R.I.P. ... Vincent Cole

[mark]

I'm heartbroken. Fourteen years ago, Vincent was the very first person to post to this version of the Bacharach discussion forum and he ranks fifth in all time number of posts. He's one of a handful of fans who've kept this forum alive all these years, and he's always been a source of enthusiasm and positive energy. Those of you who have been here a while can remember some of the drama from days gone by, but Vincent was always above that and never had an unkind or harsh word for anyone. His fandom of Burt dwarfed mine and just about everybody else's on this forum. I can't think of anyone who invested as much time and money over the years traveling around the country to attend concerts. But more than that, he was, as everyone else has said, a wonderful man. He used to call me from time to time to talk about Burt and he was always one of the first to let me know if there was a problem with spam on the forum or the function of the site. As I'm writing this, I'm realizing we never actually met in person. That seems strange to me because we spoke by phone and messaged on Facebook and I saw so many photos of him, I feel like we're old friends. Unfortunately, our schedules never aligned and we weren't able to meet up at a concert. I was wondering on Friday why I hadn't heard from him in so long. Now I know why. Rest in peace, Vincent.

[rjones7]

So sad I have come here for years my his memory be a blessing!!!

[harrymcc]

I’m also late to this, but I’m so sorry to hear that. My only interactions with Vincent were an exchange or two on this forum, but it was obvious he was a sweet guy and so very good at sharing his enthusiasm.

[Andrew]

I haven’t been on the forum for some time and was shocked and very saddened to hear the news about Vincent. What a true gentleman he was - such a positive outlook on life and always happy to share stories and experiences of his life as a fan of Burts. I was fortunate enough to speak with him a few times in the early days of this forum and he often sent me rare recordings and dvds of Burt. He was kind and generous and will be really missed.

Condolences to Cheryl and his family.
Andrew

[BB4LIFE]

Ron,

Thank you for sharing this information with us. I had no clue. It's been a long time since I've been on the forum and I only just spoke with Vincent back in April or May of this year. He was in such good spirits, too.

While it's so sad to know that Vincent has passed away...it's so lovely to see just how much people appreciated the kind person he was during his time here. If it wasn't for his posts on this website featuring pictures of him with Burt...I never would've imagined that I could possibly meet Burt myself. But sure enough in 2006, I got tickets to see Burt at the Heinz Hall in Pittsburgh and reached out to Vincent via this website after learning he'd also be at the show. I figured that he was the guy to know, ha. He'd met Burt quite a few times up to that point...so I thought get to know him and he might be able to help me out. And true to his character...that's exactly what he did.

In our few e-mail exchanges...Vincent told me where he'd be sitting at the show (front row of course, ha). So before I took my seat up in the balcony...I went down to the front row and introduced myself to Vincent. He couldn't have been lovelier. He was so nice and sincerely happy to meet me. He was impressed that he was meeting at 21-year-old at a Burt Bacharach concert, ha. He'd later go on to mention that to me from time to time when we'd talk on the phone and reminisce about our meeting in Pittsburgh.

Anyway...Vincent told me to meet him by the backstage door after the show and that maybe Burt would come out and speak with us. So that's what I did. It was November and pretty cold that night...so we took a walk around the block while waiting to see if we could catch Burt before he left. During that walk around the block we just talked and got to know a little more about one another. Joining us was Vincent's sweetheart of a wife, Cheryl, and my dad. It was such a pleasant time being with that group of people at that moment. It truly was a fantastic evening and remains to this day one of the best nights of my life.

Eventually we got back around the block to see the garage door open and Burt's limo still there. John Pagano came out and began talking to us. He said that Burt would be out soon. I was soooo excited! Vincent was perhaps even more excited though for this 21-year-old boy who was about to meet his musical hero, ha. Sure enough Burt joined us outside a few minutes later and talked with us for a little bit before taking pictures and signing an autograph for me. Once again that was easily one of the best nights of my life and Vincent played such a huge part in making it happen. And that's something that I will NEVER forget and will always be so grateful that he looked out for me in the way he did. From that day forward we kept in touch up until just a few months ago when we last spoke to one another.

Like others have mentioned...Vincent was a giver. He hooked me up with some rare Burt items...CD's and DVD's with old performances from live shows and TV shows. I remember the items arriving in the mail and me being so excited to see what Vincent had in store for me. He was just too cool and so generous. He eventually found out that I enjoyed writing music and was always so encouraging of my work and so kind with what he had to say about it. And for that I'll always be grateful.

The last time I saw him was back in 2016 in Nashville at, of course, another Burt concert, ha. We met an hour or so before the show and had a nice time catching up. He introduced me to another very dedicated Burt fan who like Vincent had traveled all over the world to see him perform. I felt out of place sitting with them as it was only my second time seeing Burt live. But once again, Vincent was so wonderful to me and ultimately hooked me up with a backstage pass to join him after the show to meet with Burt and the band. That's just who he was...an absolute wonderful, caring, sweet and gentle person.

This picture is from our last get together in Nashville before the show began. Gosh...we'd talked about meeting up for my third show...because I definitely want to get the hat trick of seeing Burt live. Well all I know is that if I can make it out to see him perform again...there's no doubt that Vincent will be on my mind and with me in spirit.

Cheryl if you read this...I'm thinking of you and sending love and positive thoughts your way. I'm so happy that I was able to meet you and Vincent all those years ago. And I'm glad to be able to say that Vincent and I were friends during his time here. Everyone should know someone like him during their lifetime.

All my best to everyone.

Take Care,

Layne