We Lost One of Our Own
Angelina and Jonathan.
We got word from Jonathan D’Amato that his wonderful daughter, Angelina, died in a car accident on January 30 in Eastern Washington, and we all couldn’t be more devastated by the news. Most of you know Jonathan from his incredible car photography, much of which has been shared on this site over the years. Jonathan has been part of E@RTC from the very beginning. He was always there, always supportive, and always generous with his time and his talent.
This is one of those posts where I don’t really know what to say, because there are no words that fit something like this.
Angelina was about five years old when Jonathan first started bringing her to E@RTC. She loved the show. She was quiet, rarely said much, but she had this giant smile that you never forgot once you saw it. People noticed her. Friends would comment on the politeness and warmth of Jonathan’s entire family, and that didn’t happen by accident. Jonathan has always been a hell of a friend to all of us, and his work has been incredible, often iconic, but the thing that always stood out most was the kind of person he is.
The hardest part of all this is trying to imagine what Jonathan and his family are going through right now. Saying that our thoughts are with them doesn’t feel like enough. Nothing feels like enough. There’s a helplessness that comes with news like this, where you want to do something, anything, and there’s simply nothing that can make it better.
I couldn’t sleep after hearing the news. All I could think about was their grief and the loss of such a wonderful human being, taken far too soon. It puts everything else into perspective in a way that’s hard to shake.
We will share any funeral or memorial plans as they are made public. We will put them on our Facebook page. Until then, and long after, Jonathan and his family will be in our thoughts. They are part of this car community, and they always will be.