Tony Annigoni suicide

[Bill Langelier]

Greetings to all who love this beautiful game. Tony embodied that love for pool and manifested it in so many ways over his entire adult life. I know this because for the last seven years Tony was my weekly three hour instructor. We spent a lot of time together and discussed many topics beyond pool. My last lesson was in late April. Tony didn't seem like himself. I asked him about that and he said that he was OK but I sensed that he wasn't. Now I'm thinking that maybe I could have helped him and I wish I had. I've lost a good friend and a wonderful teacher who really understood the multiple aspects of the game. I'm having trouble processing this loss right now and it's painful. The last text that Tony sent me in late April was one word "EQUATOR". That was a reminder to me to make sure that I focus on the equator of both the object ball and the cue ball before shooting. He was always trying to improve my game and I will always remember that sage bit of instruction from Tony. Maybe it can help you improve as well? Think of Tony if it does! He was an incredibly intelligent and energetic man with wheels constantly spinning and generating new ideas and observations. I will miss him greatly. Bill

 

[Jim Ehrbar]

I just heard.he jumped off the Golden Gate. Who knows more about this?

Hello Jay, boy that is sad news, I knew Tony, he was a good guy, never played him but we played in a number of the same tournaments.
Jim Ehrbar

 

[Globetrotter]

I just heard.he jumped off the Golden Gate. Who knows more about this?

Lucky bastard. He gets to miss out on on old age, debilitating muscle aches and pains, and nagging nag nag from a significant or insignificant other.
For those who find this offensive, forgive me for finding humor in it. I just knew him that way.
I’m pretty sure he still owes me a tournament entry fee and a round of beers. Maybe I’ll get it in the next life or when the Matrix is reloaded.
Hopefully I am reloaded as a better player next time. Rest in piece brotha.
Hi Jay....

 

[kannigoni]

Lucky bastard. He gets to miss out on on old age, debilitating muscle aches and pains, and nagging nag nag from a significant or insignificant other.
For those who find this offensive, forgive me for finding humor in it. I just knew him that way.
I’m pretty sure he still owes me a tournament entry fee and a round of beers. Maybe I’ll get it in the next life or when the Matrix is reloaded.
Hopefully I am reloaded as a better player next time. Rest in piece brotha.
Hi Jay....

He may be lucky but us who are left behind (his children and grandchildren) aren’t so lucky having to deal with the aftermath. Although I can pretty much guarantee that Tony wouldn’t find your words offensive. He was a character and would get a good chuckle out of it.

 

[Island Drive]

Globe, when your time is up, we all deal with it in our own way.
After seeing the movie, Bucket list for the first time it changed my thinking, in a humorous way.

''When I'm going down for my last breath.....I'll say....."finally I don't have to get up in the middle of the night and pee''.

That made me laugh to myself, and my doctor also liked that perspective.

Having worked, played and hung out with em in our youth he was always Tony and he swung life to his fullest.
His drive, energy and spirit were always on the surface.

Being a scuba diver, sailor and born ON the water, I hope that Tony choose his time, when the tide was going out.
It may sound weird to some to mention this, ''but'' from a man who spent all his free time in life.....in, on or under the water, that would be important to me.
I wouldn't want me to be in the bay, being stirred up by the heavy surf and ocean ship propellers.

 

[FranCrimi]

He may be lucky but us who are left behind (his children and grandchildren) aren’t so lucky having to deal with the aftermath. Although I can pretty much guarantee that Tony wouldn’t find your words offensive. He was a character and would get a good chuckle out of it.

I"m wondering why he chose the bridge. Was it symbolic for him? There were other less dramatic ways he could have chosen. Did he talk about the bridge?

 

[kannigoni]

I"m wondering why he chose the bridge. Was it symbolic for him? There were other less dramatic ways he could have chosen. Did he talk about the bridge?

Not interested into getting into specifics with anyone. Although we appreciate all the condolences and stories being shared.

 

[kannigoni]

Globe, when your time is up, we all deal with it in our own way.
After seeing the movie, Bucket list for the first time it changed my thinking, in a humorous way.

''When I'm going down for my last breath.....I'll say....."finally I don't have to get up in the middle of the night and pee''.

That made me laugh to myself, and my doctor also liked that perspective.

Having worked, played and hung out with em in our youth he was always Tony and he swung life to his fullest.
His drive, energy and spirit were always on the surface.

Being a scuba diver, sailor and born ON the water, I hope that Tony choose his time, when the tide was going out.
It may sound weird to some to mention this, ''but'' from a man who spent all his free time in life.....in, on or under the water, that would be important to me.
I wouldn't want me to be in the bay, being stirred up by the heavy surf and ocean ship propeller

Globe, when your time is up, we all deal with it in our own way.
After seeing the movie, Bucket list for the first time it changed my thinking, in a humorous way.

