud to call him my friend. I will miss him so much.

[LynneE]

What??? This isn't true, right? I can't believe this! What happened, does anyone know?

[Scott Pollak]

I think the reason there was no posting of this was because we were not aware of it til you posted it, JS. Like everyone else, I am truly saddened by Mike's passing. May he rest in peace.

[JohnWeeks]

So sorry to hear the bad news about Mike.

[LynneE]

I am SO sorry to hear this! He was helping me with my home studio, but we haven't spoken in a few weeks. He was such a presence on this and other forums, sharing his considerable knowledge in both technical expertise and VO technique. What a loss!

[Pat Sweeney]

I was shocked to hear the news on Sunday evening. I learned a lot from Mike from so many of his posts here on this forum. Always gracious with his time and knowledge. He will certainly be missed.

[Timothy Hill]

I'm sorry to hear we've lost someone kind enough to speak the truth as he saw it, and an amazing professional resource. I wish I could have met him to thank him in person for his advice. Thoughts and prayers go out to those close to Mike.

[JoeActor]

He was a fixture at the Voices Anonymous meetings, and I'll surely miss the big techie :-(

There's another meetup on Wednesday, and if I find out more, I will post it here...

Condolences to all his friends, family and loved ones,
Joe

[yragcom1]

I was talking to Marc Cashman, who relayed the news to me. I am shocked and saddened to hear this. I never met Mike, but I considered him a great inspiration. He was the reason I decided to start working at my craft, and really, he was the only person I communicated with on these boards. I would drop him a PM from time to time, and he would always give me a long-form response when I had a concern or question. If Mike is what people in this business are like in general, I'd be proud to be a part of it.

RIP Mike, and Thank You For Everything.

[Skip]

What a shock. I haven't communicated with Mike in a while. No surprise, he offered me help with my acoustic concerns months back as I worked to build my home studio. There is no question he was a man of tremendous knowledge in that area. He leaves behind many threads and postings in this forum for all of us to appreciate.

Rest in peace, my friend.

[Dale]

Agreed Skip.
I never met the man. However, I would have liked to. As a legacy, he leaves a tremendous wealth of knowledge in this forum. RIP Mike Sommer.

"You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him." ~James D. Miles

Right now, I'll bet that he is tuning the Angel's choir room and getting it ready for us.
D

[DanG]

I am really saddened to hear of Mike's passing. He has helped me out numerous times with my studio and had a wealth of knowledge in the voice over business.

RIP Mike

[scottstoked]

Wow . . . my condolences to his friends and family. I'm just a rookie, but I too learned a lot from him . . . both from his personal feedback and from my general perusal of the forums. The forum will definitely be a quieter place without him.

[jsgilbert]

The details were just recetly released. They are both tragic and bizarre. Apparently "Mike" had been cited for some sort of building violation in front of a sting operation that was filmed and responded by committing suicide.

Some details are in the following news account.

http://www.burbankleader.com/the818now/tn-818-1018-suicide,0,1445199.story


Even a cynical bastard like me is moved to start calling people to tell them I care and love them. And remember this, if anybody ever needs someone to talk to, is feeling depressed or suicidal, please, please call me. I will listen and I will care. 415-336-6238

--j s

[JoeActor]

Last evening at Voices Anonymous in Burbank, many shared their stories of Mike.

It was wonderful to hear how many lives he'd touched.

He will be missed.

R.I.P. Mike

[Skip]

I just got done reading the article. This makes absolutely no sense and is shocking to say the least.

[The Voice Chap]

Shocking and horrible news! Mike will be greatly missed on these boards.

[Scott Pollak]

Here is another brief story about what happened, and yes, it is heartbreaking and tragic:

http://www.burbankleader.com/the818now/tn-818-1019-sting-burbank-suicide-operation,0,3995652.story

[Dave_Wallace]

God this is terrible. When I was still in High School, two of my classmates took their lives within a year of each other. And yet, in spite of my experience with suicide victims before, this doesn't get any easier. I can't imagine the pain and sadness that must have been going through Mike's mind, but I hope wherever he is now, he is at peace.

