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CAPE FEAR MEMORIAL BRIDGE CLOSURE: UPDATES, RESOURCES, AND CONTEXT

Film and Music Communities Remember Eddie Blakely

Blakely at last year's Cucalorus Film Festival
www.cucalorus.com
Blakely at last year's Cucalorus Film Festival

Members of Wilmington's film and music communities gathered over the weekend to mourn the passing of Edgar "Eddie" Blakely III. WHQR's Megan Williams attended the memorial service and has more...

Blakely?s eulogy was punctuated several times by laughter, as friends shared stories, played music, and remembered a man described as a "centrifugal force" in the film community.

More than two hundred mourners attended Sunday?s memorial service at Screen Gems Studios, which followed a fundraiser at the Bella Festa nightclub the night before. Among his many hats, Blakely did booking and promotion for the Bella Festa and worked with the Cucalorus film festival.

At a reception after the service, Cucalorus director Dan Brawley described Blakely as a motivating force in the arts community.

"No matter what kind of hand you were dealt, Eddie was the kind of guy who could always see the bright side of it. And would always dream big. It didn't matter what kind of idea you had, if Eddie was in the room, it was like, yeah, we can do that. No problem. Make it so."

Independent filmmaker Francine DeCoursey said she couldn't imagine Wilmington?s movie community without Blakely.

"Every aspiring independent film maker whoever graced our town with their presence was directed to Eddie, who then directed them to all the resources they needed, whether they had a budget, or not."

Eddie Blakely died at his home on July 15th. He was 51.