''When I'm going down for my last breath.....I'll say....."finally I don't have to get up in the middle of the night and pee''.

That made me laugh to myself, and my doctor also liked that perspective.

Having worked, played and hung out with em in our youth he was always Tony and he swung life to his fullest.
His drive, energy and spirit were always on the surface.

Being a scuba diver, sailor and born ON the water, I hope that Tony choose his time, when the tide was going out.
It may sound weird to some to mention this, ''but'' from a man who spent all his free time in life.....in, on or under the water, that would be important to me.
I wouldn't want me to be in the bay, being stirred up by the heavy surf and ocean ship propellers.

His body was quickly recovered. He will be cremated. That is the only information I’m going to divulge. Our family appreciates your kind words about Tony.

 

[justnick]

I first met Tony in Manteca , Ca

When they Opened bucktooth billiards.

We became friends, We stood friends over the years . His really loved billiards and wanted it to grow . He tried to get kids involved, many times I called him and he would be at a youth center helping kids play pool . He was always looking to open a room somewhere. He opened his last room in Fairfield Ca . He called it the Two cushion club . When I first heard what happened to Tony I was in denial, called his phone a dozen or more times. The reality set in late that night as he never answered. He always had his phone next to him and pencil behind his ear .I reached out to mutual friends in Northern California and was told the details. We last spoke in late too mid March he called me to tell me he spoke to bucktooth and thanked me for always being a friend and listening to him . One conversation , I’ll share is regarding the movie “shooting gallery “starring Freddie Prinze jr . He was very angry that there was a character in there named “tenderloin Tony “ which was Annigoni’s nick name . He was angry as the character had a drug addiction, any one who knew Tony knew he didn’t do drugs or drink .



My Condolences to the Annigoni Family.

Tony will be missed..

 

[azhousepro]

GeneSF asked me to add this reply to this thread...

Tony Annigoni had been a friend since 1979 when Luby Pelletier introduced us. We were immediate friends when he discovered that I was the DJ who provided the music for his extended practice sessions, when he would tune in KJAZ at odd hours and listen for hours while tuning up his stroke. He spent the final three months of his 67 years sharing my apartment in San Francisco. Tony was a welcomed relief after spending a year with a very troublesome individual who became so threatening that I moved into a motel for a month. Tony was totally peaceful, thoughtful and considerate, and we both thanked lady luck that he happened to be looking for a new perch just when the judge awarded me a move-out order and 3-year restraining order from an unpredictable, scary guy.
Monday, May 3 at about noon, Tony put on his Covid mask and went out for food, as usual. In his attitude and appearance, nothing seemed to be bothering him and this day was just like any other. Hours later, on Wednesday, a policeman came to my door with the news that the Coast Guard had found his lifeless body in the water near the Golden Gate bridge.
I had been awaiting a return call or text from Tony all day Tuesday, but instead I got an 11:00pm call from Bob Tapella, and when I saw Bob’s name on my screen, I was ready for what I was fearing -- “Hey Gene, did Tony die?” Bob told me of a series of Facebook messages reacting to the news. A friend forwarded this to me, from Jay Helfert on Facebook: “My source was from his niece. She said there is video of him getting off a bus at the bridge and video of him actually jumping.”
His niece, Sharon, will be over tomorrow to pick up his few belongings.

 

[jay helfert]

We're all going to die some day, but we don't have to speed it up.

FYI, The fall from the Golden Gate is about 245 feet and takes four seconds. A jumper reaches approx. 80 mph before impact with the water. About one in sixty six (1.5%) jumpers survive, most of them being younger and more fit. Hitting the water feet first helps in surviving the jump. After that it's all luck why someone survives when almost all others don't.

Scotty Townsend jumped off a railroad bridge in Louisiana that was 110 feet high on a $100 bet. He was wearing cowboy boots and went in feet first. He swam to shore, with his boots split open up both sides. He offered to do it again with no takers.

 

[TATE]

We're all going to die some day, but we don't have to speed it up.

FYI, The fall from the Golden Gate is about 245 feet and takes four seconds. A jumper reaches approx. 80 mph before impact with the water. About one in sixty six (1.5%) jumpers survive, most of them being younger and more fit. Hitting the water feet first helps in surviving the jump. After that it's all luck why someone survives when almost all others don't.

Scotty Townsend jumped off a railroad bridge in Louisiana that was 110 feet high on a $100 bet. He was wearing cowboy boots and went in feet first. He swam to shore, with his boots split open up both sides. He offered to do it again with no takers.

