Lucky in the Last Years

This chapter takes the reader to aging Harry Dean Stanton's Mulholland Drive home where he watched game shows, worked crossword puzzles, entertained guests with his music. Often he came in late after dinner at Ago and drinks at Dan Tana's, staying up into the wee hours, smoking his cigarettes, going to bed alone. His two closest relatives, Sara Stanton and Jim Huggins Jr., became his protectors when his health failed. At work, he scored important supporting roles in The Man Who Cried (2000) with Johnny Depp and Sean Penn's The Pledge (2001). He was memorable as devious Mormon patriarch Roman Grant in the HBO series Big Love. He was in a handful of forgettable films, too, before landing the lead in his final film Lucky (2017), written by his personal assistant Logan Sparks and Drago Sumonja. The storyline was roughly Harry Dean's own, a fitting screen farewell as health issues landed him in a series of hospitals. Sara and Jim stood guard as legions of friends and fans came to pay homage. He died fearful of death despite the consolations of Zen teaching. His remains were returned to Lexington and placed near his mother's grave.