Ed "Big Daddy " Roth ,fans.....

I worked in television and was actually shooting a documentary about Ed Roth when he passed away. We became friends during the shooting. He called me up one day because he was going to do tee shirt color separations and knew I wanted footage of that for the documentary. My wife and I drove to his studio in Manti, UT. I'll never forget how charming he was as he patiently explained to her the process he used to prepare his drawings for silk screening. He asked me that morning if I wanted to buy his current car, a '67 Nova, because he wanted to start a new project. I was in the middle of building a '65 Belvedere so I explained that I was sorely tempted but I needed to finish my current project before taking on another one. A week later he left home for work. His wife found him there in his studio a few hours later. He had a major heart attack and passed away. Everyone who knew him was shocked and heartbroken.

Although he was quite the party animal back in the day, he converted to the Mormon faith in 1972 and was quite faithful in it the rest of his life. He told me he researched hard and prayed and fasted before joining because he really didn't want to give up smoking and drinking and all those other "happy things" as he put it. For him it was no small decision to be made lightly. Once he became convinced and converted in his heart of hearts, he was all in and completely changed his lifestyle. Sorry, I hope this doesn't come off too preachy but it was a major influence on who he was later in his life.

He was kind and unassuming. He had a wonderful sense of humor and loved to laugh and smile. He was honest and true to himself. He never put on airs. What you saw was what you got, take it or leave it. He lived modestly, worked hard and was generous to a fault. He loved young people, mentoring and entertaining hundreds of them with his countless stories and clever wit. He loved small town Utah living. He once told me that back in California he could hardly get any work done because of all the visitors that came to his shop. Conversely, all the young people in Manti only want four wheel drive trucks and hunting rifles. No one there knew much about the car thing he did so he could work in peace and relative anonymity.

His widow, Elaine, holds a Rat Fink Reunion in honor of his memory in Manti every year around June. Lots of people come from all over the country. Many of the best pin stripe artists attend and auction off their work for charity. There are lots of rat rods, customs, choppers and muscle cars. You should all come check it out.