Out of curiosity, what are the penalties one might incur for practicing without a license in this case? Was Mike going to face fines? Or jail time? I'm sorry for asking, I'm just trying to understand this as best I can.

[Skip]

I worked eighteen years in law enforcement, and I've seen more tragedies than I care to remember. Not sure what the penalties are for violations of this natute. I can only sense the fines are steep, considering California's current economy and the government's desire to generate revenue any way it can. Of course, Mike may have been dealing with other problems that none of us knew about. I guess we'll never know.

[Jan Anderson]

One of the things that baffles me about this sad story is that it seems so un-like Mike. Here and other forums, he would almost tounge lash people at times for not doing things the "right" way, but then is cited for contracting without a license?! Seems like he was leading a double life. I wish I knew him better so that I could understand the duplicity. Bummer.

[JoeActor]

... passing along a note from a friend of Mike's:

"To all friends of Mike Sommer - There will be memorial service for Mike on Thursday October 27th, 11am at Reardon Mortuary 2636 Sycamore Drive in Simi Valley. Please pass this along."

If it hasn't been posted on VO-BB, could someone update them?

Thanks.

[Diane Havens]

Thanks, Joe -- I'll post it over at VO-BB.

[JoeActor]

Thanks, Joe -- I'll post it over at VO-BB.

Thanks Diane.

[Gidget]

One of the things that baffles me about this sad story is that it seems so un-like Mike. Here and other forums, he would almost tounge lash people at times for not doing things the "right" way, but then is cited for contracting without a license?! Seems like he was leading a double life. I wish I knew him better so that I could understand the duplicity. Bummer.
From what I understand, it is very expensive to get a license and you have to jump through a lot of hoops to get one. You also need a license for every single activity. Just to install a door it looks like you would need at least five different licenses, and pay for each one separately. It isn't as easy as going downtown and dropping some cash for a piece of paper. The assumption is that an unlicensed contractor's work would be subpar to that of a licensed contractor. However, that's not true. Mike was as good as, if not better than, any licensed contractor, and I would trust his work over a licensed contractor any day. A license does not guarantee good work, same as the lack of one does not guarantee bad work. And we lost an all-around good guy too. :crybaby:

[Jan Anderson]

Yes Gidget, I understand what you are saying but my point is that being a licensed contractor is the RIGHT thing to do, not to mention the LEGAL thing to do. And doing the RIGHT thing is the message that I was used to getting from Mike. Your understanding of the licensing process is not accurate. It's not a big deal if you are interseted in being professional and in doing the RIGHT thing. This is why I'm confused about why Mike was apparently trying to get around it. :-(

[vo]

It seems wholly inappropriate to be speculating upon whys and wherefores of this human tragedy at this, or perhaps, any time when the full facts are yet to emerge. My halfpenny worth.

[Jan Anderson]

Sorry to have ruffled your delicate feathers, vo. Some of us, other than myself may be interested in exploring the "human condition" that led the very unfortunate event that took Mike away from us.

[Gidget]

Jan, no offense, but I'm too close to this situation to argue this with you. While I understand what you are saying about doing the right thing, there were reasons Mike did and didn't do things, and they weren't just to take shortcuts and get around things. I know that's the stigma of the unlicensed contractor, but in this case the stigma wasn't true. Mike wasn't that kind of guy. So I'm going to have to respectfully agree to disagree. And again, no offense, but the exploration of the "human condition" belongs to those who were close to Mike. Anything else is like rubbernecking at a car accident.

[Jan Anderson]

Okay Gidet, I certainly didn't mean to rub you the wrong way either. Please remember that I was NOT chastizing him. I never said that his work was sub-par because I have never seen it. I was, and am upset and curious. You obviously knew him better than I, and if it makes me a "rubber necker" for wanting to explore the whys of his decision, then so be it. Have a pleasant evening. Jan - out.

