Stay in the game of life – "it ain’t over til it’s over."
– Yogi Berra

The man has been identified as Abdoulaye Yattara, 42. He lived in Cincinnati,
but was originally from Africa, Nally said. He believes Yattara had been here
for about seven or eight years.
Yattara fell into the Ohio River just before 7 a.m. Friday morning. The car
he was driving – a silver Chevrolet Camaro with Ohio plates – apparently ran
out of gas in the southbound lanes of the Interstate 75/71 bridge, Nally
said.
Yattara was pushing the car across the bridge when a good Samaritan driving a
green Tahoe pulled up behind the car and turned on his hazard lights.

Yattara walked back to the passenger side of the Tahoe to say something to
the driver, Nally said. At that instant, a Toyota Sienna minivan crashed into
the back of the Tahoe.

The impact sent the Tahoe into Yattara, tossing him over the side of the
bridge to the water 80 feet below.
Calls immediately poured into Covington dispatchers reporting a man in the
water. Someone reported the man was wearing an orange shirt.

Within seven or eight minutes of the call, the Covington Fire Department had
launched a boat and began its search, he said. That boat was quickly joined
by the U.S. Coast Guard and Boone/Kenton County Water Rescue.

Crews searched an area 300 to 400 feet west of the bridge in about 20 to 30
feet of water, said Boone/Kenton Water Rescue Capt. Dale Appel. There is zero
visibility in the water, he said.

"It’s a real rough area we’re looking in," Appel said. "There’s a lot of
debris."

About 4 p.m., sonar indicated something in water. Divers were preparing to
search an area near the Ohio side of the river about 100 yards from the
bridge, Appel said.

"I like to think we are doing our very best to get this gentleman out of the
water," he said. "It’s not going to be an easy task."

Police initially did not know Yattara’s name because he was not the owner of
the Camaro with Ohio plates. Police later learned his identity but did not
release it until his body was recovered.

The driver of the Sienna was taken to St. Elizabeth Covington where he was
treated and released. He has not been charged.

Police warned motorists to stay inside their vehicle on the bridge – even if
it’s broken down, Nally said.

"That’s the safest thing to do. I know it’s scary to be in there and that’s
probably the scariest place in the world to be broken down, there’s nowhere
to go," Nally said. "But you’re offered a little bit of protection in your
vehicle, if you’re on foot it’s far more dangerous."

Keep asking, ‘What else?’ to hear the rest of the story."
– Grandpa

Thanks to Falk’s affectionately genuine portrayal, Lt. Columbo established
himself for all time as a champion of any viewer who ever felt less than
graceful, elegant or well-spoken.

Falk died Thursday at age 83 in his Beverly Hills, Calif., home, according to
a statement released Friday by family friend Larry Larson. But Columbo lives
on as the shining ideal of anyone with a smudge on his tie, whose car isn’t
the sportiest, who often seems clueless, who gets dissed by fancy people.

As a police detective, Columbo’s interview technique was famously disjointed,
with his inevitable awkward afterthought ("Ahhh, there’s just one more
thing…") that tried the patience of his suspect as he was halfway out the
door.

Columbo was underestimated, patronized or simply overlooked by nearly
everyone he met – especially the culprit.

And yet Columbo, drawing on inner pluck for which only he (and an actor as
skilled as Falk) could have accounted, always prevailed. Contrary to all
evidence (that is, until he nailed the bad guy), Columbo always knew what he
was doing.

Even more inspiring for viewers, he was unconcerned with how other people saw
him. He seemed to be perfectly happy with himself, his life, his pet basset,
Dog, his wheezing Peugeot, and his never-seen wife. A squat man chewing
cigars in a rumpled raincoat, he stands tall among TV’s most self-assured
heroes.

What viewer won’t take solace forever from the lessons Columbo taught us by
his enduring example?

Columbo – he never had a first name – presented a refreshing contrast to
other TV detectives. "He looks like a flood victim," Falk once said. "You
feel sorry for him. He appears to be seeing nothing, but he’s seeing
everything. Underneath his dishevelment, a good mind is at work."

On another occasion, he described Columbo as "an ass-backwards Sherlock
Holmes."

"As a person, he was like Columbo. He was exactly the same way: a great sense
of humor, constantly forgetting things," said Charles Engel, an NBCUniversal
executive who worked with Falk on "Columbo" and was his neighbor and longtime
friend.

He remembered Falk as a "brilliant" actor and "an amazingly wonderful, crazy
guy," and said a script was in place for a two-hour "Columbo" special, but
Falk’s illness made the project impossible. In a court document filed in
December 2008, Falk’s daughter Catherine Falk said her father was suffering
from Alzheimer’s disease.

Somehow fittingly, Falk – the perfect choice to play Columbo – failed to be
the first choice. Instead, the role was offered to easygoing crooner Bing
Crosby. Fortunately, he passed.

