Multi-talented actor, musician and comedian Charles Rocket will sadly largely be remembered by posterity for two things: he created a firestorm on Saturday Night Live by saying "fuck" on the air in a Dallas spoof in February, '81, which, along with low ratings, led to the entire cast being canned and the remainder of the '80-81 season cancelled.
And he killed himself.
It was announced today that Rocket, 56, killed himself on October 7 in a field near his home in Canterbury, Conn., by apparently slitting his own throat. "An investigation determined there was no criminal aspect to this case," State Police Sergeant J. Paul Vance said.
Charles Claverie was born in Bangor, Maine, and attended the Rhode Island School of Design where he was active in the RISD arts scene. A skilled accordion player, he formed the band the Fabulous Motels in his Rhode Island days and much later played with with Debbie Harry and Chris Stein of Blondie on a tribute album to composer Nino Rota.
Rocket became a newscaster in RI under the name Charles Kennedy and also worked in Colorado Springs (see KOAA video on Rocket here) and Nashville before heading to SNL to do the Weekend Update.
After the SNL fiasco, Rocket worked steadily in TV — Moonlighting, Max Headroom, Cybill, Touched by an Angel, thirtysomething, Law & Order: Criminal Intent — and also provided voices for cartoon series. His movie credits include Earth Girls are Easy, Dances With Wolves, It's Pat, Wagons East, Dumb and Dumber, Murder at 1600 - his last film role was in the 2003 Sylvester Stallone film Shade.
We just saw Rocket last week in a minor role as the lead kids' dad in '93's Hocus Pocus on the Disney Channel and I told my wife the SNL story - she said, "Oh, he's that guy."
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Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Susie
What sadness did Charles have that made it necessary for him to make it all go away?
My son (then a child) had the fortune to work with him on two different projects. The first, "Quantum Leap," was how we first met Charles. But the real joy was when they both had lovely roles in Robert Altman's film, "Short Cuts." I especially recall the day that my son, Frances McDormand and Charles Rocket shot a scene in a moving open convertible, and all the fun they had (not only when the camera was rolling, but especially between takes, as Charles would drive them back to their starting point).
Charles was brilliant. He was sweet, soft-spoken, modest, clever, funny as all hell, talented, and a dear, dear man. I liked him immensely.
2 - Dave Nalle
I always thought he was an actor who never got the recognition he deserved for the roles he played.
I do have to wonder about how he killed himself. Slitting your own throat is such a difficult way to do it. Takes a great deal of willpower and determination. Usually not feasible for those in a desperate state of mind.
Dave
3 - Victor Lana
Rocket was at the wrong place at the wrong time. In our current climate, he probably would have been made into a BIG star despite the slip-up.
I never watched SNL in those years (1980-1990), so I only remember a big deal being made about it after the fact.
Too bad about Charlie Rocket. He joins the list of SNL tragedies: Belushi, Farley, Chase (oh, he's not dead, is he?), Gilda, and Phil Hartman.
4 - Mihos
Its physically impossible to slit your own throat.
5 - Dave Nalle
That's what I've always believed, Mihos. When throats are slit they generally look for someone else to have done the deed. I won't go so far as to say it's dead impossible to do, but it sure is an imlausible method of suicide.
Dave
6 - Eric Olsen
I agree the method seems odd
thanks for sharing your memories Susie
and SNL has had more than its share it seems, Victor
7 - Rodney Welch
Susie -- I've always known who Charles Rocket is, and I've seen Short Cuts many times, but only with your post did I make the connection that he was the guy playing Frances McDormiand's lover. So your son played that pooor kid she dragged around? Nice work! Great film too.
8 - Cerulean
It sounds like an unlikely or impossible method. I hope they've investigated thoroughly. It would help if the authorities would say how they came to their conclusion, which they don't seem to.
I'm sorry that happened.
9 - Eric Olsen
I added the official statement above:
"An investigation determined there was no criminal aspect to this case," State Police Sergeant J. Paul Vance said
10 - Linda
I adored Charles & his work-then & now. I ALWAYS recognized him. He was brilliant as Max, and I still have the Christmas music video, "Merry Christmas, Santa Claus(You're a lovely guy)." If anyone knows of links to his video, please share them. My kids aged 5 to 25 know his work and are saddened too.
