Jamal didn't know me really, but I was a fan of his music and art. I was thinking of him today, and just wanted to pass on that he is remembered and missed.

I went to Shimek with Jamal (Areli, at the time). I remember how incredibly creative he was, and what a gentle soul. I think it was in 6th grade that he started doing shows on PATV, and I remember thinking that was basically the coolest thing ever. He was so remarkable and yet never seemed to seek the limelight. My condolences to all that knew and loved him.

Know that we're thinking of you and your family, Sage, and so very sorry.

Dear River Family,

I am so Sorry to here the Tragic News of Jamal's Passing. It is Truly must Be Very Difficult and Hard on Each and Everyone Of You .... I Am Sure and Understand Life is so Unpredictable and so Un Announced when Something Tragic Happens we are Never Prepared For It... As I was Un prepared Losing My Twin Brother at 23....

My Thoughts & Prayers Go Out to Each & Everyone of You... Such Precious Life Taken Away... So Many Unexplained Things We Question... But We Know This For Sure.... That They Both.... Are In A Way Better Place Then We Are in Our Lives in The World Today....As we Will Embrace..... and Love the Fact Seeing Them Again When Ever Are Time Shall Pass....

I Never Got Really A Chance to get to Know Jamal... But I Am Sure... If He Was Anything Like his Sisters Lisa and Lori..... He is Truly A Very Special Person and Cherish Able in so Many Ways and Beyond... As I Have Known Lisa & Lori for Quite Sometime and Both Have A Very Special Place In My Heart That Will Always Will Be There.....

~ Prayers~

Lorie and family,

Jamal was my colleague at PATV for almost twelve years, and he was a real human being. Long before he was hired by my predecessor in 2002, Jamal was an integral part of PATV. I would sometimes be lucky enough to catch reruns of "Naughty Poo Pie" on the channel (think of Monty Python but replace the cast with Iowa teens), and was knocked out by the absurdity and originality of the skits. The writing was unbelievably sharp. The players, featuring a fresh-faced Jamal River, were completely fearless. The lack of production values was irrelevant, and I might challenge any viewer not to laugh until their sides hurt.

As other contributors here have noted, Jamal was nothing short of a creative genius. I suppose I should have been envious of the ease with which he seemed to master the arts of musical performance, drawing, painting, comedy and video production -- yet his good-natured smile was just so contagious I could only ever root for him. His ongoing ad-lib, "celebrity impressions", was a kind of non-sequitur that somehow shouldn't have been funny, yet provided me more belly-laughs than a hundred Hollywood comedies combined. It was the singer, not the song.

As Jamal's manager, I always looked to him for the dissenting opinion, the inconvenient truth. He marched to his own beat, without being simply contrarian. Jamal's opinion mattered to me, and there are few people I can say that about honestly. In my worldview, Jamal was a highly evolved being. I would regularly witness him interrupting sexist jokes, championing equality, challenging racist comments and pranking oppressive paradigms. His conscience was a clear and shining beacon to me, a lamp in the mists of illusion. PATV will not be the same without him. He leaves behind a legacy of hundreds of television programs he made -- proof of a life of creativity, humor, compassion and brilliance. I believe these should be anthologized and preserved for the benefit of future viewers, and I plan to be instrumental in this.

I will treasure my memories of Areli and the unique and wonderful art that he created.

Dear Sage, I have no healing words for you, and I wish I did. Jamal's death is heartbreaking. Now and then when I was driving to work I'd see him heading out on Dodge Court, and I'd pick him up, and we'd have a short conversation on the way to town. He was so engaging and had great ideas. I really admired him. And I'm so sorry he's gone --

Pat

On behalf of my family and myself, we were all so sad to hear that Jamal was in such pain and that he has passed. Jamal touched so many people in his life. He had such charisma and energy. He was so talented and unique. He was an important part of my life in high school, and I count myself lucky to have been a part of his life. He will be missed. Goodbye Jamal.

My sister and brother-in-law were faithful viewers of the Jubi show and always asked me to say hi to Jamal because they knew I went down to PATV. Jamal was a cool guy and and a one of a kind, amazing artist. His absence will be keenly felt; he will be sorely missed.

