The world is very much diminished without Tony, Attanasio said of the Illinois native.
He was really a beautiful soul.
He was ambitious, enough to get here from the Midwest and succeed in a jostling business.
Tony EtzGetty Images
He used to call me beachfront property.
He thought I was the greatest writer since Homer.
I didnt want to let him down.
He was steady in a way that, in those days, certainly, I was not.
He used to sign off every call by saying, Hang in there.
It was like a catchphrase fromHill Street Blues.It was tough out there.
We would get through it together.The only thing that wasnt Midwestern about Tony was how he dressed.
He was a sharp dresser.
When you do it right, its about love: all giving and no taking.
Tony understood me in a way I couldnt (and still cant) understand myself.
That was the secret ingredient in whatever I was able to accomplish in television.
But he knew I was right.
