Michael Perry Obituary

Mike was a dear friend and old Clown College classmate (class of ´74).
I offer my deepest condolences to his wife, Sue. I sang at your wedding, in the form of a singing telegram.
I wish for you and the girls, Jen and Katie, strength and clarity.
Ohhh, dear Mike.
Never was there a more delightful or joyful man. And it was his life mission to share that delight and joy with as many folks as he could.
And boy, could he `could´!
I am honored that he was able to share even a little bit of time with me now and then.
He called me in 1977 and asked me to accompany him for 8 weeks as a fellow `payaso´, in Puerto Rico with Circus Odyssey.
I last got to see him on May 6, 2025, when he came to L.A. to join us at `clown lunch´ at Philippe restaurant downtown.

"The circus is deserted, laughter is useless"
(from a bizarre and beautiful Edith Piaf song entitled 'Bravo Pour Le Clown´)
But, of course laughter is not useless, for the most part. Just at this moment, while the tears still flow.

See you down the road, Mike.

I can't believe he's gone. Mike and I would bump into each other at Sharing the Fire. We always had a good time together. He was such a great bloke. My deepest deepest sympathies to your entire family. I'll miss you, Mike.

Mike was the cousin who brought the joy and laughter to every family gathering. We will miss him so. May his beautiful spirit live on.

thinking of my cousin and family your in prayers and this song is beautiful "Warren Zevon - Keep Me In Your Heart"

As a fellow Clown College classmate, I find Mike´s exit from the stage a bit sad for a moment. Then I think of him sharing his life of laughter & happiness with friend´s & family & a peace comes over me. For some time now I too have been compelled to share my own journey from the Circus through my long career. I too have always strived to leave the room with a smile or a laugh. Evidently Mike succeeded in that very noble task as well & although he joins many of our fellow classmates in that "Clown alley in the sky" it reminds us all that he is in good company. I haven´t seen Mike for many years but will forever share a kinship as we have at one time walked the same path. Farewell my old friend. You will certainly be missed & always be there in our memories. Steve LaPorte

I'll always treasure the memory of my friendship with Mike. He was such a good friend, so very gifted. We shared a clowning background which included the circus and a national clown character. I'll always miss him him greatly and think of him often. Heartfelt condolences to the family.

I am shocked by this heartfelt news, I had planned on surprising him at the Taylor Theater. We had worked together in the past and it was always a great pleasure May he rest in joy, laughter and peace

I knew Mike quite a few years ago and his family. He always had a story to tell and always wanted to make you laugh which was Mike. Rest in peace sir you will be greatly missed by all. My thoughts are with you Sue

Katie,

Our deepest condolences. Your dad was truly one of a kind. Such a wonderful man. I hope you and your family find some peace during this difficult time. Thoughts and prayers for you all.

Sending my love,
Lisa and the Dietrich family

We are so grateful to have had Mike and his family in our lives for over thirty years. Mike is one of the truly finest human beings we have ever known. We will miss him very much, and our love and support goes out to Susan, Kate, Jen, and the rest of the family. Guy and Audrey Russo

I'm not sure when Mike and I first crossed paths, but I'm glad to have known him and to be able to call him "friend".

Over the years, we shared many stages together along with a lot of back stage knowledge and jack pots. It is because of him that I carry a bill tucked in betwixt my mobile and it's case for emer-gen-cees. However, when I started it was a twenty and now it's a hundred. Alas, both bills provide the same size safety net, one from long ago and the other for today.

So sorry for your loss, Mike was the life of the party, great husband and father. He turned his love of performing into so much more than a career. A true passion for helping those in need of comfort.

We are so very sorry for your loss. When I think of Mike, I think of the holidays we spent with you, Jill and John and always recall Mike having a welcoming warm smile and often something witty to say. Hugs to you all.

I met Michael when my sister (later his wife) brought him to our family one summer when I was 16. He was likeable from the start. Friendly, engaging and funny. His stories from his days in the circus were hilarious. Even then his ability to tell a story were evident. We were kindred spirits of sorts, Michael on his unicycle, me, a skateboarder when it wasn't mainstream.
Today, Robert Redford passed away and Michael was on the set when The Natural was filmed in Buffalo. I imagine Michael greeting Robert in heaven and saying "I really enjoyed meeting you on The Natural, let me show you around "
Michael I am grateful for all the years, birthdays and holidays we spent together. I Love You Brother, rest on high.

I met Michael through mutually performing with the Pittsburgh Savoyards. I thoroughly enjoyed sharing the stage with him.

I was also blessed to witness him entertain the children of Variety Pittsburgh in the Covestro LLC cafeteria during the Halloween celebration held there. These children are all challenged in various ways and this Halloween party is quite the highlight for them! Michael made it that much better with his unique storytelling abilities.

Michael also entertained children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews and so on of the Covestro LLC employees at the annual Christmas party. Here again, his ability to capture the minds of all these children was evident as they sat around the floor and listened...

His magic, though remembered... will be missed.

God bless you and your family in this time of sorrow.

I had the pleasure of working with Michael with the Pittsburgh Savoyards in The Mikado and the Pirates of Penzance. He was a true light. I hope his family and friends can find peace and solace in the knowledge that he passed away while doing what he loved to do and while giving others joy through comedy. Hail, Poetry.

Michael shared the same stage and practice of the art of performance. We stayed In touch via Facebook and mutual friends. My last text to him before his final performance was" bend a knee." He responded "will do."
We are all diminished by his exit.

Mike and I were classmates for 12 years. We shared many memories of our youth and the innocence that those years brought. Played pool in his basement, saw movies together, rode the bus (sometimes after breakfast at his house) to high school. We were a real pair, I was big and Mike wasn´t. He was a force in his weight class on the wrestling team. He made it to all the reunions and we picked up where we left off. I will miss my friend and I will keep my memories of him always. Blessings to his family.

Barbara ND My condolences to the Perry family. JOHNHOFMANN