For eleven years, Jamal and I shared a desk at PATV. We typically worked opposite shifts, however, I'll never forget the great conversations we had when we did work together. We had a pile of scratch paper on our desk, and I was the first, and perhaps only person to see his many fascinating drawings on the backs of old program schedules. Though he faced his own hardships, he was a great listener when I was facing my own challenges. His kindness, talent, humor, and spirit are greatly missed. My deepest sympathies to his family and friends.

Dear Sage,

I worked with you many years ago on the board of 4-Cs.

I am so very sorry to hear about your son. Having left the board those many years ago to struggle with my own mental health issues, I can only begin to understand what you may be going through now. Having first heard the news from Nici Bontrager, who attends my church, I now offer my prayers to you and the rest of your family.

Peace.

Laurie Droll

Sage, I am so sorry. Areli, as I knew him, was one of Matthew's very best friends when they were so young. I will never forget his blond hair and joyful smile. I am wishing you strength, peace and comfort as you cherish his life moving forward. You and Areli are in my thoughts. Margaret Heineman (formerly Bevers).

Sage,

My heart and prayers go out to you and your family. Your life challenges have been many but somehow you met them with love and courage. Surely the pain of a child and loss of a child are among the greatest sorrows to face. And you meet it again. Know you and Jamal, your family will be remembered in prayerful blessings. Bonnie

Dearest Lorie and family,

I read this story today in the gazette while waiting for my rehab appointment. In april of this year i created and sold alot of MS WALK Tshirts...And also volunteered and walked the MS WALK for the first time....I Still see those shirts daily worn by co workers, friends and faimly....I am glad i did, and will forever do this...I send so many prayers to your faimly and friends...Heaven is an awesome place free of pain and suffering.....Your in my thoughts and prayers........

Areli Jamal River was one of my closest friends in junior high and high school and a fairly close friend ever since. The world is a much better place for having him in it. Miss you buddy. Seminar class in jr. high, lunch on the City High lawn, No Shame, PATV, and all the other wonderful things we did together are memories I will never forget.

I am so sorry to hear of Jamal's pain and suffering. I worked with him at the ICPL and always enjoyed my time with him and his sweet smile. I'm so saddened to hear of his death.

I loved every moment with Jamal. He had a way of turning every mundane experience into something original and groundbreaking. I find it difficult to have meaningful conversations with most people I know, but with Jamal it was the default. Enrichment, deepening, loving, increasing awareness of all; this was the essence of spending time with him. Godspeed, friend.

I didn't know Jamal, but I was always delighted when I came across his films by accident on Public Access TV. They were strange and silly and compulsively watchable. Maybe his films should be collected and put on DVDs and other formats, for distribution and sale (to benefit charity?) in Iowa City, as well as having copies on film sent to film archives across the country. I think they should be remembered as the avant-garde, experimental films that they were, just like the ones that I've seen in DVD series for the "Avant Garde" and "Experimental Cinema" available at various DVD rental and sale outlets.

Sage-I'm so sorry. Your son sounds like a remarkable person. Please accept my condolences.

(Lived down the street from you for awhile at P.E.'s)

I am so sorry to read about Areli's passing. He was absolutely one of my most brilliant art students at City High. His work reflected his unique creative humor and he was delightful to have in class. What a loss for all, but especially for you, Sage and the rest of your family. My thoughts are with you in this time of deep sorrow. -Polly

