Our Friend, Allan Fisch

Dear friends,

It is with a heavy heart that I reach out to you today on behalf of Allan Fisch, who recently passed away at the much-too-young age of 58.

Allan was one-of-a-kind: smart, funny, sweet, caring, a good friend to so many. He loved movies and the world of filmmaking. When he was employed by MGM-UA in the 90s, he supervised several special-edition dvds including Yentl —working alongside Barbra Streisand! — as well as uncovering rare archival footage and never-before-heard musical recordings in the MGM vaults from The Wizard of Oz, his favorite movie. Allan returned to school later in life to complete an MA in Teaching and taught children in Northern California. He often said he loved being a teacher more than anything else.

Just before the Pandemic, Allan’s happy world began to crumble. His job was eliminated, then the tenants in his apartment building were forced to evacuate within two weeks. With nowhere to go, Allan found himself and his beloved fur child Freddie living out of his car. That is, until the car was stolen. This led to one unfortunate event after another which ultimately left the two homeless, barely getting by. Friends did what they could to support them while Allan attempted to get financial assistance from the government but was met with red tape at every turn.

Ultimately, Allan was able to make his way back to Southern California with Freddie, where he had many friends in the sober community. But his terrible luck continued. When Allan ran into an IHOP to use their bathroom, he emerged to find Freddie had been stolen. He searched for days, to no avail. This last straw devastated the poor man. A few weeks ago, he finally managed to secure a motel room with the government’s help. Tragically, he died days later of cardiac arrest in that tiny room, heartbroken and alone.

With his family’s permission, I have taken possession of Allan’s cremains and now have the task of finding an appropriate way to honor his memory. At the moment he’s with me in my home. My hope is to scatter Allan’s ashes in the memorial rose garden of Hollywood Forever Cemetery here in Los Angeles. Why there? I recently discovered the great Judy Garland now rests in a family mausoleum at Hollywood Forever. (She was moved in 2017 from her original burial site in New York.) I cannot think of a more appropriate location for Allan’s final resting place, just a few feet away from his favorite actress who starred in his favorite movie.

To make this happen would require the nominal fee I’m attempting to raise. Thank you all for reading my tribute. If you are so inclined to offer a donation, I assure you that Allan’s friends and family will deeply appreciate your generosity. Bless you.