Rick Scheckman, who worked with David Letterman for more than 30 years, died Friday at Bellevue Hospital in New York, according to friend Leonard Maltin. He was 67 and reportedly had “multiple health issues.”
Scheckman joined “Late Night With David Letterman” in 1982, coming aboard just one month after the show’s premiere on NBC. He quickly caught the attention of staff, and was made a full-time employee with the title of film coordinator. He later moved to CBS with Letterman and worked on “The Late Show” with him, sometimes appearing as an actor in a sketch. He stayed until the show ended
Scheckman was known as a film collector and for his ability to find obscure film clips at a moment’s notice.
“If twenty minutes before tape time, the writers suddenly came up with a bit that required film of a monkey washing a cat, Shecky knew where to find it,” wrote blogger Mark Evanier, a friend. “He was, as a small number of people are in their jobs, utterly irreplaceable.”
He graduated from New York University and Baruch College, earning a Masters degree at the latter. He recently donated his 16mm film collection to the Library of Congress.
Survivors include his brother, Michael. No memorial plan have been revealed.