Lee Groban

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Chicago Poetry is saddened to have to report that poet Lee Groban died at St. Francis Hospital in Evanston at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, December 9. Mr. Groban was very ill for the last two months suffering from congestive heart failure and emphysema and recently had a pacemaker installed surgically. On Thursday his kidneys began to fail. He was with friends when his heart stopped; he died quickly without suffering.

Lee held a Bachelors Degree in Russian Language Studies and a Masters Degree in Library Sciences, and much of Lee's work is inspired by his avid interest in ancient ancestries and the cultures which surrounded them. Lee has been an integral part of the Chicago art community for more than three decades. If you have attended art events and street festivals in Chicago, you have seen Lee Groban, who also appeared for ChicagoPoetry.com sponsored events on several occasions (click here to listen to one of his performances). But, of course, Lee Groban is best known for The Cure for Insomnia, a 4,080-page poem that was turned into the 1987 film of the same title that was officially declared the world's longest movie by the Guinness Book of World Records. Running three days and fifteen hours in length, the film consists of Lee reading his poem spliced with occasional clips from heavy metal and pornographic videos. It was first played in its entirety at The School of the Art Institute in Chicago, from January 31 to February 3, 1987, in one continuous showing. In addition to his writing career, Lee Groban was also an accomplished visual artist and had been a featured artist in Pulp Magazine, the Chicago Reader, the Globe, and New City.

There will be a Celebration of Lee Groban's Life and Work on Sunday, December 18, 2011 from 1 to 4 at the Packer Schopf Gallery, 942 W. Lake St., Chicago, IL 60607. Friends and family are encouraged to bring their stories about Lee, as well as artistic, written or musical tributes, and to dress in Lee’s style if you wish. If you would like to make a presentation during the event, please email dickolson@comcast.net and cc dgo@esoplaw.com to allocate time. Lee's family asks that donations go to the endowment fund of the Circle Pines Center, 8650 Mullen Road, in Delton, Michigan, 49046.