Elleda Wilson: In One Ear: Kind and empathetic

Jul. 8—For "The Goonies" fans, that remaining ray of hope for a Goonies 2 sequel was crushed with the death of 91-year-old director Richard Donner on Monday. The movie would not be made without him. He is pictured on the set of "The Goonies," courtesy of Warner Bros.

Donner was a man of "astounding generosity," as Jeff Cohen (inset, Chunk in "The Goonies") explained to Variety.

Most of the movie's fans know that Cohen became a prominent entertainment lawyer in Beverly Hills. What many don't know is that his legal career was made possible by Donner and his wife offering to pay for his education.

"I was absolutely flabbergasted," Cohen recalled. "I was shocked. I had to sit down, because, for me, paying for college was going to be a problem.

"That changed my life ... They thought I could do something. They thought I could make something of myself. That is Dick Donner — being kind, being empathetic, and not because he wanted anything in return.

"... The world is a darker place without him in it, but his amazing films and his good works as a human being will live on."

RIP Richard Donner.