Jamal was a good friend of mine for a few years while I lived in Iowa City. We sang together, I had vocals on one of his albums and he produced two of my albums. I remember when I first saw him play "Daisy Pt. 26" at No Shame theater when I was 15. I was in awe of him, and never would have guessed that later we would be friends, even close friends, though that depth of the friendship only lasted about a year. We sometimes had our differences, but without his encouragement I don't think I would have gone on to write nearly as much music as I did or sing. He was hilarious, genuine, deep, and very talented. The last time I really hung out with Jamal before I moved to Alaska we sat on a bench in hickory hill by that big rock at the top of a little hill. A path ran in front of us and up one side of the hill came a very clean cut middle-aged woman walking a very clean dog on a leash. Up the other side came a very rag-tag middle-aged man walking a very dirty dog on a very dirty rope. The two collided in the middle (right in front of us) and became entangled because the two dogs clearly wanted to "get busy". The man took this as an opportunity to hit on the woman while she politely tried to go. It was hilarious. Like a little movie scene right in front of us. We kept calm until the two left and then broke out laughing so hard we literally fell off the bench and I almost wet myself. Jamal was an amazing person and one of those few people I've had the honor to know in life who really take the time to try and understand you without being intrusive . He was so very kind and generous and an artist to the core. Also he made awesome gross jokes. I loved his music and he left little traces of himself in my albums. A couple snaps at the end of a song in the quiet. A background voice soft and low. When I play my guitar with my eyes shut (weird i know) I can still imagine I'm singing in his studio, a glass of water on the floor, him chuckling next to me, messing with his equipment.

I knew him as Areli when he first started at Iowa City Public Library. Then He chose to go by Jamal. He was great to work with! I watched his work on patv after he quit the library. I'm so sorry to hear of his passing. I really liked him. He reminded me of my nephew. I'm so sorry for everyone's loss.

Bonnie

I was never close to Jamal personally, but he began to feel like a friend to me after experiencing his art so many times over the years I lived in Iowa City. His candid and open presence on PATV, his songs and sketches from No Shame, the whimsical, tongue-in-cheek joy of the Jubi Show, and his King Toad records will live on after him. He was and is an Iowa City cultural icon.

Although I have never met Areli in person, I have heard so much about his creativity and passion from his sister Lorie. She spoke often and with so much love about her baby brother. Along with sharing a bit about the amazing person he was, Lorie also spoke often about the debilitating pain he lived with day after day, wondering how he could continue to function. Although I am so very sad for the family and friends of Areli, I am relieved to hear that he will no longer be forced to live with this overwhelming suffering. Peace at last. Areli's family and friends are in the thoughts of my immediate and extended family.

I was sad to hear of Jamal's passing at such a young age. He was always a friendly face at PATV and I loved his madcap humor. I had not seen him since I stopped being a PATV regular about ten years ago. I was sad to hear that he suffered with chronic pain. About 2003 Jamal and two of his friends performed at HarmonyFest, a small music festival my wife and I have each year. They were so funny, the music was good, and they entertained us all by climbing way up in the large weeping willow behind the stage. My sympathy goes out to his family and those who loved him.

I feel honored to be able to have called Jamal a good friend for over twenty years. He had a formative influence on me as a youth through his amazing creativity, and he will always be a brother to me.

I was sad to hear this news today. Jamal was in my opinion a comic genius. He was one of the few people who could genuinely make me laugh and think at the same time. He was edgy but not snobbish when it came to other people's forms of expression.

Was saddened to open the Press Citizen today and read of Jamal's passing. Having known him over the last 10 years or so through my work at PATV on Sports Opinion, Jamal to me was the face of PATV. Whether it was the voluminous number of creative pieces, like The Jubi Show, or his willingness to help us produce our show at the last second, Jamal was always a bright spot. He will be missed by many of us and the studio will never feel the same without his presence. Bless his memory. Bless his soul.

To Jamal's Family:

I was honored to work with Jamal at No Shame Theatre while I was at Iowa from 201-2005. He was always one of my favorite things about No Shame Theatre--he was a wonderful musician (was there an instrument he couldn't play?) and a joy to see on stage. He will be dearly missed. I hope your memories of Jamal will make you smile in your time of grief. My thoughts are with you.

My heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with you Sage and your daughters and family. I'll always remember Jamal as a vibrant, free thinking, talented individual who always thought outside of the box and was never afraid to express his true self. . He always greeted me with a big smile and was always willing to engage in some lively banter whenever I entered the doors of Public Access.

His uniqueness was one in a million and he will be solely missed.

Lisa - Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. Take care and remember the wonderful times.