I can see it in certain cases, but suicide can be devastating and leave an everlasting scar on surviving friends and family. If it's from depression, that is treatable these days. The drugs are amazingly effective, even in severe cases. If you find yourself thinking about suicide, reach out to someone who loves you or a doctor. Even just go to an urgent care center or call a hotline. There are many reasons for depression and more than one solution. Taking your own life if you are in good health otherwise is a choice made from desperation. Remember that depression is a state of mind that can and does heal. There is always hope.

 

[westcoast]

I can see it in certain cases, but suicide can be devastating and leave an everlasting scar on surviving friends and family. If it's from depression, that is treatable these days. The drugs are amazingly effective, even in severe cases. If you find yourself thinking about suicide, reach out to someone who loves you or a doctor. Even just go to an urgent care center or call a hotline. There are many reasons for depression and more than one solution. Taking your own life if you are in good health otherwise is a choice made from desperation. Remember that depression is a state of mind that can and does heal. There is always hope.

This is a lengthy article about suicide and how to prevent it

The Urge to End It All (Published 2008)

Is suicide the deadly result of a deep psychological condition — or a fleeting impulse brought on by opportunity?

www.nytimes.com

Interestingly, many times it is impulsive. True, the person may be dealing with mental health problems or other stressors, but there is a strong element of impulsivity. Sadly, reading articles about the few survivors of jumpers off of the Golden Gate is that many said they regretted it the second they jumped off. Luckily, they got a second chance.

This is a video clip interviewing Kevin Hines (one of the few survivors) how mentions the immediate feeling of regret. He is also quoted at the end of the above article saying: “I’ll tell you what I can’t get out of my head,” he told me in his San Francisco living room. “It’s watching my hands come off that railing and thinking to myself, My God, what have I just done? Because I know that almost everyone else who’s gone off that bridge, they had that exact same thought at that moment. All of a sudden, they didn’t want to die, but it was too late. Somehow I made it; they didn’t; and now I feel it’s my responsibility to speak for them.”

 

[Rocket354]

This is a lengthy article about suicide and how to prevent it

The Urge to End It All (Published 2008)

Is suicide the deadly result of a deep psychological condition — or a fleeting impulse brought on by opportunity?

www.nytimes.com

Interestingly, many times it is impulsive. True, the person may be dealing with mental health problems or other stressors, but there is a strong element of impulsivity. Sadly, reading articles about the few survivors of jumpers off of the Golden Gate is that many said they regretted it the second they jumped off. Luckily, they got a second chance.

I read an account from one survivor who had broken legs and vertebrae and claimed a sea lion or some such helped keep him afloat until he was able to be rescued. Veracity of his help aside, what that tells me is probably a fair number of people don't die on impact, but probably get broken up well past the point of being able to swim and then drown. So, if people need another reason not to take that path, it might not be 4 seconds and it's over--it might be 4 seconds and another 2 minutes of agony and then it's over. Much easier and more pleasant to just reach out for help.

 

[Island Drive]

I read an account from one survivor who had broken legs and vertebrae and claimed a sea lion or some such helped keep him afloat until he was able to be rescued. Veracity of his help aside, what that tells me is probably a fair number of people don't die on impact, but probably get broken up well past the point of being able to swim and then drown. So, if people need another reason not to take that path, it might not be 4 seconds and it's over--it might be 4 seconds and another 2 minutes of agony and then it's over. Much easier and more pleasant to just reach out for help.

Water temperature in that area is generally in the 50's from deep upwelling from the ocean floor. Doesn't take long for hypothermia to take place.

 

[BarBoxROB]

Loved the book and felt like I was right there with them R.I.P. Tony you will be missed sir!!!!!

 

[kannigoni]

Lots of morbid and insensitive comments. Hopefully my children who are Tony’s grandchildren don’t stumble across this thread. I thank everyone who has been respectful and kind.

 

[sjm]

Lots of morbid and insensitive comments. Hopefully my children who are Tony’s grandchildren don’t stumble across this thread. I thank everyone who has been respectful and kind.

Thanks for participating in the discussion. Like many, I never met Tony, only knowing about him from "Playing Off the Rail" but I know he tried to help grow the sport of pool and deserves the respect of all who care about the state of our game for that. We who live in the community of those who play pool are weakened by the loss of a valuable asset in pool.

Sorry for your loss.

 

[phreaticus]

All I can do is echo SJM’s comments above. He seemed to be a super interesting person and I was hoping to meet him soon.

I can’t imagine what his family and those close to him must be going through. Deep condolences and hope you can find peace as soon as possible.

Moderators - maybe consider locking this thread down somehow? The inane side banter here is pretty disgusting.

 

[Bill Langelier]

I agree with K Annigoni. and phreaticus.