CLEVELAND — Former Cleveland Plain Dealer columnist and 3News contributor Michael Heaton has died at the age of 66.
Affectionately known as the "Minister of Culture," Heaton was known for his off-beat pop culture columns. As detailed in his farewell column in the Cleveland Plain Dealer in 2018, Heaton said he "borrowed" the nickname from a San Francisco FM DJ named Michael Snyder who reviewed kung-fu and monster movies on the radio during his time working for the San Francisco Examiner.
"I don't remember whose idea it was for this column," Heaton wrote at the time. "The goal was to write entertainingly about entertainment. I always wanted to examine what our choices said about us a culture."
The son of legendary Cleveland Plain Dealer sportswriter Chuck Heaton and brother of actress Patricia Heaton, Michael began his career at the same publication as a rock music writer in the 1980s. After leaving the Plain Dealer at the end of 2019, he regularly published columns on WKYC.com and appeared on 3News programming to preview and discuss the latest happenings in pop culture.
Shortly after news of Heaton's passing was first made public on Sunday night, tributes from friends and family poured in on social media.
"Michael Heaton was such a brilliantly kind and funny man and generous colleague and the world is, without question, worse without him. RIP, Minister," wrote NBC News' Henry J. Gomez.
"Goodbye my friend. Minister of Culture. Master of Discarded Metal. Loyal friend. Proud father. Court jester. Wag. Reliable wingman. Seeker of happiness," wrote Ideastream Public Media's Michael McIntyre.