Robert Redford, the director, actor, and activist, died in his sleep last night at age 89.

I shed a few tears for him this morning. I admired him in so many ways, but of course, as one of Streisand’s co-stars, he will always be associated with her in the “corners of my mind. “

While historically I only played piano by ear, because of Redford, I forced myself to learn treble clef. Playing the trombone in middle and high school, I only read bass clef fluidly. However, my dad really loved “The Sting” and the theme song, so I meticulously learned every chord to “The Entertainer,” and I still play it to this day when I practice piano.

Anyone who knows me knows I’m an uber-fan of Streisand. There are many layers to “The Way We Were” movie that most people are unaware of, even if they have seen the outtakes that Streisand released years later. They completely change the film from a romantic-political movie to a political movie with romance.

I’m going to have to arrange a movie night for it, and perhaps several of my favorite movies of hers, so that I can also teach some of the younger gays and other interested people about well-made films, another era of time, and of course the magic of Streisand on screen, as if her preternatural voice wasn’t enough to make one love her.

I minored in film and think I would have made a good director. While I was in law school, I noted that quite a number of famous directors had law degrees. Indeed, my alma mater, Brooklyn Law School, is known for its concentration of entertainment lawyers. So not only did my dad love Redford’s movies, he was a fervent Streisand appreciator. When I was 14 her presence hit me like a ton of bricks. Clicking through channels, I saw her sing “My Man.” After that, I followed suit to a further extent in my gay own way. I now have a long history of mixing with the great community of Streisand fans.