Obituary of Michael Joe Goggans

Michael Joe Goggans , 64 , a beloved Fort Worth actor , passed away on December 21, 2017 from cancer.Born May 28 , 1953, Michael was a lifetime Fort Worth resident , a graduate of Paschal High School and TCJC. Mike was first and foremost a fine actor, performing on stages across Fort Worth including Stage West, Circle Theatre, Scott Theater and Casa Manana, but he was most closely associated with The Hip Pocket Theater where he was an original company member, performing in every season since its inception in 1976. He also performed from coast to coast with The Gunfighters, a Wild West comedy act, working with many of the old western stars of television such as Clint Walker and James Drury, and celebrities such as Zsa Zsa Gabor. Mike’s recounting of meeting Zsa Zsa at Madison Square Garden was priceless. The Gunfighters appeared on both Good Morning America and Real People. A passionate actor, he was devoted to his craft, took delight in entertaining audiences and especially loved to hear the laughter of close friends. Hip Pocket’s founder, Artistic Director Johnny Simons, wrote many roles for Michael. Some of Mike’s favorite characters were Catfish Charlie in “Girls from Girdleville”, Vincent Van Gogh in “Van Gogh/Gaugin”, Captain Ahab in “Moby Dick”, Slim in “Cowboy Mouth”, Lum in “Lum & Abner”, and the title character in “The Hunger Artist”. Michael’s biggest theater influences were Simons and Mike’s high school theater teacher, Miriam Todd.Michael found serenity over seven years ago after a near death experience, and became a vital part of his 12-step program, chairing many meetings. Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of the 12 steps, he tried to carry that message to other alcoholics, and he lived to practice those principles daily. Sobriety changed Mike’s life, and resulted in some of his best performances.Mike would also want you to know of his unwavering allegiance to the Democratic Party.Michael was preceded in death by his mother, Jean Goggans. He is survived by his father Joe Goggans, his sister Melissa Joslin, her husband Biff, and several nieces and nephews, and most especially his lifelong family of friends at Hip Pocket Theatre, who loved him unconditionally. Dozens of fellow actors and artists have shared photos and stories on Facebook, especially the Hip Pocket Theatre page, which is ironic because he detested social media and refused to participate in such nonsense.And…scene.