Bill Jamieson
Hearing of Bill Jamieson’s death yesterday was about as shocking an occurrence as can be imagined in this business. Still a young man, truly, and a man whose importance to collecting and “spreading the word” had yet to be fully felt, his passing leaves a hole at least 10X larger in the business than the enormous hoard of attractions he leaves behind. I first met Bill (or Billy, as many knew him) care of the late director of the Mutter Museum, Gretchen Worden (another who died way too young and at the height of her accomplishments), who asked me whether I knew “the guy in Toronto who collects shrunken heads.” I didn’t know it at the time, but it was the beginning of a wild ride for me with “Billy.”
While in our years of friendship, I wasn’t in Bill’s company as much as I’d like to have been (though there was plenty of contact otherwise), the one time I was at his place typified for me our near 20 year friendship. His condo – an entire floor of an old factory/warehouse in a gorgeous neighborhood in Toronto – you got to by elevator, which opened into what felt like a gallery in the wildest Smithsonian oddities hall you could imagine. Tribal head trophies, feathered capes, shrunken heads, South Pacific weaponry, all of it making for a Ripley’s-like experience if ever one could be had outside those establishments. The entire vast condo space was arrayed as the museum show it truly was, as Bill had some few years prior purchased the entire Niagara Falls Museum (the last museum extant which had been in direct competition with Barnum’s American Museum).
And true to Bill’s vision, his vast condo had been transformed into the museum of his and every collector’s dream: every square inch cased or arrayed with attractions, the entry hall given over entirely to floor-to-ceiling amazement. And then you reached the far end, where his condo dropped and dropped, into the recesses of the building. As he put it, in his end of the condo deal, he’d gotten the old freight elevator shaft, easily large enough to hold a truck, now outfitted with an equally vast wooden spiral staircase. And that staircase took you not just into the bowels of his collection but through even more layers – step by descending step – of cased attractions. At bottom were all the freak animals, the oddities, and his “live-in taxidermist” and restorer. Nothing halfway about Bill Jamieson.
So here he is, a guy who, by this humble collector’s estimation, had it all. And had a ton & ½ of it displayed. And he was miffed. Good naturedly, but still. At me. And why? Because in my first trip to Toronto since I’d met him, I’d set up to stay elsewhere and hadn’t hit him up to stay there with him and the collection. Honestly, I’d thought it rude to ask, to put him out by asking the favor; stupid me: It was rude not to expect his boundless generosity. Of all the things – and his many generosities that followed – I’ll remember that best. And with the fondest sadness.
James Taylor
7-4-11
Bill was, as you say, 10X bigger than most in many ways. I regret that I did not get to see him as much as I liked, but I know he was always a phone call or an e-mail away. And as the fates would have it, we lived close enough that running into each other in downtown was not uncommon. I am trying to ascertain information regarding the service and I was wondering if you might be able to help me? Thank you for you time
Bill died, apparently, of a heart attack and was found, so I’ve been told, dead in his bed by his housekeeper. As fare as a service is concerned, there’s one planned for early next week in Toronto, but I’ve no further details on it. If you’re on Facebook and had been friended by Bill, I’m sure details will be there. Otherwise, I’ll be posting them on the S&A! Facebook page, which will repost them here at the S&A! site.
And I just received this from Bill Jamieson’s Facebook page:
FUNERAL FOR BILLY JAMIESON & CELEBRATION OF LIFE
We all thank you for your patience and heartfelt messages of support during this rough time. A decision has been made to hold a private & intimate ceremoy for family and close friends next week. A Celebration of Life will follow in a couple of weeks and will be open for everyone to attend. Details will follow soon and will be posted on Billy’s Facebook page. We will do everything to contact as many people as we can in every way – if you can help spread the word for us, it is greatly appreciated. Thank you so much for all your love and support – it is so greatly appreciated. Your emails and calls are all acknowledged and appreciated – it is hard for us to be able to respond to everyone at this time and you are not forgotten.
As we are working to gather as much of we can of photos for the celebration, could you please email these to
daniellegoreski@rogers.com as soon as possible.
Thank you for all of your help and for reaching out to support all of us. Your love and support is all around us. He has such an amazing circle of friends….
Please do not respond to this email as these messages are not being maintained on a regular basis. Please continue to express your heartfelt wishes and memories on the wall..they will live forever.
NEW BILLY SINCE I WAS 5 YEARS OLD……
HE HELPED ME MAKE A DREAM COME TRUE….
SEE YOU ON THE OTHER SIDE BROTHER…
LOVE KURT, JENNY, MAYA & KYLE KUTHE.
R.I.P.
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I was asked to film with Bill and Jessica back in December 2010 for their show Headhunters…..upon arriving he graciously waited for me to come up the elevator……did the introductions and gave me the grand tour…..I was there to basically talk about and research any possible “haunted objects”….we all had a great time, and talked long after the shooting was done. Soon after I got a few emails from Bill expressing his gratitude for my participation in the show. He also wanted to formally invite me to this year’s Halloween party……Sadly due to my own tight film and travel schedule I only just found out today that Bill passed. I was deeply saddened by the news, and offer my condolences to his family, friends, and his lovely Jessica!