Anthony Christopher "Shade" Lanni

Anthony Christopher Lanni, aka "Shade", "Ghost", "Faentur" and "Belanthanak", was born on June 3, 1969, in Los Angeles, California, and passed away February 19, 2019. He was 49 years old. He resided in Los Angeles, California at the time of his passing, happily living with his father Michael in the home he grew up in, with his soul mate Jenny Chung, his old faithful dog Max, the family cat Lucy, and--on occasion--his younger brothers Mike, Will and sister-in-law Angela.
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Anthony was a brilliant soul, and touched the lives of many, many people. He was an Eagle Scout with troop 621, and guided, taught, played with and gave KP duty to many young men. :) He saved the life of a fellow Scout in a dangerous accident one fateful afternoon as a teenager, and we remember him as literally a superhero who bounded down the side of a cliff and risked his own life to save another. He embodied the Scout Law, and we all knew and admired him as someone who honored and kept his word. He was a man of integrity. A knight, a wizard, a prince, a humble man on the street who took joy in being of service.
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He was an amazing son, brother, cousin, husband, soul-mate, nephew, uncle, friend, godson, grandson, and coworker. Rarely was he just an acquaintance, as he graciously and warmly included anyone who wished to play in his game of life. His huge laugh, brilliant smile, and warm, deep eyes will be truly missed by all who got the chance to play with him.
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Anthony was a gifted story teller. He imagined worlds and brought them to life in his words. A published author, with so much more unpublished work, like a buried treasure, waiting to be uncovered. His stories were magical and imaginative; funny, dramatic, suspenseful, eye opening, and wondrous. We look forward to the joy we will bring in sharing his work.
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His intelligence was incredible (He declined an invitation to join Mensa), and could be frustrating to him, as many did not realize the extent of his knowledge and capacity for thought, and many of us experienced his upset when we didn't believe he could possibly know the things he knew. It was awesome how he could contribute so much value to any conversation--from science, to astronomy, to matters of the spirit, to culture and music, to history, to technology, to ancient stories and beliefs, to the phenomena of being human, to why barns are painted red. He loved to enlighten and open eyes. "I wish to dangle carrots of knowledge in front of learners. What are the carrots?"--a quote from his vision board.
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There was music in his blood. He began playing guitar in his late teens, and got to fulfill the dream of playing on stage at the Troubadour in Los Angeles with the band Blood Brother in the 1980s. His favorite band was Bad Religion, closely followed by Iron Maiden and Tears for Fears. We discovered how much fun he was to dance with at festivals and parties. If there was a dance floor, he was on it, hands in the air like he was embracing the sound waves, a huge grin on his face.
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Anthony listened and loved. Many of us found ourselves in conversations with him, speaking to a listener who really looked into your soul and mind to understand you. He may have disagreed, and sometimes loudly, but he listened for your truth, and gave respect to anyone willing to consider other views, and self-reflect.
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He gave the most thoughtful Christmas and birthday presents, and brought us mementos from his travels that he thought we'd love--and he was always spot on.
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The stars were his playground. He was an enthusiastic contribution to the Black Rock Observatory, and in his memory we ask for contributions to this fantastic project he loved so much (link below). From revealing the Greek Myths in the constellations at Burning Man, to traveling the world to bring a telescope and Space to people, he literally danced in joy when his audience gasped in amazement at the Rings of Saturn, Jupiter's Red Spot, and our own Moon's Craters. He loved to place his beloved meteorites in the hands of fellow humans, and reveal the wonder, and age, and journey those heavy bits of exploded stars had made, to reach this planet and sit in their palms.
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Anthony was the "Ultimate Dungeon Master", and created and played in many many games with so many people, sparking imagination and fun. He was the "Ultimate Big Brother" to his brothers, his cousins, his brothers' friends, his friends' children, and so many more. He was a valued friend and critic and contributor to his fellow wordsmiths. He was a fun movie, concert, festival and TV companion. He adopted sports teams because the people in his life were sports fans, hugged you when you were scared, and teased you in the morning after you passed out the night before from having too much fun. He mountain biked and camped with his friends and family, babysat their children, enjoyed the smokiest of scotches, wrote code and looked forward to being a father.
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He loved being a good son. Our hearts go out to his father Michael, and we wish him health and joy--there is a reason you are still here, dear daddio, and as heartbreaking as this is, there is still much to live for. We rejoice in the thought that Anthony and his mother Phyllis and uncle Randy are reunited, playing games, laughing, and keeping a watchful eye on us.
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Anthony will be greatly missed. The crater in our hearts from this crashing loss has bits of him scattered throughout our souls, and we look forward to seeing him dance through the night sky as we discover those bits and hand them back to whatever aspect of Source we believe in--even that great cosmic joke of coincidence and possibility that was his belief.
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He was the Revealer and the Rock.
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We love you, Anthony. Rest in so much peace, and guide us even when we haven't asked.
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May the thunder from the rain be the laughter of the gods from whatever cosmic joke you just told them.
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https://www.gofundme.com/anthony-the-rock-lanni