With Falk in place, "Columbo" began its run in 1971 as part of the NBC Sunday
Mystery Movie series, appearing every third week. The show became by far the
most popular of the three mysteries, the others being "McCloud" and "McMillan
and Wife."

Falk was reportedly paid $250,000 a movie and could have made much more if he
had accepted an offer to convert "Columbo" into a weekly series. He declined,
reasoning that carrying a weekly detective series would be too great a
burden.

NBC canceled the three series in 1977. In 1989 ABC offered "Columbo" in a
two-hour format usually appearing once or twice a season. The movies
continued into the 21st century. "Columbo" appeared in 26 foreign countries
and was a particular favorite in France and Iran.

Columbo’s trademark: an ancient raincoat Falk had once bought for himself.
After 25 years on television, the coat became so tattered it had to be
replaced.

Falk was already an experienced Broadway actor and two-time Oscar nominee
when he began playing Columbo. And, long before then, he had demonstrated a
bit of Columbo-worthy spunk: at 3, he had one eye removed because of cancer.

Then, when he was starting as an actor in New York, an agent told him, "Of
course, you won’t be able to work in movies or TV because of your eye." And
after failing a screen test at Columbia Pictures, he was told by studio boss
Harry Cohn that "for the same price I can get an actor with two eyes."

But Falk prevailed, even before "Columbo," picking up back-to-back Oscar
nominations as best supporting actor for the 1960 mob drama "Murder, Inc."
and Frank Capra’s last film, the 1961 comedy-drama "Pocketful of Miracles."

Paying tribute, actor-comedian Michael McKean said, "Peter Falk’s assault on
conventional stardom went like this: You’re not conventionally handsome,
you’re missing an eye and you have a speech impediment. Should you become a
movie star? Peter’s correct answer: Absolutely.

"I got to hang with him a few times and later worked a day with him on a
forgettable TV movie," McKean went on, calling Falk "a sweet, sharp and funny
man with a great soul. Wim Wenders called it correctly in ‘Wings of Desire’:
He was an angel if there ever was one on Earth."

"There is literally nobody you could compare him to. He was a completely
unique actor," said Rob Reiner, who directed Falk in "The Princess Bride."

"His personality was really what drew people to him. … He had this great
sense of humor and this great natural quality nobody could come close to,"
Reiner said. Falk’s work with Alan Arkin in "The In-Laws" represents "one of
the most brilliant comedy pairings we’ve seen on screen."

Peter Michael Falk was born in 1927, in New York City and grew up in
Ossining, N.Y., where his parents ran a clothing store.

After serving as a cook in the merchant marine and receiving a master’s
degree in public administration from Syracuse University, Falk worked as an
efficiency expert for the budget bureau of the state of Connecticut.

He also acted in amateur theater and was encouraged to become a pro fessional
by actress-teacher Eva Le Gallienne.

An appearance in "The Iceman Cometh" off-Broadway led to other parts, among
them Josef Stalin in Paddy Chayefsky’s 1964 "The Passion of Josef D." In
1971, Falk scored a hit in Neil Simon’s "The Prisoner of Second Avenue,"
Tony-nominated for best play.

Falk made his film debut in 1958 with "Wind Across the Everglades" and
established himself as a talented character actor with his performance as the
vicious killer Abe Reles in "Murder, Inc."

Among his other movies: "It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World," "Robin and the
Seven Hoods," "The Great Race," "Luv," "Castle Keep," "The Cheap Detective"
and "The Brinks Job."

Falk also appeared in a number of art-house favorites, including "Wings of
Desire" (in which he played himself as a former angel), and the
semi-improvisational films "Husbands" and "A Woman Under the Influence,"
directed by his friend John Cassavetes.

"Today we lost someone who is very special and dear to my heart. Not only a
wonderful actor but a very great friend," said Gena Rowlands, who co-starred
with Falk in the latter film, and was married to the late Cassavetes.

Falk became prominent in television movies, beginning with his first Emmy for
"The Price of Tomatoes" in 1961. His four other Emmys were for "Columbo."

He was married to pianist Alyce Mayo in 1960; they had two daughters, Jackie
and Catherine, and divorced in 1976. The following year he married actress
Shera Danese. They filed for divorce twice and reconciled each time.

When not working, Falk spent time in the garage of his Beverly Hills home. He
had converted it into a studio where he created charcoal drawings. He took up
art in New York when he was in the Simon play and one day happened into the
Art Students League.

He recalled: "I opened a door and there she was, a nude model, shoulders
back, a light from above, buck-ass naked. The female body is awesome. Believe
me, I signed up right away."

Don’t Drink and Drive (or ride with someone who’s been
drinking). Be safe and don’t do anything stupid.