Arleen Sorkin, R.I.P.

By now, you've no doubt heard of the passing of actress Arleen Sorkin at the age of 67. She was best known as the first voice — and in a way, model — for the popular character Harley Quinn who debuted in Batman: The Animated Series in 1992, the creation of my pals Paul Dini and Bruce Timm. Arleen was also known for her role on the daytime drama Days of Our Lives and for her work as a writer and comedy improv performer. Her closest friends seem to have all been aware of her recent struggles with the lung cancer that took her life.

"Her closest friends" did not include me. I met and talked with Arleen on several occasions but never for very long and not in recent years. She seemed charming and funny and witty and that, I'm afraid, is the extent of my in-person observations. Those closest friends of hers all loved her dearly and, like all her many fans, are saddened by the loss.