11 - Jon Doe
He was a friend of my fathers, im very close with some of his close friends, and i can tell you it was a suicide.
12 - Eric Olsen
Very sad - thanks Jon, any idea why?
13 - Jenna
I feel so sorry for his wife and of course his child. How can youexplain that to a Little person?
14 - Eric Olsen
not easily, that's for sure
15 - Eric Berlin
I know Rocket most from the random SNL repeat. That season really does exist as an odd pocket in time, a breath between the great early days and the equally great days that would come.
Sad news...
16 - ginger
Charles Rocket has been one of my favorite actors for years. So sorry .
17 - Eric Olsen
it's interesting but or course sad that so many talented people make a living in showbiz and contribute much but fly below the radar until something random and/or tragic happens
18 - Natalie Davis
I have been a Rocket fan for years. So tragic. So sad that he never got the recognition his talent merited. It is so easy to fall into despair (assuming that the cops are correct and he did kill himself) when one's talent is largely ignored; rock guitarist Danny Gatton comes to mind. After he killed himself -- and I have to note how amazingly talented DG was, and a sweetheart too -- he finally got a mention in Rolling Stone, with all kinds of rock stars saying how gifted an artist he was. Too little, too late, I thought. I wonder if Charlie Rocket knew there were so many of us little people who appreciated his talent, that he was known for more than droppiog that ill-timed F-bomb. My guess would be probably not. I can't imagine slitting one's own throat. It would have to take a lot of despair mixed with rage and laserlike focus.
19 - Eric Olsen
exceptionally well-put Nat - it's all quite disturbing
20 - The Duke
I saw the SNL show when the mighty "F" word was pronounced. It was during the sign off, when the cast was collected and some asked Charles how he felt, or something similar and he blurted out the "word" I turned to my lady friend, and asked "did he say what I thought he said" she answered in the affirmative.
I also remember where I was and what I was doing when JFK was assassinated and when the Challenger blew up.
Epic moments in my short life.
I wonder if Rocket was in 'Nam? Sounds like something one of those Nam vets could pull off.
21 - JR
I never heard of the F-bomb episode. I remember him from Moonlighting and maybe a couple of other shows I can't remember off the top of my head.
22 - R. August Croen
Yeah. Like The Duke, I saw that episode of SNL. The press keeps reporting that he dropped the F-bomb during a "Who Shot J.R." skit, but that's not what I remember.
What I remember is that the cast was gathered on the stage at the end of the show, as always, and as The Duke said, and Rocket quipped (paraphrase), "A lot of people think we're on drugs when we do this show. Well, we're not: live television requires too much concentration. But it's quitting time now, baby, and we're about to go do whatever the fuck we want! YEAH!"
I wonder if reporters ever check their facts, or just repeat what other reporters wrote.
23 - Eric Olsen
a little of both:
"An episode hosted by Dallas star Charlene Tilton featured an ongoing joke in which different cast members would vow revenge on him for some reason, in a parody of the famed 'Who Shot J.R.?' episode of Dallas. Rocket was then shot in the chest by a sniper in the final sketch. At the end of the show, a wheelchair-bound Charles audibly mumbled that he'd like to know 'who the fuck did it,' followed by the cast and audience reacting with shock and embarrassed laughter."
24 - jacob
I just wanted to chime in to your posting as Charles acted in my short film Bleach. It was a short, it was shot over a weekend, but charles had an important role. He was so sincere and so full of stories and knowledge, he taught me a lot about working with actors and told us a lot about himself. He was an ordained minister, he studied religion furiously and was one of those people who knew a lot about a lot of things. This week, I compressed my short into a smaller file so that people could see Charles at work in something that people wouldn't normally see. I think he tapped into something deep with the role, but that may be because it was my film and I was happy with what he did. There are some spooky things about it that make his suicide ironic with some imagery from the film; particularily some takes we didn't use. Nonetheless, I think Charles was a special person and I feel fortunate to have worked with him. If you want to check it out: (charles comes into the short about 4 minutes in) http://www.formikafilms.com/bleach/bleach_37meg.wmv
Jacob
25 - Eric Olsen
thanks so much Jacob, fascinating - any thoughts on his motivation? I haven't heard anything about that at all yet.