Ellis' Final Days Made Colorful –Cagle

In May of 2009, I interviewed Dan Ellis, along with Frank Tantillo and Ray Cody, for the June cover story on C&S Press of Orlando, FL. Eight months after the article appeared, Ellis received life-altering news: He was suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Lou Gehrig's Disease.

ALS victims generally live about three years (Stephen Hawking is a notable exception, having survived nearly 50 years so far with a form of ALS). Ellis succumbed to the disease on June 18, four days after his 52nd birthday, leaving behind a wife and three children. He had roughly 28 months to say goodbye and, according to his obituary, Ellis made the most of his time left.