How did Rick Scheckman die? David Letterman’s film coordinator cause of death and obituary

Rick Scheckman, who spent more than 30 years creating footage for David Letterman’s late-night shows and occasionally appearing on camera for outrageous comedic segments, has passed away. Let’s see how did he die and his cause of death in detail.

How did Rick Scheckman die?

Scheckman, David Letterman’s film coordinator died at the age of 67. According to his friend Leonard Maltin, Scheckman had “multiple health problems” and passed away at Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan early on Friday morning.

David Letterman posted a lovely tribute to his co worker, Scheckman through an video.

He wrote, “A tribute to our beloved friend, co-worker and longtime Letterman staffer Rick Scheckman. RIP, Shecky.”

Who was Rick Scheckman?

Rick was a David Letterman’s longtime film coordinator at both NBC and CBS. The Queens native was an enthusiastic film collector who had amassed unique footage from countless decades of celluloid that could be used for advertisements, TV programs, and other uses.

“This meant organizing and cataloging hundreds upon hundreds of 16mm reels and figuring out a way to provide quick access to individual shots,” Maltin mentioned in a blog post.

Scheckman began working on Late Night With David Letterman in March 1982, just a month after the program debuted on NBC. 

Scheckman was used so frequently by the writers that he was offered a full-time position as a film coordinator.

“If 20 minutes before tape time, the writers suddenly came up with a bit that required film of a monkey washing a cat, Shecky knew where to find it,” writer Mark Evanier said.

Rick’s Career:

Rick started working as a consultant for Dave one month after Late Night debuted on NBC in February 1982, and he stayed with the programme until Dave retired from CBS’s Late Show in May 2015.

He was in charge of providing the film footage that the programme frequently needed on short notice and had the title “Film Coordinator” throughout the entire production.

Shecky Footage was the nickname given to it on both the NBC and the CBS shows for over 33 years. In and out of the context of the show, Rick was much more than that. He was a producer for the Late Show internally.

Throughout the recording sessions, he sat in the back row of the control room and was always ready to provide any Shecky Videos that were required as quickly as possible.

Furthermore, it was his responsibility to send video clips to legitimate parties who made a request for them. However, he was more well-known to fans for the on-camera comedic acts in which he was asked to take part.

One of his most notable roles was as Elvis Presley on Late Night, which may be his most enduring performance.

He had much more significant interests outside of the show, which included early to the mid-century cinema. He also served as the chairman of the board of his own business called F.I.L.M. Archives.

Rick “Shecky” Scheckman cause of death:

Rick Scheckman cause of death was illness. He suffered multiple health problems. The official David Letterman YouTube channel created a touching tribute to Rick.

According to the Syracuse Cinephile Society, “Rick was a Film Coordinator for Letterman for years, first on NBC’s Late Night and then on CBS’ The Late Show. He also made appearances in a number of sketches and bits on Letterman’s programmes.”

While I knew that Rick popped up on the programme every now and then, watching these clips made me realize just how MANY bits he appeared in….and how wildly funny he could be in a deadpan sort of way.
As you will see, “Schecky” would do just about ANYTHING for a laugh!, one of his followers says.

Tributes to Rick Scheckman:

Mike Chisholm posted,

Rick Scheckman will always have a great chunk of real estate in my heart, for a great variety of reasons. I will have a lot more to say over the next few days, but for now I will say this: The Letterman Podcast, which has brought me more joy than anything other than friends and family, would not exsist were it not for Rick. But it’s his friendship I will miss most. I love you Shecky and I always will.

Alex Bennett posted,

My friend Rick “Shecky” Scheckman has passed. He was may last living best friend.

Rhett tweeted,

#RIP Rick Scheckman,67 Could source the wackiest piece of footage for the Letterman program in a flash. And was more than happy to be front and centre on some memorable sketches.

Mike Barnes tweeted,

#RIP Rick Scheckman. He was a vital member of Letterman’s team as a film coordinator — if “the writers suddenly came up with a bit that required film of a monkey washing a cat, Shecky knew where to find it” — and got naked in the shower w/ a copy machine.

Leonard Maltin tweeted,

Remembering our dear friend Rick Scheckman, gone much too soon.

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