Radio gets results
I knew of Jay from his radio days in NYC I think on WPLJ. He was a popular DJ, very entertaining, lots of jokes and stories and played some good music. Then he disappeared and popped up on Mork and Mindy as Remo DaVinci the co-owner of a deli where Mork (Robin Williams) and Mindy (Pam Dawber) seemed to hang out.
I don’t know how that happened, but with Jupiter in the twelfth sudden and propitious things do happen, and that seemed to be how Jay and I would meet. Out of nowhere, he would pop up tell some stories and disappear only to show up on a totally different venue. He was irrepressible.
He died a week ago at 69 from cancer, his agent, Don Buchwald, said.
TV and then radio, again
His quick tongue also served him well on the talk-show circuit. He was especially ubiquitous on “Late Show With David Letterman,” where he appeared every Christmas season telling about a challenge with Clayton Moore — the Lone Ranger — that involved throwing footballs at a Christmas tree. Here’s one of my favorites with Jay on Letterman about his plastic surgery.
He also pursued a radio career, even as he developed his acting side. Most recently, he had a show on SiriusXM satellite radio. Mr. Thomas found amusement in the way people confused him with his television characters.
“I’m from New Orleans,” he added. “My father was a WASP and my mother was Italian.” Mr. Thomas was born Jon Thomas Terrell in Kermit, Tex., on July 12, 1948, and raised in New Orleans. During college — he attended several universities — he started dabbling in sportscasting and also did stand-up comedy; he eventually found himself on the radio in New York. He later became well known for his work on Power 106 in Los Angeles.
With Jupiter life is always surprising
His wife, Sally Michelson, whom he married in 1987, and their two children, Samuel and Jacob, survive him as does the country singer J. T. Harding, whom he had fathered in his 20s and was given up for adoption. Harding recounted when “I met my biological mother, she told me, ‘Your father is an actor, and he’s on ‘Cheers’, so for about a week I thought Ted Danson was my father.” Jupiter strikes again.
Jay Thomas died on August 24, 2017 in Santa Barbara, CA.
The Jay Map
A natural showman
Jay’s chart setup is a Bundle with a Jupiter handle. The bulk of the planets within the 120 trine of Libra to Gemini with just Jupiter near the ascendant outside lurking in the twelfth house. It is an unusual setup; most handled charts are buckets with the one hemisphere filled, so here with the bundle we see an exuberant personality just bursting forth.
He was naturally a cheerful person, and his infectious spirit was something that brought also him misery (the twelfth house is also the house of self undoing. Luckily, Jupiter also gives a parachute for soft landings.
Jay loved an audience and the sixth house depicts a hard worker who didn’t know the meaning of retirement, hence the radio show on Sirius FM but Jupiter is also square his Mars in the ninth and shows an explosive spirit that could not fathom moderation — he was always “on.” and that could be grueling for those close to him who sometimes want peace and quiet.
His ascendant is 26 Sagittarius 59, gets the symbol of a gypsy coming out of the forest” which Jones writes is about the individual faith in his own potential. Its ruler Jupiter is nearby at 20 Sagittarius 49, “a child and dog with eyeglasses” showing his love of life and skill at bridging the dimensions of life.
His midheaven is 14 Libra 01,”circular paths” shown in his career as he started and ended in radio while his part of fortune 21 Pisces 50 or the “man bringing down the law” highlighting his spiritual beliefs shown with his embrace of his estranged adult son.
Jay Lines
His Line of Vitality is squared (Moon to Sun ) suggesting that he just ate up the variety of life and truly enjoyed changing roles, homes and experiences. This fed into his hard working ethic, having to adapt to his surroundings. See the BLACK LINES.
His Life of Motivation, the GOLD LINES, from Saturn to Jupiter in the Twelfth, is Trine giving him an easy manner that made people naturally like him.
His Line of Efficiency, the TURQUOISE LINES, from Venus in the Sixth House to Mars, in the Ninth is squared. This Line suggests that his personable manner made it easier than for most, travelling from set to set, from company to company and place to place for his career. While some would have found this an onerous burden, Mr. Thomas felt it was another tool that he could add to his box of acting.
Finally his fourth set, the Line of Significance, the RED LINES, from Uranus to Neptune in the Ninth this time, encourage that Mars for personal significance and acclaim amongst his peers. He has nothing in his Eleventh House, so Mr. Thomas did not work for his fans, but for his genuine love of his work and that fed his appetite.
With Jupiter as Lord of his chart, he must have been a tireless worker and a non-stop talker. Requiescat in pacem.
Jay Progressed
Download Jay’s Charts
- Download Jay Thos. Progressed
- Download the Jay thomas natal map.