If you still aren't watching "Monk" then you don't know what you're missing. I will admit that I was a bit leery when they replaced the sassy Sharona Fleming (Bitty Schram) with the more refined Natalie Teeger (Traylor Howard) as his assistant/nurse. However, Natalie has grown on me and the show hasn't missed that much of a step as a result.
One staple of the show was Monk's weekly visit to his shrink, Dr. Kroger. He was probably one of the
few people who could understand Monk's obsessive-compulsiveness. As Dr. Kroger, Stanley Kamel was always the perfect sounding board for Tony Shaloub's antics. Unfortunately, it looks like that will now come to an end.
Kamel died of a heart attack Tuesday in his Hollywood Hills home. He was 65-years-old.
He was one of those cats that wore "65" well. I would have never guessed he was that old. Late fifties, maybe. But he seemed very fit for his age. When I see people like that pass away, it makes me wonder even more about tubbies like me.
I hope they find some way to incorporate his passing on the show as part of the storyline in a classy way. They should also have that character pass away and perhaps have Monk trying to deal with that grief along with the already constant grief he obsesses over in his wife's passing. They better not just have Monk switch doctor's with no explanation as to what happened to Dr. Kroger.
The show just will not be the same without him.
Rest in peace, Doc.
