Celebrating Alex

This tribute site is for you to view and add messages and memories, to learn more about Alex's life and passions, and to find out how you can donate to the causes so important to Alex and help change our world. Please contribute your thoughts, memories and images and check back often. Deanna and her family will cherish every item you post. If you'd like to write to Deanna directly: deannajlee2@gmail.com

LifeQs

Alex Emma Lee

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SHARE A MEMORY OF ALEX—A STORY, POEM, OR SPECIAL MOMENT

Lisa Kraus
I met Deanna Lee in NYC, 1989, when we both worked for Prime Time Live. This is a message I sent to Deanna after learning Alex Emma had died:

"My heart is heavy. I am in NY and went to your Facebook page to send a message to see if we could get together. There, I learned about Alex Emma Lee. I have tears in my eyes. I wish I could give you a hug. I remember years ago when I went to your apartment and met Alex Emma. There were a couple of new pennies on the floor. Alex Emma called them 'shinies'. That always stayed with me. It made me think of beautiful, bright loving people who touch others deeply -- like you. I know Alex Emma was and will always be a shiny. I am sending love, Deanna."

Lisa Vick Kraus
Kate Di Pietro
Deanna and Emma were regulars at my husband’s upper west side restaurant, Tarallucci e Vino, just a block from their home. Most weekends, they would come in and get pastries to go: chocolate chip muffins, pain au chocolat and cinnamon brioches were their favorites, along with peach juice. One of the last times Emma was there, she came in with a friend. Her hair had green and purple highlights...she wore eyeliner..and Rita our longtime barista thought how grown-up she had become, no longer the little girl who would come in with her mother, here she was with a friend, ordering a cappuccino and pain au chocolat on her own...to go.

My son Ian was remembering the time a few years back when Deanna invited us to her rooftop on a steamy summer evening. While Deanna, Luca and I sipped pinot grigio and admired the stunning view of Central Park, Ian and Emma splashed in and out of a plastic wading pool, totally absorbed in play, laughing and chasing each other, talking non-stop. They truly enjoyed each other’s company.

Emma had such expressive eyes. When she spoke, especially when she was making a point, they grew wider and wider, drawing you into what she had to say. . .

I think Emma knew that she had the power to convey a lot with her eyes...annoyance, interest, mischief, anger, intelligence, vulnerability, intensity, love. I hope Deanna always remembers what it was like when Emma looked at her with love.

My daughter Isabella was in tears as she thought aloud about how hard it is for most people to imagine what a person feels like when what they see in the mirror every day does not reflect what they believe themselves to be, to really, truly be. I don’t know if this was Emma’s experience or not but it is painful to think that she may have come to feel that she was not at home in her own self.

Deanna has a fierce kind of love and reserved the very best of it for Emma. As a single working mother, she managed demanding, creative professional roles with Emma’s school applications, planning for family vacations (including Rome two years ago), martial arts, theatre, community service, Chinese new year celebrations, birthday parties, music lessons, pug walks and so much more. It is heartbreaking to see that fierce, beautiful bond broken.
Charlotte Wolf
I remember when we were in We Are Monsters together at Actors Connection and we knew that we had seen each other before. We talked every rehearsal and then finally figured out that we both did Appluase! We had so much fun in We Are Monsters. Alex was a human and I was a vampire and we got to prove to the audience that monsters and kids really can be friends. I miss you everyday Alex❤️
Natasja Naarendorp
Alex (Emma) and I volunteered to help cater a Fashion Show at a Home for the Elderly on behalf of Meals on Wheels on March 25, 2014. We shot these photos with my cell phone and then he took it upon himself to take some stylized selfies -- always the creator, pursuing artistic expression :)
Chris Parungao
Emanuella wrote this last summer after talking to Emma.
May you Rest In Power and Peace

Storms

Stars are only bright
In the midnight sky
And you are so blind
To not see the beauty inside
Your demons are trying to win
But who cares about them
There a figment of your imagination
You hold the sword
Go ahead and push your blade down

You can stay strong
Storms don't last forever
I know you will feel better
The winds will calm again
I'll help you sail through the wind
And the sun will shine again

You don't understand
That life isn't waiting for a storm to pass But it's about learning how to dance in the rain And I know you have doubts But you just gotta stay strong when it gets tough Because ill guarantee this Your the diamond in the rough

You can stay strong
Storms don't last forever
I know you will feel better
The winds will calm again
I'll help you sail through the wind
And the sun will shine


You can stay strong
Storms don't last forever
I know you will feel better
The winds will calm again
I'll help you sail through the wind
And the sun will shine again
Ned Potter
I, of course, remember a toddler -- it's been that long since Deanna first brought her wide-eyed, full-of-questions little child to work at ABC. Let's just say that not very much work got done that afternoon. We were all too charmed. It was a day full of love and cheer and possibility. I hope, even though we are all very sad today, that the feelings from back then can stay with us.
Robin Comisar
The last time I saw Alex Emma was in passing on the subway. We stopped, shared a brief laugh, and went our separate ways. His heart was so obviously special.
Jessica Yost
I had the honor of meeting Alex when he enrolled for the first time at this school were I work. He had such an enthusiasm for starting fresh at a new school, particularly through the music program. He shared with me his love of rock n' roll and how he had recently seen his favorite band, Fallout Boy, for the first time. He could not wait to get into our school's music studio to build upon his budding talents. His desire to reach new musical heights pushed the formation of the school band and sparked others to join. I'll never forget his passion, laughter, and curiosity to learn new things. I am privileged to have known him.
Preeti Bhuyan
I was lucky enough to accompany Alex to his first concert (Keane!) a few years ago. Even though he had to leave before the encore (it was a school night), he was the coolest kid at Radio City. I'll remember Alex not just for his good taste in music, but also his wit and warmth. "I'll see you on the other side, I'll see you in the light..."
Charlene Manuel
I randomly bumped into Deanna and Alex Emma this past October. It was such a treat as it had been a long time since I had seen Alex Emma. It was one of those days where the sun deceived me into thinking that I didn't need a jacket so I was cold. After multiple rounds of hugs and high pitched squeals, Alex Emma explained how she was hot blooded and proceeded to keep her arms wrapped tightly around me while we walked a few blocks to get a cab. It was a simple gesture and her warmth and generosity shined.