I never met a person so easy to love as Jamal. His music was all I knew of him for years, and by the time I got to know the man, his illness had already taken hold. The way he spoke about his troubles, with such sensitivity, candor, and unabashed emotion--it just did something to me. Diminished as he was, one word would invariably pop into my head when I saw him: "Superstar."

I only knew Jamal for two years when I lived in Iowa City but we worked together closely at PATV and became fast friends. We shared a love of unusual music and video, and giving cats weird names. He had a way of bringing out the inner goofball in everyone, to where you could really be yourself around him. I haven't met many people like that.

Jamal had cast me in some of his No Shame Theatre pieces as well as some collaborations with Michael Tabor. This was Freshman Year for me at Iowa ('06-'07) and I was still new to No Shame, had little theatre experience and was intimidated by a lot of the older student writing and performing for it. He made me feel welcome and the roles he and Tabor cast me in were hilarious. Such a creative spirit.

Jamal was one of the very few true geniuses I have ever had the pleasure to know. I met him at PATV in the mid-90s, he must have been just out of high school. He'd come in and do marathon editing sessions on his one-man TV show "Cold & Gray." He'd work his ass off creating this mix of brilliant original music and incredible video accompaniment. He could swing from achingly beautiful to completely absurd on a dime. It felt like he was working out his thoughts in pictures and sound, and it was incredible to watch. He had the soul of an artist. This world is a lot poorer with him not in it. Deepest condolences to his family and friends.

I never met Jamal, but I first enjoyed his work with No Shame Theatre over a decade ago, and continued to follow him in his other Iowa City endeavors through the years. His ongoing presence and creativity were one of the many things I enjoyed about life in IC, and this town won't be the same without him. I am so sorry for your loss.

I have added a picture.

xx

Jamal was one of my dearest friends. I loved him and cherished having him in my life. He was so uniquely gifted, so funny and endearing such a beautiful soul. It feels like I've known him forever even though it's only been 5 years. I tried to let him know how special he was to me and so did my wife Gwen. He was a constant and lovely presence in our lives. I have so much anger for the pain and disease that plagued his recent years and now has took him from us. How can this world be so cruel to such a wonderful soul.

My heartfelt thoughts go out to his family and friends.

Love always

Neil

xxx

Jamal's smile was the greatest. My strongest memories are of laughing with him, and how proud I would feel when he laughed at a joke I made. His smile was so honest and genuine and brilliant, just like the rest of him. Those smiles grew so much less frequent in recent years, and Jamal without his smile was not Jamal at all. I am so glad his pain is gone. He was so brave and forthright about his struggle, and I hope others benefit from his frank descriptions of the maddening experiences he had with the medical establishment.

King Toad was my first favorite Iowa City musicianhis hooks still get stuck in my head. Seeing him perform at No Shame (circa 1999) was the best warm and weird welcome a freshman who just moved to Iowa City could get. I was lucky enough to meet him while we were both pages at the Iowa City Public Library. And throughout the great migration to mp3-everything, his CDs are something I could never send to Goodwill.

It is tragic that someone with such an unforgettable smile could be in that kind of chronic pain. My heart is saddened by his passing. Deepest condolences to Alyssa and his friends and family.

Favorite earworm: These fantasies just bring meeeeee down! Rest in peace, Jamal.

I did not know Jamal well-- we'd spoken only a few times when I would see him play live-- but he struck me as a gentle man and gifted artist. I so appreciate the music he brought to the world and will think of him each time I listen again, which will be often. Thank you for creating a strange and wonderful beauty with your talent.

Jamal was one of the most unique, nicest, and most prolifically talented people I've ever had the pleasure to know in Iowa City or anywhere else I've ever been. Wherever he is now, I'm sure Jamal is making some of the best television they've ever seen. Though he will certainly be missed by many, I'm grateful for all that he's left behind that can and will be enjoyed by many more for many years to come.

To Sage, Lisa and all of the rest of the family. I am so sorry for your loss. I guess maybe he's in a better place, but that does not the pain in your hearts. If there is anything I can do please let me know.

I want to find words to help his family right now. If you ever need anything, someone to sit with you, sometime to listen, both me and Clif are here for you. We are right here.