Jack Schnepp in Road 2 Nowhere, 2005, directed by No Theater, photo by Tina Barney
It’s with such intense sadness that I write that one of our longest performing members, Jack Schnepp, passed away this week at the age of 94. Jack first came to the chorus in the year 2000 and immediately set out to London and Wales with the group to perform in Road 2 Heaven directed by No Theater, the first show we went on tour with internationally.
Over the years Jack became a beloved member of the group who would often floor us with his wry sense of humor. Everyone thought of Jack as a gentleman. I know that sounds old-fashioned, but that is who Jack was. He was such a refreshing throwback. He also loved musical challenges. He sang the most beautiful versions of John Lennon’s “Jealous Guy” and the Flaming Lips song “All We Have Is Now”. During the pandemic he and his partner Joyce Dearman starred in an excellent music video of Iggy Pop’s song “Tonight”.
Jack performs John Lennon's "Jealous Guy" at our 21st Anniversary Show, 2003
In his final live performance with the chorus at our 40th Anniversary show in 2022 he sang Coldplay’s "Fix You” which we turned into a duet with Fred Knittle, who sang the iconic version of the song in the film “Young@Heart”. Fortunately we are able to provide links to videos of all these performances. You will see what an amazing singer and presence he was.
Many Y@H members think of the group as family. If that is the case, Jack would have definitely been the dad. Truth is Jack was the dad to a very close-knit family that included six children. We have had the opportunity to meet many of his offspring and even worked with his sons Bob and Thomas on creating the “Tonight” music video during the pandemic. We thank all of them for their support of Jack's work with the group and offer our deepest condolences. Jack Schnepp was so special.
Bob Cilman, Executive Director
Young@Heart
Jack performs Fix You at our 40th Anniversary Show, November 2022
Fred Knittle was posthumously added in post-production to create this duet.