Fox News is now reporting that Ricardo Montalban has died at the age of 88.
Was there ever a cinematic villain as single-minded in his obsession to destroy as Khan Noonien Singh from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan? Montalban only appeared in the role twice (for the 1982 film and the original Star Trek episode "Space Seed" that first introduced the eugenics warlord) but the raw power that he brought to the character was enough to secure him forever in the memory of pop culture. And of course, he was the ever-mysterious Mr. Roarke on ABC's Fantasy Island... and I had been hoping that he might somehow get worked into a cameo on Lost, 'cuz it seemed so appropriate. He also appeared in numerous other films over the years, particularly musicals for MGM. And let us not forget the car commercials he did back in the day, where he paid exquisite attention to the "Cor-een-thee-an leather"...
He will be missed.