[Gidget]

We're good, Jan. :wink2:

[Jan Anderson]

Thanks Gidget. On a lighter side.....I hope you are well and that your VO biz is thriving. :-)

[Gregory Best]

I am not passing any judgment, but setting the facts (and the law) straight here. In California, contracting for jobs over $500 each requires a state contractor's license. One does not need a license to install a door unless it involves a contract for $500 or more. One may obtain a general contractors’ license which covers many trades. It does not require 5 licenses to install a door. A handyman could do it for less than $500 if you bought the door.
Good or bad, the contractor licensing laws are to protect the public from unscrupulous and incompetent contractors. Contractors are also required to carry insurance and be bonded. It does cost a bit, but our trade requires an investment to succeed as well. Most do. All of this is tin place o protect us.
I work for a local government agency in enforcement and occasionally have worked with the State Contractors Licensing Board. I have seen some very bad actors who ripe people off. Many of the more serious offenders have gone to jail. Mike’s citation was a misdemeanor (minor offense) and would have probably been a fine or reduced to a civil matter. I am not passing any judgment on Mike, just stating what the law is in this area. (I also have a law degree.)

[Scott Pollak]

My two cents' worth:

For anyone to take his own life over something like this, I would have to think there are deeper rooted causes. Something must have been troubling Mike enough that this perhaps was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back. Who knows what else he was dealing with in his life?

One thing everyone on this forum can agree with is that he was obviously brilliant in terms of technology and acoustics and very willing to share his expertise with anyone who wanted or needed it. And I think we can all agree that his passing is truly heartbreaking and a terrible loss. May he rest in peace.

[Dave_Wallace]

My thoughts exactly, Scott. Couldn't have said it better myself.

[digdog1]

DB Cooper of vo-bb.com shared this delightful insight from Ron Graywolf Levine:

“I do know that thunder will sound better, as he will be moving clouds around for better acoustics.”

A true audio geek like Mike would have loved the "clouds" reference.

I PMed with the good Mr. S on LinkedIn about a week before his passing. An exchange with a fellow poster was getting a tad heated, and I had tweaked him a bit about his curmudgeonly online persona. Hope he wouldn't mind me sharing a quick piece of his reply, where he gave me a knowing wink and closed with this:

"I'll let you in on a secret, the curmudgeon / asshole thing is an act, it's a character. Just like Simon Cowell...But I support that act with real facts and knowledge.

In the real world, I'm just a down to earth nice guy with a twisted sense of humor, with a wide and varied background. And I try to give more than I take."

Amen to that, especially the last sentence. Thanks Mike. We'll miss you.

[Gidget]

Digdog, that is an absolutely correct assessment of Mike. And while I understand why people are crying foul about the licensing, I could not sit by quietly and let the impression that Mike was unethical stand. Not being in any type of construction industry, the little I know about licensing came from the CSLB website, and I have been a bit facetious in some of my comments. Yes, Mike was not licensed, which was illegal. But c'mon, you know the saying about glass houses and rocks. Mike's lack of license did not mean that he was incompetent, or trying to get away with something. He was knowledgeable in many areas, very skilled, and gave that knowledge freely and for no charge. Like a lot of people in this economy, he was just trying to get by. It breaks my heart to see my dear friend spoken of so callously. If some of you only knew Mike, you would know what you were missing, and trust me, it's a lot. Maybe he wasn't perfect, but he was still a good guy.

[Lottifish]

Wow, this is terrible to hear. He was so helpful when I was starting out, even speaking to me on the phone to explain tech stuff. He'll be missed.

[chucktaylor]

Wow! Disheartened to hear this. Mike and I may not have always saw eye to eye, but nothing and I mean NOTHING is worth taking your own life over. I've been gone from the board for a couple of months and this is a shocker to come back to. If anyone on here ever needs to talk about anything that has you down in the dumps, pls email me or call someone you trust or for God's sake call the suicide provention hotline 1-800-273-8255. I was way down long before I met my wife and they talked me down from a ledge literally! My God this is sad news...I'm so sorry for all his friends and family!

[CK_Voices]

I've not been on the boards for a little while, and to come back to this saddens me. I didn't know Mike personally, but he will be missed. His knowledge and advice will be sorely missed. RIP Mike.

[Bay Area Texan]

He has helped me out more than once giving me advice on my gear when I was starting out;always courteous and full of good tips.I will miss his posts for sure.I'm sad to learn that he's gone.