Investigations

Rick Shore died after experimental EGPA surgery

The Venice Beach filmmaker had searched the canals for weeks after his conure Orson escaped through an open door.

In Venice Beach, California, Rick Shore died after experimental surgery for eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis, the rare autoimmune disease he had fought for more than 40 years. Channel 5 host Andrew Callaghan had spent months in the canals district filming Shore's search for a yellow-cheeked conure named Orson.

Orson was a rescue bird with a damaged beak that Shore said responded to "Hello, baby" and often repeated "I love you." Shore posted flyers and a Nextdoor appeal after the parrot slipped out an open door. Neighbor Shawn O'Brien said he once heard bird sounds in a tree at night and called Shore, but the lead did not pan out.

Flyers went up on walls across the neighborhood and Shore made early-morning laps with the crew. Shore also consulted Martha Malone, who runs an animal-communication business, after she offered help on Instagram. Malone later sent Shore street addresses and claimed residents were holding Orson; the team drove Shore to several homes before they stopped following her tips.

Shore then met Frank Lavak, a Santa Monica avian veterinarian, who said escaped pet parrots face hawks, cats, and starvation and that reunion after the first day or two was very unlikely. Shore had cited rescue groups who told him most lost birds stay nearby for weeks; Lavak disagreed.

The production bought a similar conure named Douglas from Elias Pet Shop in Los Angeles and brought it to Shore's studio apartment as a surprise. Douglas lacked Orson's split beak and had slightly redder feathers. Shore accepted the gift and later asked a production assistant for bird-sitting while he recovered from surgery scheduled for Sept. 14.

Shore told the crew he planned to change his name legally to Raphael, Hebrew for "God heals," and studied Torah with Gil, a member of the Chabad center in Venice. Shore had directed "Punking Out" at 21, a short on New York punk clubs that won an NYU documentary award and played festivals, before illness ended his filmmaking career.

Shore said a seasonal flu in his early 20s led to an EGPA diagnosis. The condition inflames blood vessels and amplifies pain; Shore described hip replacements at 26, steroid dependence, psychosis, and years of isolation. He said the Mayo Clinic initially had little published guidance on the disease. Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis remains without a cure, though symptom treatments have improved.

The crew drove Shore to a pre-surgical appointment when Shore feared a late blood test would cancel the operation. After the surgery, Shore's condition did not stabilize as he hoped and he moved to hospice care. Gil said Shore discharged himself, returned to his apartment, then visited the Chabad center, where Gil told him he loved him. Shore died soon after.

Gil said he had believed the new bird was Orson returned. The original parrot was never found, and Douglas later escaped as well. Channel 5 said subscription signups marked "I'm here for Rick" would donate revenue to the Vasculitis Foundation for EGPA research.

Source video: Finding Orson