Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Merritt Butrick, aka Johnny Slash of 'Square Pegs,' Died 26 Years Ago of AIDS-Related Causes


Dearly Departed Tours Hollywood reminds us that Merritt Butrick -- who charmed the New Wave as Johnny Slash on "Square Pegs" -- died on this day in 1989 of AIDS-related toxoplasmosis. (Pneumocystis pneumonia was listed as a contributing factor.) He was just 29. Feeling especially wistful as I happen to be currently rewatching the series on DVD with someone who was too young to have appreciated it the first time -- so I'm enjoying seeing his reaction to the beloved short-lived series that I say holds up rather well. We miss you, Johnny Ulasewicz.


Watch him perform with his band Open 24 Hours HERE.


More details and photos of his last apartment HERE


P.S. Apparently some sci-fi types know him better as David Marcus, the physicist son of James T. Kirk in some of the "Star Trek" movies.

4 comments:

Johnny Diaz said...

Thanks for sharing this. I didn't know he was gone. I remember him as Captain Kirk's son in "The Wrath of Kahn" Star Trek movie. He was also in an episode of Star Trek The Next Generation.

Bruce B said...

Another loss in the decimated generation of stellar artists and friends.

Damian said...

Extremely disheartening to learn of this. I'd been meaning to check out what he'd been up to since, given that he comes across so charmingly in the series and is a big factor in what I'd been enjoying about it. Now I know. :\ But nice to see him remembered in a tribute.

SFRowGuy said...

Thanks for the Star Trek reference. I remember his face, but wouldn't have remembered from where, and that would have drove me crazy.