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From Mary Jo West:
I have just learned that my good friend, Robert (Robbie) Irvin passed away on January 11, 2019, in New York City. His passing was just confirmed to me by a close friend of his in NYC. .png)
Here is a photo taken at the Fox Theatre in 1964, where a young Robbie performed regularly as the "boy organist," playing "The Mighty Mo," the second largest theatre organ in the world.
These photos show Robert playing a Steinway at an event at the newly refurbished Rainbow Room in New York in 2015.
Robert died from complications of Parkinson's disease. He will be deeply missed.
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Denise Daniel (Hardman) (1973)
I last spoke to Rob on the phone around Thanksgiving. I had been out of work for a few months with some surgeries and it seemed like a good time for us to meet up in NYC. I’m sad to say that we never got together in person although we spoke several times a year by phone. Rob and I were great friends when we were were teenagers. Over the years, we never lost touch. Rob had a quiet elegance about him that some knew, but many did not. He made me THINK, when I was too lazy to do so. He sent me music and poetry/lyrics regularly that he knew I would enjoy. My first major memory of him was in 1972 when we were detained by the East Point Police Department. We were two 16 year olds who had a great late nite together rolling my friend’s yard (that he had a romantic interest in). My last vivid memory was his recollection of 9/11. He expressed how it affected him personally, everyone in his building, and seriously everyone he knew. We spoke for hours that night of recollection and cried together. We never spoke of it again. We were good for each other as “encouragers.” I’ll miss that. Rest well, Rob. Denise